At 05:11 PM 1/11/2010, Doug Noganav wrote:
>I had thought alcohol stoves were the only fuel allowed.

When I were a lad, people used alcohol, diesel, coal and maybe
wood.  The diesel stoves were primed with alcohol.  Alcohol was
favored because it dilutes with water and doesn't smell to speak of
-- but it's expensive and doesn't give lots of heat.  Diesel was
favored for BTU content, cost, ready availability and low volatility
-- but it tends to smell up the galley.  Coal was used for heating
more than cooking, diesel for both, alcohol just for cooking.

Nowadays all the above is still true, but except on small
diesel-powered fishing boats I'd bet that LP outnumbers all the rest,
and coal has faded away some.  And diesel stoves tend to be primed
with a propane torch.  Big commercial fisherman might even use
electric ranges, though I've seen a bunch of medium-sized fishermen
with a pair of hundred-pound tanks standing on deck somewhere.

Yours,
d