Kerosene or Propane

I had thought long and hard about what kind of heating/cooking system to put aboard Ivy; in a way I was lucky, as she had none to start out with so I was able to start fresh with which ever I wanted. There is no doubt propane has become the leading fuel for cruising, and it is easy to see why.. convenience, turn it on and a way you go, also propane has less odor then kerosene. The reason you still see boats with kerosene is; propane isn't perfect and it comes with a price. Propane should be professionally installed and the tanks need to live outside or in an overboard-vented locker. Why you ask? Propane is a gas that is heavier then air and very flammable. The hull of your boat is watertight (if it isn't you probably should be working on your boat instead of reading this) and any propane that leaks from your system will accumulate in the bilge, waiting quietly for a stray spark or flame. Yes it is rare, but it does happen, and when it does it usually takes the boat right down to the waterline. There are propane sniffers you better have installed in your bilge, but all electronics go bad, so you need to check them. This seemed too much nonsense to me; it didn't feel right to install a system, then install another system to make sure the first system was working, then have to periodically check to make sure that second system was still working. It isn't that I am completely lazy, but I do tend to have a one-track mind, and I have tried very hard to make sure Ivy was 'Randy-proof'.

As you have probably guessed, I installed kerosene in Ivy. I first learned to use kerosene on my Dad's boat Galetea, thirty-five years ago, and yes it is finicky. First you have to squirt a small amount of alcohol into the priming cup, light it, wait for the alcohol flame to prime the burner; then in one beautifully orchestrated maneuver turn the kerosene on just as the alcohol flame is dying (you do have about ten seconds after that to frantically get a flame on the burner if you blow it). I believe it takes somewhere between a minute and a half to two minutes to properly prime the burner, which is just a tad too long to wait around doing nothing, but too short a time to do anything else. Kerosene does have an odor to it, and some people are very sensitive to it, however if a kerosene stove is putting off any detectable smell, it is my experience there is a bad burner that needs attention. Kerosene is also sooty, especially when one has not been patient enough to wait for the alcohol to properly prime the burner, what you get then is a very different flame; instead of the cheery, blue flares jetting out of the burner, you get a huge ball of orange flame and can see the soot instantly. Granted, having said all that it must seem a lot of mess and bother to have kerosene, but kerosene is safe; if you spill it, you will curse, it will smell, but that's really about the extent of it. Another benefit to kerosene is, it is a little more flexible of a fuel then propane. I believe propane and kerosene are pretty much available anywhere in the world, however what if you run out three days from port? In a pinch diesel can be used in a kerosene burner; I have never tried it, but kerosene is just a higher-grade diesel, so it is theoretically possible.

I think of propane and kerosene much the same as I think of dogs and cats. A dog, like propane is always there, reliable and eager to please, but requires constant supervision. A cat, like kerosene on the other hand is moody, rebellious, but completely independent; and when you become at one with a cat you have really achieved something.