Over at Three Sheets Northwest, Marty McOmber has this story about a recent boating get-together. The “gear and gadgets” angle is a natural fit for Navagear, however:

It is quite possibly the world’s most powerful portable blender.

And when Scott Anderson fired up the five-horsepower bow thruster turned margarita maker on Saturday, the party officially got underway at Signature Yachts’ first annual all-fleet rendezvous.

More than 100 people aboard 40 boats spent the weekend at Port Ludlow checking out other vessels, swapping stories and generally having a great time at one of the most picturesque harbors on Puget Sound.

But it was Anderson’s Frankensteinesque blending machine that stole the show. The owner of CSR Marine looked at the clear tube and blades of a bow thruster and saw not just a device to help maneuver boats, but something that could crush bags and bags of ice and blend gallons of lime juice, sugar and lots of tequila into a very tasty drink.

It didn’t take long for a crowd of rendezvous participants to gather around the giant blender, sample its wares and generally kick off a great event.

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I’m still happy with the Coleman Fold-N-Go stove I wrote about (here and here) earlier this spring. But shoppers should be aware that its open design does make it more sensitive to wind. It’s blowing a steady 5 knots or more on Lake Union today, even between the boathouses. That’s enough to carry a lot of the heat away before it can go to work on the bottom of a saucepan or teakettle.

We were obliged to relocate the Fold-N-Go to the cockpit floor this afternoon, and once we did that we were able to get the water boiling!

Another Things That Work entry over at Captain Richard Ridriguez’s BitterEnd blog:

I was impressed with the ease and speed of this product made in good old Bellingham WA.

As used aboard Diligence.

This natural, plant based cleaner and degreaser is specifically formulated for safe removal of the toughest BBQ grime without phosphates or harsh fumes. Made from sustainable and renewable ingredients, the All Natural Grill Cleaner will effectively remove particles without harsh scrubbing. For use on cast iron, stainless steel, baked-on porcelain, enamel, cooking grates and drip pans.

Removes Grease, Carbon, Baked-On Deposits & Tree Sap From:
• Exterior Grill Surfaces
• Gill Grates
• Cooking Plates

Product Link page HERE.

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I wrote about this recently, but at that time, I had not actually cooked on my new Fold-N-Go two-burner propane stove.

I spent the weekend cruising up to Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island, and each morning I cooked my famous Bagel Eggel breakfast using the new stove.

Monday morning, for instance, I woke up in La Conner, one of my favorite stopovers on the Seattle-San Juans run. Face it: very few kitchens offer the view I had yesterday!

So how’s the stove? It’s great, so far. It has plenty of adjustment range, so I can get my skillet just the right temperature to toast bagels or cook eggs, and I can boil a kettle of water in a hurry.

As anticipated, it is sensitive to wind. I didn’t have any trouble with the wind extinguishing the flame, since wind was very light during the mornings this past weekend. However, even a very light breeze will tend to “move” the heat. If you cook an omelet, for instance, you can see that the “windward” edge of the skillet is cooler than the “leeward” edge, because the egg cooks more slowly to windward. And be careful not to allow the skillet’s handle to rest in the leeward position too long; it gets mighty hot!

In practice, I was able to compensate for the wind just by being aware of it and rotating my pan around once or twice during each omelet, keeping the handle away from the hot leeward quarter.

I also got a chance to see some Fold-N-Go units aboard other boats in Friday Harbor. All the owners with whom I spoke were happy with them. One go-fast fisherman claimed he was surprised that he could boil water for coffee in the cockpit while “on step” (running fast). Another boater had been using the unit for a couple of years, and while the unit showed obvious signs of age and use, it was still in service.

I learned how to use my wife’s sewing machine yesterday! Yeah, I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself. I now know what an 18-gauge sewing needle is, and I wouldn’t recommend anything smaller for sewing through zippers and multiple layers of Sunbrella fabric. I thought that needle was going to break a few times!

In any case, I now possess a form-fitting cover for my Magma Marine Kettle 2 combination stove and gas grill.

You can buy a perfectly adequate grill cover from Magma. So why bother making your own? Well, here are some advantages:

• Mine matches my upholstery and boat canvas exactly, being made of the same Sunbrella fabric. Magma’s covers are available only in a limited selection of Sunbrella colors.
• Mine fits my “original” (smaller) size a bit closer than the one-size-fits-both-Kettle-grill-sizes cover from Magma.
• Mine uses a zipper closure, rather than the drawstring Magma uses. I think this produces a somewhat cleaner, more streamlined presentation. Not a big deal, but fewer chances to tangle with other gear or catch rainwater are better, no?

Anyway, I’m pleased with it, and my wife was even a little bit impressed with me.

I’ve had my eye on this product for a while. As I’ve written before, I LOVE cooking outdoors while cruising. It really makes the boat feel a lot bigger, plus I like the casual socializing at the dock when folks walk by and smell the cooking. Sometimes I think I could almost pay for my moorage by selling eggs cooked to order, I tell ya!

Up until now, I’ve been using a Magma Marine Kettle 2 combination stove and gas grill. It works fine, but there are two drawbacks to using it as a primary stove: (1) You must remove the cooking grate and heat distribution dome before you can use it as a stove; those components are dirty. (2) There’s only one burner, so the teakettle and the skillet have to “take turns”.

Hence, I’ve been intrigued by the little Fold-N-Go two-burner stove from Coleman. This summer, I’ll have a chance to put this unit to the test.

It’s very compact when folded, a huge plus in a boat this size. It uses the same 1-pound propane cylinders I’m accustomed to.

I anticipate two primary concerns with this stove: Wind and corrosion.

If you read the reviews at various eCommerce websites, you’ll find that folks are generally very happy with this little stove, EXCEPT that it lacks any sort of windscreen, and a bit of breeze can pull the heat out of the stove before it has a chance to do any real work. A gust can blow the fire right out. Will this be a problem for me? Hard to say. Summer mornings tend to be calm in my cruising ground, and I always have the option of moving my cooking back indoors, using the installed Wallas diesel stove/heater.

The unit is of fairly light construction, and it isn’t really marketed as a “marine” product. How will it do in a marine environment? Obviously, I’ll make every effort to pack it away inside the cabin when I’m underway, but it’s still a marine environment. We’ll see how it holds up.

I’ve got a Magma kettle barbecue that claims it can be used as an oven. I’m skeptical, because the Magma’s control valve doesn’t seem to offer nearly enough precision to maintain any kind of consistent temperature. But the truth is I’ve never tried it.

Every once in while, though, I wonder about baking something aboard. Usually, it’s chocolate chip cookies I dream about…mmmmm, Toll House cookies.

So this press release caught my eye. Could this strange-looking device really do what it claims? Feedback in the comments section below, from onboard oven veterans, is appreciated! On with the press release…

Conventional ovens take up valuable space and aren’t always transportable. With the innovative OM4500 Omnia Oven from InterCon Marketing, outdoor enthusiasts can prepare delicious baked meals and fresh bread in their trailers, campers, tents, boats or weekend cottages.

Requiring no installation, the advanced OM4500 Omnia Oven bakes food on a gas stove, alcohol stove or electric hotplate. A unique, three-part design includes a 2.1 qt. aluminum dish, treated-steel base plate with center hole and an aluminum lid. Ventilation holes give cakes and breads room to rise.

Easy to use, the OM4500 Omnia Oven uses the burner to provide an equal distribution of heat. Food is cooked evenly from the top with a central, cone-shaped hole and the bottom with an air lock between the base plate and the aluminum dish.

Any meal that can be prepared in an oven can be easily made on a stove top with the OM4500 Omnia Oven. Users can try their favorite recipes or employ the supplied recipe book to create appetizing dishes, such as potatoes au gratin and omnia calzone.

Measuring 10.5" in diameter and 5.5" H, including knob, the compact OM4500 Omnia Oven from InterCon Marketing weighs only 1.1 lbs. Tested on all traditional heat sources, it has a suggested retail price of $79.95.

Sheryl Lanham of SodaStream gave me the rundown on this product just now (Seattle Boat Show location: East 207), and I’m intrigued. It could really make sense aboard a boat with limited storage.

We don’t drink a lot of sugary pop at home or on the boat, but I do like a little bit of cola or tonic with my favorite rum. And we do like our unsweetened carbonated water, especially the flavor-infused Talking Rain variety. SodaStream has syrups and extracts to produce virtually any soda-based beverage you like.

Essentially, these appliances allow you to carbonate tap water, which isn’t especially innovative all by itself.

What sets this apart is the large 15-ounce CO2 cylinder, sufficient to carbonate 60 liters of water, and the design and quality of the components. Another consideration is the variety of syrups available, including syrups that allow you to create cola and tonic water. These syrups are sweetened with…wait for it…SUGAR! No high-fructose corn syrup! That’s great, as far as I’m concerned.

Here’s the ingredients list for the tonic water syrup, which for $5 will make about 33 cans of tonic:

When you consider the limited storage available on most boats, and the waste inherent in bottled beverages, there are plenty of reasons to consider the SodaStream model if you enjoy carbonated beverages at all. I’d be interested in hearing from Navagear readers who own this (or similar) systems.

In my previous posts on this topic (see especially Refill Disposable Propane Cylinders and How to refill disposable propane cylinders), one obstacle keeps recurring: It might be illegal!

First, let’s be clear: The (typically green) 16.4-oz disposable propane cylinders under discussion are designated “DOT-39 NRC 232/290”, and they come with this warning:

Federal Law forbids transportation if refilled – penalty up to $500,000 fine and five years imprisonment (49 U.S.C. 5124)

I’m no lawyer, but this is a pretty straightforward English sentence: A federal statute says you can’t transport them. You need to look a little deeper, though.

Title 49 of the US Code, entitled “Transportation”, has as it’s stated purpose the following:

The purpose of this chapter is to protect against the risks to life, property, and the environment that are inherent in the transportation of hazardous material in intrastate, interstate, and foreign commerce.

As I read it, it is NOT illegal to refill them, under Title 49 of the US Code. But it is illegal to transport them commercially. Some state or local laws may apply, of course, and again, you should prob’ly check with a real criminal defense attorney! I’d be very interested in hearing about any prosecutions of this law, of either private or commercial entities. Anyone? Anyone?

Civil actions, of course, are a completely separate matter: Anybody can sue anybody for anything, whether a law was broken or not, to seek redress for damages. Navagear reader and über-fan Robert Meyer brought a civil case to my attention in the comments section of one of those earlier Navagear posts. Robert tells us about a civil (CIVIL, not CRIMINAL; some folks are confused about the distinction) case involving a fatality related to propane cylinder refilling. Anybody contemplating refilling these cylinders needs to be aware of this tragic case.

I’ve done some research, and here is what I’ve learned from the Southeast Texas Record:

Gary Wayne Suggs, 51, was attempting to refill a propane container in a fifth-wheel trailer when a flash fire occurred, causing fatal injuries.

Gary’s father, Billy Ray Suggs, alleges a defective coupling caused his son’s death.

Billy Ray Suggs, individually and as estate representative, filed a product liability suit against K-M Products Inc. on Feb 25, 2008 in the Marshall Division of the Eastern District of Texas.

According to the original complaint, the deceased was attempting to refill a DOT-39, 1.02-pound propane cylinder from a 40-pound propane cylinder using a MacCoupler.

It’s Case Number 2:08cv00084, if you want to follow up. I did, calling the court directly to learn the status or disposition of the case. The clerk informed me that on May 7, 2009, a Motion to Dismiss was filed.

So wait…what does that mean? Was the case dropped? Was it settled out of court? I don’t know! Calls/emails to the plaintiff’s law firm (Sloan, Bagley, Hatcher and Perry) and K-M Products (manufacturer of the MacCoupler), were not returned by press time. So all we know for sure is that the case did not proceed to trial.

And where does this leave people who want to refill these cylinders? My advice shifted about a year ago, and since then I’ve been very consistent:

Under no circumstances should anyone ever refill disposable propane cylinders!

“But Tim, I thought you told us that YOU refill these cylinders?” Well, yes I do, but nobody should follow my example. Here’s the disclaimer I included when I sent some plumbing components identical to those I used to create my refill adapter to a reader earlier this week:

This is a "kit" that will allow you to create an authentic "replica" of the adapter I use, but it is sold "as-is", "for novelty purposes only", and is not warranted to be safe or appropriate for any purpose whatsoever. Nobody should refill disposable propane cylinders using this or any other adapter.

Got it? Good!

I treat every cylinder, new or refilled, as if it could start leaking at any time, for any reason, or for no reason at all. They’re stored on the boat in a locker that drains overboard, not into the hull, for instance. I want that heavier-than-air propane to dissipate out over the water, rather than collecting inside the boat. At home, I store them outdoors for the same reason, and I transport them in the open bed of my little pickup, not inside the passenger compartment or a trunk.

Finally, if you want to learn a bit more about the physical differences between refillable and non-refillable propane cylinders, read this post over at Gizmology. Very helpful.

Be safe!

[It’s another MadMariner feature from a couple weeks back. —Tim]

When you write a gear and gadgets blog, it’s easy to focus all your attention on the new, the innovative, and the amazing. There’s sure plenty of that to go around when it comes to recreational boating.

Meanwhile, though, life goes on. If you sleep aboard your boat more than a couple nights a year, you may have discovered the same thing I noticed this summer: most of the things that really enhance the time I spend cruising are quite mundane! Lots of little storage tricks and "just right" gadgets help make storage and housekeeping easier, and that allows me to relax a bit and devote more attention to enjoying the destinations I visit.

Let me put it another way: I love my Class B AIS transceiver, but if I had to choose between it and the $15 under-sink waste basket I rigged-up when nothing else quite fit, I think tidy, accessible trash management might win.

Every boat is different, of course, so many of my solutions won’t work for you. My goal is to help you think creatively about the little annoyances you experience when you stay aboard. The things your spouse or children complain about. Things you may ignore, because you’ve become accustomed to them even though they’re really not very convenient or pleasing. You might be amazed how satisfying it can be to discover or create simple, user-friendly solutions to routine housekeeping challenges.

With that as a background, here is a selection of "tiny breakthroughs" I’ve grown to appreciate aboard Two Lucky Fish, my C-Dory 22.

FLAT HOSE STORAGE

I put off buying a hose for the boat for two years. That was a mistake. You’d be amazed how frequently you need a hose at an unfamiliar destination. I hesitate to admit how often I’ve "borrowed without asking" a hose I found sitting on the dock near another boat.

So I finally bought a hose. My boat is very small, so I wanted a hose that would store compactly. I wanted a hose guaranteed safe for drinking water, and I preferred one made in North America. My friends at Fisheries Supply carry the 50-foot Apex Stow-A-Way flat hose, which met all my requirements.

Some flat hoses come with a handy storage spool; this one doesn’t, however. After you unwind a flat hose for the first time, it becomes somewhat unwieldy, to say the least. What to do, what to do?

I decided to try one of those H-shaped racks made for extension cords. These are incredibly cheap, and they work just fine. I got one for a 100-foot extension cord, and my 50-foot hose fits on it perfectly.

In the photo, you’ll notice another element I absolutely would not be without: that brass valve allows me to control the water flow from the end of the hose without running back to the spigot. Not only convenient, the valve saves water and keeps me dry.

PAPER TOWEL STORAGE

I’m a bit embarrassed sharing this, because it’s really kind of rinky-dink. I run a length of light cord through the center of a paper towel roll and tie it off to the VHF antenna cable that runs along the cabin ceiling above the galley.

Originally, this was intended as a temporary solution until I could figure out what I wanted to mount permanently. But this temporary solution has become permanent, because it offers so many advantages.

It may not look like much, but here’s what I like about it: It’s out of the way but easy to reach, it’s inexpensive, it doesn’t break, and it requires no new holes or adhesive. At this point, I can’t imagine mounting a "real" paper towel holder on this boat. Even in the looks department, I think my length of cord is superior, because it’s so minimal that it practically disappears.

STACKING CUPS

I’ve got a rack intended for dishes mounted to the inside of a cupboard door. It’s got a vertical compartment for cups, slotted to allow the handles to protrude. But it’s only tall enough for about two and a half cups. I strongly prefer ceramic cups to plastic ones, so I mentioned to my wife one day that what I really needed was a set of stacking ceramic cups.

She was skeptical that I could find such a thing, but less than a week later, bless her, she brought me five of these, which are available at Ikea. Five of them just barely fit into my cup compartment. Another tiny breakthrough!

UNDER-SINK WASTE BASKET

I needed a waste basket that was both accessible and invisible. The obvious solution would mount to the inside of a cupboard door. I had such a location, but it was too small for any of the commercially available cupboard-mounted trash containers. I was frustrated.

Out of my frustration, however, I envisioned the ideal solution: A small, rigid waste basket, made of plastic, just tall enough, plenty wide but not too deep, and mounted flush against the inside of the cupboard door, yet removable.

Sounds simple, right? Well it is, if you’re willing to build the mounts yourself. I cut "keyhole"-shaped slots in the waste basket, and mounted flanged nuts to the cupboard door with screws. The waste basket could jump off its mounts in a heavy sea, except for the fact that I mounted it so it just barely clears the cabinet when the door closed. The cabinet itself prevents it from jumping off its mounts.

I line it with a plastic grocery bag. On extended outings without access to shoreside waste disposal facilities, I store the full bags in one of my exterior lockers aft, which keeps the smell out of the cabin, and keeps critters from getting into the trash.

TOY WHISK BROOM AND DUST PAN

I have a very small boat, and I like to keep it clean. But there’s no room onboard for a vacuum, even a little hand vac.
So I wanted a very small whisk broom and dustpan for cleaning up crumbs and sand during cruises. That ought to be easy to find, right?

Wrong. The dustpans and whisk brooms available in my local department and bed/bath stores are enormous, and they don’t really nest together properly.

By chance, I found the ideal small broom/ dustpan in my kids’ room. It’s a toy we picked up years ago; maybe it was a gift from a grandparent. It was so perfect for my purposes, though, that I politely asked the children if I could please have it for the boat. They agreed. After over two years of use aboard, I highly recommend this set for small boats.

Be creative, but keep it simple

Some of my little shipboard housekeeping solutions could apply to any boat, while others are very specific to mine. Even though your boat and cruising style differ from mine, I hope I’ve encouraged you to think creatively about the tools and techniques you might use to make life aboard a bit more comfortable and convenient.