Alcohol Stoves— Swan Song or Rebirth?

Vaporized alcohol stoves have long been praised for their safety and simplicity. For decades, Origo’s popular vaporizing alcohol stove dom­inated the small boat market, but times have changed, and propane is the standard in a modern galley. A propane stove installation is complex, bulky, heavy, and expensive. A retrofit can require the addition of several costly safety measures, including a vented locker for the tanks, separate fuel lines for each appliance, and gas detectors wired to a cut-off valve. Despite these drawbacks, the just-like-home convenience of a propane stove makes it worth the trouble for boats over about 30 feet.

For smaller boats, portable propane and butane stoves are popular. Costing just $35–$55 and requiring no installation, they’re cheaper than any other alternative. The boatbuilder must supply nothing more than a flat shelf large enough to serve as a platform for the stove. So, for minimal hassle and investment, the boater can have a portable stove that cooks just like a gas stove at home. Safety standards limit the cartridge size to 8-ounces, which is only enough fuel for a few days’ cooking, but that’s enough for a weekend sailor.

The popularity and low price for these small stoves has put a significant dent in the market for vaporizing alcohol stoves. How long has it been since you’ve seen a new boat offered with an alcohol stove? Dometic discontinued the Origo line in 2015, although old stock is still available if you hunt. The Cookmate, a similar stove, was discontinued mid-2018. The Kenyon electric/pressurized alcohol stove is no longer in production.

Origo, at least the Origo-style stove, is not entirely gone. Dometic sold Origo to Cleancook (www.cleancook.com), a Swedish non-profit company, and the stove’s inventor is still involved in the product. Working with US-based Project Gaia, the Cleancook’s goal is to bring clean cooking to less wealthy nations, where millions still rely on a wood fire, often burning in an enclosed place with no chimney and poor ventilation. Meal preparation takes long hours, and those involved in meal preparation—primarily women and children—are breathing air with dangerous levels of particulates, carbon monoxide and other products of poor combustion. In some areas of the world, half of all pneumonia deaths of children younger than age five result from exposure to pollutants from wood cooking fires. Wood must be collected, denuding the land, and creating desert wastelands.

“Cleancook Sweden AB has been established by former employees, and I am proud that we have found an innovative solution to give these important products an opportunity to continue to address the global need,” said Mattias Nordin, President of Dometic Product Management and Innovation Group. “Dometic Group will remain an active partner in this important work through our continued supply of key materials to the stoves.”

Cleancook has redesigned the stoves for greatly reduced production cost. Components are produced in Slovakia and the stoves can be assembled locally, providing work and reduced shipping costs. Ethanol can be produced locally from crops. The stoves are simple and safe to operate, with no accidents to date. They can also be combined with retained heat cooking methods to further reduce fuel demands (see “Slower Cooking On-Board,” PS May 2016).

Just as with the original Origo line of stoves, in addition to the basic aluminum, single-burner stove, there is also a two-burner version.

Will the new Cleancook stoves be available in the retail market for sailors? This is being discussed. Project Gaia, after all, could badly use the funds to get more stoves into impoverished areas where they are needed. The new stoves share the same universal fuel reservoir as the legacy Origo stoves, and these will remain available through Amazon and other outlets.

What about the shortcomings of alcohol stoves, including low heat output, fuel spills, and odors? These are generally the result of mostly misunderstandings, misuse, or use of the wrong fuel. For guidance on how to make the best use of this simple and relatively inexpensive stove, please read the related articles in this issue: “Learning to Live with an Alcohol Stove,” and “Choosing the Right Fuel for Your Alcohol Stove.”