Paul Thompson wrote:

I don't think LC stinks of kero nor does Skatty. If you buy Jet A from the airport it high quality and cost no more than petrol at the pump.

Edit: don't forget I referred to living aboard rather than just weekending.  It's because everything you own is in the atmosphere that it all starts to smell.  The same friend said he knew when I walked into the room because I was preceded by the pong of paraffin(!)  However, I suspect that using oil lamps multiplies the ssmell dramatically.

Arne,

"Timothy, as for pure lamp oil, I am not so sure. I once tried it on my Optimus, but it simply didn’t work. However much I preheated the stove, it just flared up, so boiling temperature must be much higher than on kerosene. I later learned on a Primus expert's a home-page that lamp oil is not just refined kero, it is something else."

You're right. It took me a few minutes to discover that, but I left my original statement.  That's why I also mentioned the 'lamplight medallion oil' which is designed for oil lamp use, and designed to burn clean, so it might work in a kero stove. I'd be curious to find out, as I use alcohol stoves with 99% isopropyl, so I don't have a way to test it out :-)

I cooked on kero for the best part of 35 years. I have three objections to it: it (eventually) discolours the deckhead; you, your boat and everything on it smell of kero, if you live on board; spares are eye-wateringly expensive. In NZ there is an additional issue in that getting hold of good kero is a bit of a mission.

Arne - 2 minutes is sufficient to preheat the burner.  If you can get hold of one of the wicks that Tilley make for their lamps, they are perfect for lighting the stove and save alcohol.

I have considered fitting a kero stove to SibLim - they are cheap second hand, but overall, now that I don't use oil lamps - too expensive to run! - I'd rather go with alcohol.

Today I went back, almost to square one. I brought on board the old Optimus 155 from Johanna (Edit: its burners are model 207B with internal needle). I guess I installed that new in 2000, but it has been out of use for a few years.

Compared to most alcohol stoves, this feels like a real power station. Its data vary a bit, I have seen 2.2kW and 2.5kW (edit: 2.4kW). What I found, was that it brought 0.5l water to boil in less than four minutes  -  that is, after preheating, which took about 3:20min by burning a bottle-cap-full of alcohol.

I am in two minds about what stove to keep in Ingeborg. For my humble use, boiling a cup or two of water for coffee and tea, and occasionally heating some canned soup, the Origo surely makes most sense. For someone who are to do real cooking for several people, the Optimus is the choice. With the fuel prices here in Norway, the Optimus would be a little over half as expensive to run as the Origo, and remember; ten litres of kerosene has almost twice the energy (almost 10kWh/l) as ten litres of ethanol.

Some complain that kerosene is hard to get at these days. Remember then that the ‘preheat liquid’ (Norw. tennvæske), used for preheating grills, actually is kerosene, at least in Scandinavia, so can be had just about everywhere. This seems to be well refined, and my stove just loves the stuff.

I think the perfect setup in a boat would be to either have one or two kerosene burners, and then a single-burner Origo (model 1500), or other ethanol stoves. The last one would be quicker for fast, small jobs, and would also be better for long-time simmering at very low setting.

.. but I like the Optimus  -  I even prefer the smell of burnt kerosene over that from the Origo  -  in the end I guess it is a question of sense versus sensibility...

Arne

..the Optimus 155 showing muscles...

PS: I guess sense win, so the Origo will be re-installed tomorrow...

Darren Bos wrote:

But, for those with less experience, maybe it is worth pointing out the danger of CO poisoning?