Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake
Stan had just piked one up that day, a round Magma with a rod holder mount.
That's what I use too, Brandon. Mine is about 10 years old, runs on gas and is the 'party size'. IMO it's just the right size for 4 or 5 people. I put some gas grill brickettes in the bottom to help even out the heat. I already had rod holders on the boat, so that made it an easy decision what mount to use.
It's been VERY durable and is stable, even in a rough anchorage. It heats up quickly, cooks pretty fast, and cools down in maybe 15 minutes. About 4 years ago I bought a Sunbrella storage cover for it that matches the boat and even IT is holding up well.
My only problem is that when first lighting, it sometimes goes out within a minute or so. I just watch it for 5 minutes and then it's A-OK. The new ones have electronic ignition like a home grill but I use a butane fireplace lighter.
My first Magma was charcoal. It did the job but took way longer to heat up. The other problem with charcoal is that we always had to dump the hot coals overboard when we were done cooking. I can't recommend them for a boat.