Propane versus Electric stove top

For me fixing meals is one of the most enjoyable things about cruising. There is something about reaching the destination, fixing and sitting down to a relaxing meal. As soon as we are underway my thoughts almost immediately turn to fixing that first meal at our destination.

Princess 3 burner propane cooktop with microwave/convention oven below.

I don't need much in my galley. On Vela Via we had a two burner propane stove and went many seasons with a single pot for all cooking. We made bread in it, breakfast, boiled water for coffee, you name it. On Caspian we'll undoubtedly have a bit more cookware but not much. We'll keep it simple.

While shopping for Caspian we knew we wanted a propane cooktop. Caspian came with a propane cooktop and an 8KW genset.

8KW Onan genset - headed home for maintenance

We've never had a genset so we can only imagine that running that thing will not be to our liking. We come from sailboat culture and long regarded big power boats as stink pots and their gensets are largely to blame for that. We'd rather not be those stink potters disturbing a peaceful setting.

We plan to install solar panels with enough capacity to keep up with our refrigeration and other electrical demands such as charging personal electronics, lighting, fans and stereo. The goal is for us to be independent of shore power and the genset for several days in a row. Ideally the only time we'll use the genset is during the colder off season when other boaters are not around or while on the hook on a really hot day when we want to run the Air Conditioners.




By now you may be wondering why don't all power boats come with propane cooktops or why is he even considering switching to electric? The primary reason is safety. Propane is heavier than air, like water it flows downhill. If there is ever a leak and the gas has a downhill route leading into the  bilge you have a bomb in the making. One spark and game over. For this reason our surveyor indicated the propane tank needed to be installed in an ABYC approved locker. I would quickly do so however Caspian's tank is on the flybridge in a location that makes it difficult to install a locker, difficult enough that we considered switching to an electric cooktop.

I checked with other boaters whose boats have a similar installation mostly exploring possible locker configurations. A majority of the responses indicated that my propane installation is not unsafe and I should find a surveyor who won't require the locker.

I checked with other surveyors and all but one flatly rejected the use of propane without a locker. I started questioning the ABYC standard and found that ABYC standards are not requirements. The best explanation I heard is this.

All ABYC and NFPA standards are recommendations. No boater has to comply. Only boaters who wish to obtain insurance on their vessels need comply with these voluntary standards. All good surveyors inspect with Coast Guard, ABYC and NFPA standards in mind. The Coast Guard requirements are few compared to the ABYC requirements.

Only boaters who wish to obtain insurance...  This is exactly our problem. You thought this was going to be a blog about the virtues of propane versus electric as a cooks preference? Not completely. The survey said "install the tank in an ABYC approved locker" and the insurance company put restrictions on our policy because of that. Their assumption is that something about our installation raises unnecessary risk. Our boat can't be used in the water until we get the restriction lifted and I was starting to get the sense that shouldn't be the case. I wanted to find out exactly what the insurance company thought about Caspian's system so I wrote them.

The tank is up on the flybridge under the “dash”. The design of the flybridge is such that any propane escaping the tank, or its fittings would flow downward (heavier than air) being captured by the shape of the flybridge deck and directed out one or both scuppers and down the sides of the boat. The propane supply hose is sealed where it enters the interior of the boat. The openings on the flybridge for the wiring and control cables are elevated above the deck. These features prevent water from entering the cabin and would have the same effect on propane given that it is heavier than air.

There are other safety measures in place. The tank has a pressure gauge that can be used each time the system is to be used to check for leaks. The system is equipped with a electromechanical valve controlling the flow from the tank with the on/off switch in the galley. There is a lpg sniffer [propane detector] installed in the galley that controls the electromechanical valve at the tank. If fumes reach 1/5 of the explosive concentration level the sniffer shuts off the electromechanical valve to stop the flow of propane.

The response.

The underwriters would like to know if you have a fume sniffer in the bilge? If there is a fume sniffer in the bilge, we are good to go and your plan is approved.

We will stick with the propane thank you and yes, there is a sniffer in the bilge.

Does this mean that Caspian's propane installation is risk free? No it does not! Nothing is risk free! If the idea of owning a boat was for it to be risk free it would be safest with the engines removed so it can't run into anything. It should be kept out of the water to avoid the possibility of sinking. We shouldn't even leave our house to go to the boat because of the risk of getting into an accident on the way.

Is the combination of boater stupidity and surveyor liability the reason many surveyors flatly state a propane locker as a requirement in their surveys? I suspect so. 

Propane tank - to be recertified and fitted with OPD valve