Who makes the best propane boat grill

Ridley

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Feb 12, 2009
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I'd like to hear comments about propane boat grills. Which are the best? What to look out for? Any comments about the new Coleman Master Marine 2 burner marine grill?
 
All I can comment on is my Magma Kettle 2. We use and abuse the heck out of it and like the Energizer bunny, it just keeps going, and going...
 
We also use the magma marine kettle 2. We are on our 7th season with it and love it. It has prepared many meals for us, everything from steak and burgers to bacon and pancakes.
-Steve
 
Who makes the best propane boat grill?
It depends on what ‘Best’ means!
How does it need to be mounted?
How much room do you have to store it?
Does it have to sparkle and shine?
How hard is it to clean, especially on a boat?
After many decades of Magma’s, Force 10’s, Coleman’s, 4 years ago at the recommendation of Robyn’s Nest I bought a Weber Baby Q for about $125- not as pretty as the rest but bullet proof

Q100.jpg
 
Over 25 years & we are on our 4th Magma, 1 charcoal, 2 party gas & now an old style reg size. For the last 3 years the grills have been used on our RV which means that for 6 months of the year it is being used at least 5 times a week. In less than a month we put more than the average boater will do on that grill in a year easy.

Like many others, cleaning is a foreign word to our grill. Scrape what comes off the grill easily, dump out what comes loose every week or so, maybe clean properly once every 2 months.
 
I have to go along with Abalmuth. I use the Baby Q. I have a filet/bait prep board that sits in one of my rod holders and the Baby Q sits right on it like it was made for it. Couple of bungee cords to secure it, works like a charm, easy to clean and when it goes replacing it is fairly inexpensive.

quote:

Originally posted by Ridley




 
I am with the webber baby q.I had the magma and its not near as hot.as others have said I mount it on a filet table while on board.for me it was like nite and day once I got the webber.
 
I love my Magna Newport. Lots of mounts avilb. All these small grills can get HOT! I open mine often to keep the heat down. The main thing is cooking on it enough to get use to HOW it cooks, once you GET it! It is great to use!
 
I have kettle grill from that marine big box that did not close down it's store fronts...it would be considered the "large" size; up to 6 steaks / 8 hamburgers / 6 lg chicken breasts. It is rail mounted, and I have had no problems, but I don't leave it out in the elements. I have a cover and keep it stored in the cabin. BTW, the regulator is a pricey replacement part and doesn't float.
 
Weber Baby Q sitting on a Magna bait table. Never going back to the expensive marine bbq's, the Weber cooks like a champ, best grill I've ever owned on a boat.
 
Magma Catalina is what I have. My money's worth and more... It's been very good to us.
 
We have the magna grill that came with our boat however I haven't used it yet. Instead of the little bottles, I am thinking of getting a small fiberglass (10lb) propane tank that would mount on the platform when being used or in the corner of the cockpit when under way. Is this a good/safe idea? Does anybody have any suggestions for a propane tank locker? I have found some online but they are $400+ (which is quite a bit more than I wanted to spend). I know that it will need to be vented at the bottom but are there any other issues/reasons that would prevent me from making one?

I don't mean to hijack your thread Ridley but figured the more information on grills in one spot the better.

max
 
I use a 10lb metal tank, cost about $50, lasts a long time and has better pressure than the disposable cylinders.
 
After 20+ years of boating I have yet to find a grill made for boating that works for me. They always have spindly wire grills and cheap flame diffusers that self destruct. Magma used to be almost there but they opted for the spindly wire cooking surface. The kettle grill used to have the lava stones to difuse the flame, I have no idea what they are using now.
Having had two magmas I've given up on them and unloaded them both. The last grill I bought came from Lowes and I used a piece of epoxy coated plywood to adapt it to some of the left over Magma rail hardware I had. Boat grills are one of the most expensive ill performing accessories I've had the misfortune of dealing with.
If someone made a grill with the lava stones, a cast iron grill, and a stainless exterior for 200 bucks I'd be happy. I suspect this is going to be like searching for the holy grail.
 
quote:

Originally posted by boatbum

After 20+ years of boating I have yet to find a grill made for boating that works for me. They always have spindly wire grills and cheap flame diffusers that self destruct. Magma used to be almost there but they opted for the spindly wire cooking surface. The kettle grill used to have the lava stones to difuse the flame, I have no idea what they are using now.
Having had two magmas I've given up on them and unloaded them both. The last grill I bought came from Lowes and I used a piece of epoxy coated plywood to adapt it to some of the left over Magma rail hardware I had. Boat grills are one of the most expensive ill performing accessories I've had the misfortune of dealing with.
If someone made a grill with the lava stones, a cast iron grill, and a stainless exterior for 200 bucks I'd be happy. I suspect this is going to be like searching for the holy grail.






Weber Baby Q.

Cast iron grate, coated to prevent rusting plus a cast aluminum body that doesn't rust and is lightweight with a stainless steel burner inside.

http://www.weber.com/grills/?glid=6&mid=33
 
Jonathan I like it but it's just too bulky for us. Normally I mount the grill on the ladder rail going up to the aft deck from the swim platform. It's 1 inch stainless tubing and sturdy but that grill looks like too much for a semi-permanent mount.

Back on the marine grills tho:
Grilling is supposed to be about searing and leaving grill marks etc.. Wire grills don't do it. They have no thermal inertial because the wire they use is not substantial enough to maintain a sear temp after the meat hits the grill. There has been too much emphasis on light weight. I contend it's possible to put a decent iron grill in a reasonably sized stainless enclosure that is not susceptible to wind.
 
We got a Sea-b -Q kettle at Defender Marine`s sale 3 years ago, it`s been great, heavy duty stainless, good flame, cooks even, have had others, this is the favorite.
 
I have the very basic (no stainless) version of this:

32822.gif


Put it on a butcher block shelf on the swim platform. For 30 bucks, if it lasts 2 years, it's good. For the price, it heats amazingly well.
 
We just sold our Weber Q (a great BBQ but it was too bulky to store on our 26' cruiser).

Bought one of these instead (Napoleon Travel Q). Nice quality and more compact when closed up.

NapoleonTravelQ-2.jpg
 
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