• From: Victoria, BC
  • Registered: 2005-05-21
  • Posts: 47

Topic: Heater and stove

unless you want to put propane on your boat oil is the best alternative.  I have a 2 burner dickinson propane stove and force 10 propane heater on my contessa and they both work great.  I went this way because the boat already had an almost brnad new propane heater installed so i wasn't goin to change that and since I needed a proper propane system for that I changed out the old alcohol stove for a propane one which is far better.  I am not too familiar with small oil stoves but I have used many large dickinson oil stoves which were fantastic.  Your stove shouldn't be hard to light so maybe you should investigate that, it might be dirty/clogged.

Mark Sherlock's Website

  • Registered: 2006-01-26
  • Posts: 19

Re: Heater and stove

I went to the boat and pulled apart the carb and cleaned it for the heater and started and runs great.The cook stove I think needs new burners.I heard of a place that rebuilds them so I will give them a call.Today a new owner of a contessa 26 approached me so I told him about the forum and he going to join.Thanks for the info!George

  • From: New Hampshire, USA
  • Registered: 2005-11-01
  • Posts: 84

Re: Heater and stove

If you want to go low-tech and avoid the issues of propane (and propane storage) you can stick with the non-pressurized alcohol stoves.  The Origo 2-burner model 3000 on gimbals fits perfectly on my 1985 - I suspect it was original and the space actually sized for it. 

Advantages of alcohol over propane - no space wasted on a propane locker, no gas bottle(s) on deck, no remote shutoff solenoid, no fume detector, and no chance of blowing up your boat...

Disadvantages - lower heat output, less precise control over heat, sometimes hard to see the clear/blue flame...

Unfortunately, the "propane systems" required to run a stove and a heater on a Contessa and on a much bigger boat are basically the same, take up the same amount of space and cost the same...  We just have less space to work with (and sometimes less $$$ as well!).

  • From: Ottawa, On
  • Registered: 2005-03-10
  • Posts: 353

Re: Heater and stove

Only other disadvantage to the Origo is if you run them hot for a while, they apparently tend to catch on fire.  I've never seen this myself, don't quite really understand how it would actually happen, and I've only heard first hand of 2 instances, (theres a few out there on the internet tho) and I'm cleaning up from one of them. I'll stick with the Origo (propane would just loooove that deep bilge).  That and I'm a bit backwards and already have a charcoal bbq for the boat.  ~1500 hours left of work to do, but I already have the bbq..........  Good thing I've got a beer fridge in the garage cause the icebox in the boat is still in peices....

stefan_d's Website

  • From: Tucson AZ USA
  • Registered: 2005-06-03
  • Posts: 107

Re: Heater and stove

George , mine came with a oil stove that was removed, and also has some of spare parts like burners. Email me if you want it.
Peter

Peter SC's Website

  • Registered: 2006-01-26
  • Posts: 19

Re: Heater and stove

Did you pull the stove because it is bothersum to run?George

  • From: Tucson AZ USA
  • Registered: 2005-06-03
  • Posts: 107

Re: Heater and stove

No it came with the boat, it was not installed. I didn't even try to get it going because of the size and the size of the fuel tank that came with it. The location obstructed seacock closing so I installed a single Origo instead.

Peter SC's Website

  • From: Vancouver, B.C. Canada
  • Registered: 2005-05-06
  • Posts: 304

Re: Heater and stove

Hi everyone;

When you say "oil" do you mean diesel?  Sorry to ask!

I have the same Origo 3000 (non-pressurized) Bill has, mine came with the boat.  It is simple and clean, and warm enough in the winter when I cook, to heat up the boat.  I just monitor it while cookin, and have no problem seeing flame or it taking too long...in fact I find it heats up way too fast and my food is sizzling away before I know it!  (Umm, I'm not really a gourmet cook....;-)   The alcohol is cheap and simple and easy.

However, I am drooling/dreaming over the diesel Wallas stove (Finland) with "blower lid" that turns it into a heater - there is a 12 volt draw required for the fan, and can also draw fuel off main fuel tank (or better, a separate one)  I can't yet justify the cost ($2,000 or so Canadian) but will eventually one day, as then I will have  just one fuel easily available anywhere. 

Propane: Stefan is right, our bilges are too deep for it (relatively speaking of course! ;-)  but as Mark said, it is so simple and easy to use...it does give off a bit more moisture than I would like...that's why I like the diesel.

“You get a boat for only one reason, because you want one.  If you’re worried about being practical, forget boats.”
  • Registered: 2005-04-20
  • Posts: 19

Re: Heater and stove

Well, I might as well add my 2 cents in on this one.  I have had the pleasure of experience with all of these fuels when I lived aboard my Allmand 31 for a number of years.  Started out with alcohol, went to kerosine and ended up with propane.  Here's what I experienced.  I hated the alcohol, too slow and I felt dangerous doing that prime thing and invisible flame.  I hated the kerosine because it was dirty, smelled bad and was dangerous because of that prime thing but not as bad as the alcohol.  I finally went with a propane system which included all the safety precautions and I loved it.  It was simple, clean and I feel if you keep your gear in good order and are conscientious, just as safe.  A good friend bought a beautiful Catalina 30 a few years ago.  I told him to get rid of his alcohol stove.  He didn't and on a cruise back to Cleveland lost his boat and almost his life, she burned to the waterline and sank.  I know it's a personal choice but on my Contessa I'll stick with gas, I'm currently using the small self-contained bottles which I store in a bag off the stern rail.  I hope this leads to some good discussion.

  • Registered: 2005-05-31
  • Posts: 20

Re: Heater and stove

i have an origo (non pressurized alcohol stove) and really like it.
i've left it on for hours on a low flame to heat the boat (while i was there) and never had a problem. one burner heats the cabin very quickly.

it is a pain to refill especially when the boat is pitching around -- someone on the other list suggested using a turkey baster for refilling the cannister. i finally tried that and it works much better, but i'd like some kind of pump i can just put on the gallon jug.

i can well imagine people not bothering to take the cannister out of the metal frame to refill it -- which could easily lead to a fire since some alcohol would spill.

mine is a two burner -- but i only use the burner closer to the middle of the boat. the other burner is too close to the fiberglass and window frame for my liking.

i only use the origo branded no soot alcohol. i'm pretty sensitive to fumes and i've never had a problem with it.

note that -- when you talk about pressurized alcohol stoves -- you are not talking about an origo. they are very different.

  • From: Homer
  • Registered: 2005-11-01
  • Posts: 104

Re: Heater and stove

Anyone try the ORigo heater which doubles as a single burner?  They are about $102.00 US...looks like a good option!

  • From: Vancouver, B.C. Canada
  • Registered: 2005-05-06
  • Posts: 304

Re: Heater and stove

Hi Kristin!
You mean the loose, ie: sit it on the floor, one that has holes in it?  I had one of those, and felt it to be more like a fiery (firy?!) soccer ball with yours truly stumbling and leaping around!  If it can tip and catch the entire boat on fire, it will in my story!
Umm, is that the one you mean?! ;-)

“You get a boat for only one reason, because you want one.  If you’re worried about being practical, forget boats.”
  • From: New Hampshire, USA
  • Registered: 2005-11-01
  • Posts: 84

Re: Heater and stove

Kristin, I used one of those when I lived aboard my trimaran.  They're great heaters on the hook or at a dock, but I wouldn't use it underway unless it was well secured!  (Never tried to cook on it!)  You can also run one of the Origo stoves for a little heat if you need to - only difference is you don't have the heat exchanger/guard/lid that the heater one has so it would require a bit more diligent attention.

  • Registered: 2006-01-26
  • Posts: 19

Re: Heater and stove

Hi again hope I am not asking too many Questions ,But thanks to you guys on this forum I am able to get some of the answers I need.The 1985 JJ Taylor came with a gimballed oil stove and heater.Are these still a good idea or has better stuff come out .The stove seems very tricky to light and requires 15 psi of pressure to work,and does not work well at best.Is a person better to go a different type or maybe try and get this one repaired? The heater is gravity feed Dickson.Thanks George

  • From: Homer
  • Registered: 2005-11-01
  • Posts: 104

Re: Heater and stove

Hey, yes, the one like the soccer ball.  I was thinking of securing in the sink!  and using it for heat and heating water.   Got the BBQ for the major cooking!

  • From: Vancouver, B.C. Canada
  • Registered: 2005-05-06
  • Posts: 304

Re: Heater and stove

I too like my non-pressured Origo 3000 2 burner stove.  I find it heats cabin with one burner while cooking with another...Kristin, you could secure in the sink, however, I just had a vision of your alcohol slopping out down the drain...and if it's on fire, might be a tad of a pulse-quickener when you least need it?!

If you are restriced by space, (not sure if you have the area I do for stove on stbd. side) I would recommend a single burner of some safe sort, the alcohol ones are good as all contained, no tank, and no priming, and just watch the flame the first few times you use it to get used to what the flame looks like.  I have never had a problem seeing the flame.  YOu can also hear the flame, so know when it's lit.  Easy to light too, no whoossh and loss of eyebrows.

“You get a boat for only one reason, because you want one.  If you’re worried about being practical, forget boats.”
  • From: Victoria B.C.
  • Registered: 2006-03-11
  • Posts: 171

Re: Heater and stove

Ihad a fire on my previous boat as a result of my Origo over heating.I lived aboard and cooked with that stove for twelve years.The casing can get quite warm with fumes if you let the fuel get to low.The caing can get dangerously hot if the flame is not extinguished when you close the draft.As it says in the manual open then close it again to make sure the stove is out.You must be religious about this ,or you to may have a fire.Bummer.That said ,I love em and I am mounting a new single in gimbals over the next week or so,as well as awood stove for year round sailing on the west coast.The liveaboards in my marina use wood or diesel for heat because they are simple safe and work very well,however it is very challenging to install a decent heat sorce your not tripping over in the contessa.A warm cabin is a sweet thing to have in cold wet weather especially if your far from home.Bill,Victoria B.C.

  • From: Vancouver, B.C. Canada
  • Registered: 2005-05-06
  • Posts: 304

Re: Heater and stove

Bill;
Gee, thanks for the tip on the Origo possibly still burning after turning it off, as well as getting really hot with low fuel...hmmm, that's possibly how Stefan D's previous owner burned a hole through that boat?!

I will indeed check mine next time I use it.  Strangely enough, I do feel it before I put the rubber gasket back on to ensure it's not hot (and melt the rubber)  so I would hope if it was still hot, my little brain may come to some conclusion that something was not right?!  If not, it will now!
(Some of us have such high hopes for ourselves! ;-D  )

“You get a boat for only one reason, because you want one.  If you’re worried about being practical, forget boats.”
  • From: Victoria B.C.
  • Registered: 2006-03-11
  • Posts: 171

Re: Heater and stove

R.E.,Origos.The older ones did not  have  the little gaurd over the burner hole.Afriend of mine burned her self filling the stove directly through the top many years ago when the stove wasn't out.I think this is why they have the little gaurd.I also had a heat bucket and thought it was a pain to fill plus it has a different draft design that puts out less heat making it some what usless to cook on,especially annoying before that first coffee of the morning.

  • From: Homer
  • Registered: 2005-11-01
  • Posts: 104

Re: Heater and stove

Ok, last stab at this...must ask advice as I cannot see the products in personuntil ordered.   Does anyone recommend whether to drop the 2 burner Origo into the counter by the sink , or does gimbal mount make a huge difference?  And...does anyone have experience with mounting the diesel heater above the starboard nav. table and icebox (directly under the vent)..with the plastic fuel tank on the other side of the wall or ceiling with a gravity feed set up?  Does it distribute heat to the cabin floor well enough being that high up?  There are pics of both ideas on the yachtworld site of the Contessa '78 for sale. Thanks so much!

  • From: Victoria B.C.
  • Registered: 2006-03-11
  • Posts: 171

Re: Heater and stove

If you want to sail to weather with a pot on the stove,gimbals are not an option.I 've almost finished rebuilding the galley to accept the gimballed single.It is now where the sink was and the sink has moved farther aft making the whole set-up much more user friendly,i.e. I don't have to lean over the stove to get at the sink.Also pot supports which you likely have.The Origo gimbals are very nice.My under standing is that diesel and wood stoves need a minium of three feet between the stove and deckhead or the deckiron could get dangerously hot.They pump out some serious heat.The closer to the sole the better so in theory they suck up cold air.

  • From: Homer
  • Registered: 2005-11-01
  • Posts: 104

Re: Heater and stove

A bit more clarification and I'll have it wrapped up.  Do you have to have the stove gimbaled so it faces and swings a certain direction?  Shannon, I noticed in the pic you sent to me where they had extended the counter so the 2 burner was facing aft, was a drop in, so no swinging direction issue.  Thanks so much for all your help!

  • From: Victoria B.C.
  • Registered: 2006-03-11
  • Posts: 171

Re: Heater and stove

It swings athwartships(side to side).Some other types swing in any direction,but that is likely overkill and requires a fair bit of room.With the Origo you need about five inches clear behind the stove so the bottom of the stove dose'nt catch the counter when the boat is heeled.You also need about two inches underneath.I dropped the top of the stove about two inches below the counter so it is easy to reach into the pot and steamy stuff is a tiny bit further from the deckhead.

  • From: Homer
  • Registered: 2005-11-01
  • Posts: 104

Re: Heater and stove

Great!  Thanks sooo much.  Kristin

  • From: Vancouver, B.C. Canada
  • Registered: 2005-05-06
  • Posts: 304

Re: Heater and stove

Good luck Krising: like Bill said, the heater should be low down: I tried mine on bulkhead, stbd. side, (yes, to use the existing hole as a vent) and the headliner got so hot I got nervous....and yanked it outta there.  If I don't splurge for the Wallas stove, and was brave enough to cut a hole in the deck, I'd mount a heater on base, to the left, of hanging locker.  Low, mid-boat, and can heat forepeak...

My stove is gimballed on stbd. side too: did I send you pics of it?!  It does have to be gimballed if you are going to sail and try to cook, the boats do heel over to about 20 to 30 degrees and then stay there...but your soup won't unless stove is gimballed!  ;D

“You get a boat for only one reason, because you want one.  If you’re worried about being practical, forget boats.”