BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

[skipjack27]

I'm a bit confused about how to safely go about having bbqs on my boat. I've got a 27' fiberglass motor cruiser.

Special purpose boat bbqs that sit on the edge of the deck are expensive and difficult to use. Is there any real reason for not having a standard portable gas bbq on a table on the deck at the back of the boat?

Jeff

 

[Bondo]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

I'm a bit confused about how to safely go about having bbqs on my boat. I've got a 27' fiberglass motor cruiser.

Special purpose boat bbqs that sit on the edge of the deck are expensive and difficult to use. Is there any real reason for not having a standard portable gas bbq on a table on the deck at the back of the boat?

Jeff

Ayuh,.... Other than the split grease, 'n the fact it would be a Major fire hazard,..??

 

[JEBar]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

have had a BBQ grill on 2 different boats .... I wouldn't want one that couldn't be secured (like to a railing) .... if the grill has a solid mount, they are fine .... if not, they are a gamble

Jim

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

Propane is heavier then air. Any leaking propane inside the bow rail and the fumes go straight to the bilge and explode very violently.

as Bond-o mentioned.....the grease leaking and fire hazards are serious. In larger boats that have a galley the stove is actually run on alcohol since those fumes are lighter then air and do not settle in the bilge......

Charcoal grills could retain a hot coal that gets fueled by wind and could be a fire hazard.

I have a friend who has a small propane grill over the rail and this past summer he did have an incident where it exploded ...... blew the top open and quite a fireball.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

If you're worried about expense, just do like the Canucks do and drag the white gas Coleman along... a box of Kraft Dinner, a couple packs of back bacon and you're good to go!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

to have barbecue, you have to rub the meat and let it sit for several hours, then smoke it at least 6 hours, then bring the heat up for a few hours until you can pull the meat. Pulling requires some space as does saucing it and packing. Then you need the cole slaw and hushpuppies.

Seems just grilling dogs and burgers would be easier on a boat than barbecue.

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

Then you need the cole slaw and hushpuppies.

And the hushpuppies need to be deep-fried, so you need a deep fryer on your boat too!!!

 

[lncoop]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

You guys are in WAY over your heads. Hushpuppies with BBQ? Everyone knows hushpuppies are meant to be eaten with catfish or crappie, not pulled pork. Sheesh.:facepalm:

 

[emoney]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

Usually those "standard portable grills" aren't stainless steel, so you'll find it corroding rather quickly. Outside of that, as long as you don't plan on storing it below, there's really no other differences other than the "marine bbq's" come with rail mounts. Much of the hazards that have been mentioned either apply to the marine type as well or don't apply at all.

Of course the real drawback to the portable is it doesn't cost that additional $100 or so that gets tacked onto the ones sold at marine retailers. I mean, what else will you have to complain about if not the cost?

Be smart on storage while you're underway, and then take the grill home with you or put it in a deck box when you're done and all should be fine. You'll notice that the marine versions also warn against storage underway also. Portable propane canisters should be above deck at all times, as mentioned above propane tends to "settle" in the bilge and yes, even from the small "tanks".

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

You guys are in WAY over your heads. Hushpuppies with BBQ? Everyone knows hushpuppies are meant to be eaten with catfish or crappie, not pulled pork. Sheesh.:facepalm:

I would eat hushpuppies with salad. I loves me some hushpuppies, and they're darned hard to come by in the mountains of Colorado.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

You guys are in WAY over your heads. Hushpuppies with BBQ? Everyone knows hushpuppies are meant to be eaten with catfish or crappie, not pulled pork. Sheesh.:facepalm:

That's the same thing I thought when I read that.

... and I prefer my BBQ sliced, not mangled or chopped.

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

Earlier this year, we were boating at Steamboat Lake State Park, near Steamboat Springs, CO. I spotted a boat with smoke billowing from the rear. As I was about to tell the admiral to pull in her fishing line, and beat feet to help the boat in distress, I saw that two other boats were already enroute, and much closer. Then they just pulled away and left the smoker...

Yup, he was running what must have been a NASTY BBQ...

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

I made mine a permanent rail mount, got tired of putting the up and away, let it cool 5 minutes and slip the cover over it and done. Even have a folding table stowed in brackets under it.

 

[bekosh]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

Is there any real reason for not having a standard portable gas bbq on a table on the deck at the back of the boat?
Jeff

I use a Coleman Roadtrip Grill on the boat. I set it up on the swim platform to cook and store it under the bench seat. Been using it since 2006 so I would say that the need for a stainless grill is rather overblown.

 

[lncoop]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

There are boat specific grills (or were last time I checked) that aren't stainless, so clearly stainless isn't mandatory. That said, I have a stainless Magma and love it. I forget exactly how much I paid for it, but it was well under $200. We really enjoy it. It mounts on the railing and we can grill as we cruise, which is very handy.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

Of course, you could always try this......

 

[OK Toon]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

I use a Coleman Roadtrip Grill on the boat. I set it up on the swim platform to cook and store it under the bench seat. Been using it since 2006 so I would say that the need for a stainless grill is rather overblown.

+1 on the Coleman Roadtrip Grill. But I won't use it on the boat -- only on the shore. And the other rule I have is "no eating greasy food on the boat" -- I don't want to clean grease spots out of the carpet on our pontoon. But there's nothing like grilling burgers on the sandbar.

Eventually I want to make a little smoker that I can set up on shore and have some real BBQ going while we play in the water. I want to see the looks on everyone faces as they grill burgers and I pull a rack of ribs out of the smoker for our lunch.

 

[bekosh]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

+1 on the Coleman Roadtrip Grill. But I won't use it on the boat -- only on the shore. And the other rule I have is "no eating greasy food on the boat" -- I don't want to clean grease spots out of the carpet on our pontoon. But there's nothing like grilling burgers on the sandbar.

I don't have carpet in the cockpit so any grease spots wipe right off the fiberglass.
We don't do burgers very often, but dogs and brats are staples.

 

[louiefl]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

Eventually I want to make a little smoker that I can set up on shore and have some real BBQ going while we play in the water. I want to see the looks on everyone faces as they grill burgers and I pull a rack of ribs out of the smoker for our lunch.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Char-Broil-Table-Top-Gas-Grill/16422835

I have one of these (forget where I bought it) that I use for tailgating. The trick to doing ribs, chicken and other long-term cooking items is to fully smoke / cook the day before, refrigerate and pack in a cooler. Fire up the grill, toss your meat on, and add a little sauce. Perfect ribs in 10 minutes. I like the Coleman - especially as it folds down to a small size and has an igniter. my little table top grill has too many stamped steel parts to rust so I haven't tried it on the sandar or any of the islands (would never use one of these directly on my boat).

 

[OK Toon]

Re: BBQs on the boat: what's the deal?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Char-Broil-Table-Top-Gas-Grill/16422835

I have one of these (forget where I bought it) that I use for tailgating. The trick to doing ribs, chicken and other long-term cooking items is to fully smoke / cook the day before, refrigerate and pack in a cooler. Fire up the grill, toss your meat on, and add a little sauce. Perfect ribs in 10 minutes. I like the Coleman - especially as it folds down to a small size and has an igniter. my little table top grill has too many stamped steel parts to rust so I haven't tried it on the sandar or any of the islands (would never use one of these directly on my boat).

I'll probably end up making something like this (except smaller with only 1 or 2 shelves) http://www.stumpssmokers.com/products/gravity-feed-smokers/vertical-smokers/the-baby.

This is the same design that we built my big competition smoker from -- but the cook chamber is 2' x 2' x 4' tall that has 5 shelves with at least 7" between shelves. It's also mounted on a trailer, so it's not too portable to bring on the boat.