more flames

Another thought… marine liquid-fuel stoves seem to be going (have gone?) the way of the dodo. At first sight of Centaurea’s Optimus, several visitors have immediately suggested replacing it, or somehow converting it to propane.
Weelll… a few points to consider:
liquid fuel is, on an absolute level, no more dangerous than a pressurized gaseous fuel, and somewhat less explosive. However, with propane, there tends to be a reliance upon systems to assure operator safety, while with the Optimus, it’s up to the operator to assure their own safety.
The second pont is to dredge up sailing some sailing icons: the Pardey’s mantra of “Go small, go simple, go now!”, and after reading of journeys aboard Suhaili (complete with liquid-fuel stove), the realization of “If it was good enough for Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, it’s good enough for me.”.
Thinking more about it (especially after seeing how well the Optimus burns, and noting how less arduous the 7-step lighting-prodedure actually was), i’m left wondering where all the best and brightest of marine liquid-fuel stove technology has gone.
The first answer that comes to mind is from the world of trekking/backpacking. They make a whole wild range of multi-fuel compatable stoves for backpackers these days, which have managed to help sustain most all of my adventurous friends at one time or another. A quick web search has revealed a whole slew of fresh thinking in portable multi-liquid-fuel stoves, but nothing in the way of new marine liquid-fuel stoves.

Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *