Bad, bad, ideas...

[Dan33]

Alcohol stoves:Let's combine a fuel that is expensive, has low BTUs per gallon, smells nasty enough to make anyone seasick, and needs to be delivered by a pressure tank that will spray burning alcohol everywhere if it lets loose.

...and this is ok with insurance companies, but a proper, certified, on demand water heater is not??

Of course the non-pressurized units are fine. In fact my wife still would take one over our propane range aboard GK.

Side story...our friends took delivery of their new (to them) Express 30. Their first, and last, experience with the pressurized alcohol stove ended up with the curtains on fire.

 

[Nomenclature]

Side story...our friends took delivery of their new (to them) Express 30. Their first, and last, experience with the pressurized alcohol stove ended up with the curtains on fire.

For most people, their first experiences with alcohol stoves tend to be a little exciting.

But, once you are familiar with the correct procedures, cooking with an alcohol is inherently

safer than propane. I will take a 'flare up' that can be extinguished with water, over an

explosion risk, any day. I like the relaxed cooking style that you need to adopt when cooking

with a lower heat, and I like the pleasant smell alcohol imparts in the cabin. I have owned a

boat with alcohol for a decade, and I like the rustic simplicity of the system. The cost of the

fuel however has gone through the roof recently.

Most of my favorite things to hate have already be cited in the above posts,

but the worst of the worst in current trends is the proliferation of roller furling

mainsails, and the general abandonment of good sailing performance as a primary

feature in today's production boats.

 

[kent_island_sailor]

Here is what "safe" alcohol can do:

During a race, a boat some distance behind us decided to fire up the stove for dinner. The hose fittings had come loose or fractured from the motion, so at some point the supply hose came loose and sprayed burning alcohol all over the cabin. The flames made it out the main hatch and burned the liferaft. Crew down below were badly burned during their hasty exit. The boat sank very quicky after that, with burned crew in the water right at sunset in the Atlantic. Lucky for them, another racer with a doctor on board wasn't too far behind. If he hadn't seen them and picked them up I doubt we would ever have known what happened to the boat

Side story...our friends took delivery of their new (to them) Express 30. Their first, and last, experience with the pressurized alcohol stove ended up with the curtains on fire.

For most people, their first experiences with alcohol stoves tend to be a little exciting.

But, once you are familiar with the correct procedures, cooking with an alcohol is inherently

safer than propane. I will take a 'flare up' that can be extinguished with water, over an

explosion risk, any day. I like the relaxed cooking style that you need to adopt when cooking

with a lower heat, and I like the pleasant smell alcohol imparts in the cabin. I have owned a

boat with alcohol for a decade, and I like the rustic simplicity of the system. The cost of the

fuel however has gone through the roof recently.

Most of my favorite things to hate have already be cited in the above posts,

but the worst of the worst in current trends is the proliferation of roller furling

mainsails, and the general abandonment of good sailing performance as a primary

feature in today's production boats.

 

[Dan33]

OT...I watched Mythbusters this week...they were experimenting with throwing small amounts of water on a grease fire. BOY!!! You sure don't want to ever make that mistake aboard a boat. Unbelievable inferno.

Back on topic. Another really bad idea, lead-acid batteries in the cabin, or worse under a berth. These things gas off when they fail!!

 

[rtbates]

1. plastic ports

2. plastic thru hulls

3. gates valves below the waterline

 

[CAN217]

- OMC gas saildrive...noisey, stinky, unreliable

Hey, stop slagging the OMC Saildrive. If you are ever out cruising around the Toronto harbor at say 3 AM, drunk as can be, and the fool at the wheel runs you aground, and you then find that another fool has left the batteries on "both" and they are too dead from running the stereo and lights to turn the engine over, you better have a OMC saildrive. McGyver up a pull starter and start that sucker up. Can't do that with a diesel!!!

Or at least that's what I hear...

u have never pull-started a Bukh Diesel...

 

[Dan33]

I started a Yanmar YSE8 by hand...I wouldn't recommend making a habit of it. The crank is meant to roll the engine for bleeding, not to start it...found that out later

Best related story.

A CS27 owner (on the owners website) managed to start his engine by hand after killing the battery during a day sailing. When it started, the dogs on the engine shaft bit into the handle and wouldn't release it, so now he had a hand crank spinning at some percentage of the engine RPM!!

However the shutoff is in the cockpit, he can't reach the engine end of the kill cable because the handle is spinning in front of it...now it's getting dark and he doesn't want to shut the engine down...so he climbs up onto the galley and steps OVER the flailing handle into the cockpit and motors in, with the handle still spinning on the engine.

He claims it vibrated a bit <_<

 

[Nomenclature]

Here is what "safe" alcohol can do:The hose fittings had come loose or fractured from the motion, so at some point the supply hose came loose and sprayed burning alcohol all over the cabin.

I have no doubt that many boats have burned to waterline, from fires caused by alcohol stoves.

But the problem is generally caused by trying to light a burner after liquid alcohol has spilled

or sloshed out of the priming bowl. You definitely need to be attentive to this if your are

cooking in a seaway. If you smell a lot of alcohol, start checking before you light it off.

But what would be the outcome of a propane line leaking inside the boat and igniting?

A mega-ton bomb.

There was a picture in an issue of Lat 38 a while back, of a boat with its deck resting

neatly atop the lifeline stanchions. The guy was lighting his propane stove when he noticed

a curious blue flame snakeing all around him. The gas exploded and blew the entire deck

straight off the boat. Miraculously he was left standing there with all his hair singed off his

face and arms, and a new view out of the cabin. But otherwise OK.

 

[kent_island_sailor]

I use CNG. It float UP, so you'll smell it ASAP if it leaks.

Here is what "safe" alcohol can do:The hose fittings had come loose or fractured from the motion, so at some point the supply hose came loose and sprayed burning alcohol all over the cabin.

I have no doubt that many boats have burned to waterline, from fires caused by alcohol stoves.

But the problem is generally caused by trying to light a burner after liquid alcohol has spilled

or sloshed out of the priming bowl. You definitely need to be attentive to this if your are

cooking in a seaway. If you smell a lot of alcohol, start checking before you light it off.

But what would be the outcome of a propane line leaking inside the boat and igniting?

A mega-ton bomb.

There was a picture in an issue of Lat 38 a while back, of a boat with its deck resting

neatly atop the lifeline stanchions. The guy was lighting his propane stove when he noticed

a curious blue flame snakeing all around him. The gas exploded and blew the entire deck

straight off the boat. Miraculously he was left standing there with all his hair singed off his

face and arms, and a new view out of the cabin. But otherwise OK.

 

[jimb517]

wires for bow lights, stern light, steaming/anchor/deck lights glassed into the deck (Catalina)

 

[watersportgirl]

Oil filters that can't be changed without filling the bilge with oil.

Fuel filters located such that they can only be changed by a gynecologist with arms like an orangutan's.

I'm going to have nightmares! aaack!

 

[Dan33]

bad idea...carbon fibre hockey sticks as a building material

Here's my first attempt (in progress) at a handle for my companionway slider.

 

[kent_island_sailor]

Or they crack in a hurricane, dump all the acid in the bilge, and smell like shit, which makes the job of working on the engine (see earlier post re clogged filters) even MORE un-fun :angry:

Gel or AGM for me! (Or maybe a nice Rolls in a REALLY acid proof container)

BTW, did anyone pick "wire entire boat with untinned copper" yet? Thanks for that one.......I always wanted to replace 100% of the boat wiring.

Another really bad idea, lead-acid batteries in the cabin, or worse under a berth. These things gas off when they fail!!

 

[Timo42]

How about wiring the whole boat with lamp cord or missing the reinforcement block for the bow eye when drilling one of the bolt holes and adding a stack random washers to make up the difference in length.

Though to be fair that one was lazy idiot yard worker not design flaw. :huh:

 

[creedence623]

Built into the hull liner holding tanks w/plywood - formica tops, sealed with silicone.

Lancer 36.

I used to be a Lancer 36 owner when I lived in Hawaii. I think that damned vinyl headliner belongs on this list. You couldn't access any of the deck hardware without cutting it away, and you couldn't install a new one without removing all 7 or 8 ports and the compression post. PITA. Otherwise a pretty good boat.

 

[MoeAlfa]

Iron keels.

 

[Dan33]

Iron keels.

We have a number of Tanzers in the club...you know it's spring when you can hear the whine of the grinders, and every boat is covered with a fine coating of rust.

 

[MoeAlfa]

Not just Tanzers

 

[Dan33]

Moe

Your boat?? What is she??

Very classy, very pretty.

 

[MoeAlfa]

Moe
Your boat?? What is she??

Very classy, very pretty.

Thanks. Dufour 40. We have a white hull and teak only in the cockpit, but we're better looking than those people.