Are attached grills more work than they're worth??

[bobbie]

Needs some input people....thanks.

 

[Wayloncle]

I don't have an attached grill. But this made me remember what I saw yesterday, this of course wouldn't work for everyone, some people were anchored by us yesterday at Shell Island that had a PVC pipe they pounded into the sand in about 4' of water and had a grill on top of that. Beside that they had a big Tiki Hut looking umbrella with a table attached to the pole.

It was a neat setup, wish I would have taken a photo.

 

[Speedling]

That's not a bad idea!
Although when we go to Cumberland there isn't really anywhere to do that. It could be a 20 foot wide cove and it would be 80 feet deep!
Local sand bar here that would be perfect thouh.
I just bought pvc and one of those plastic dock screw in anchors and it works great to hold the boat so i am sure it would hold a grill!

 

[Seadeals]

A nice little Magma grill came with my boat. So far I have not bothered to use it (more trouble than it is worth) and the mount bracket by the anchor locker up front was a bit dangerous since the kids like to ride up there. The grill was also close to the gel coat when mounted which made me nervous. We usually have too many people to make a one square foot grill work. Maybe it would be fun on a "date night" with the wife; but they are too expensive for just that IMO.

 

[Bruce]

I love mine https://jetboaters.net/threads/mounting-magma-grill-on-the-bow.2842/

I probably use it on shore twice as much as on the boat. But having it mounted allows us to grill away from land and the bugs that come with it. So I am a big fan of spending the $$s and drilling the hole to have a mount available.

 

[ACRDSPORT14]

I just eat before i go out....lol I would NEVER bring a grill on my boat, unless it was built in ie Pontoon boat or yacht. To much trouble.

 

[bobbie]

thanks all.....

 

[Ronnie]

If you prefer cold cuts or eating at a restaraunt (if any) on the water to a BBQ steak, burger or hot dog than a grill will be more trouble than its worth.

For me its about options, I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

 

[BigN8]

I waffle on this. I was one of the first to mount the grill to the table mount. The first year we used it quit a bit. I would always slide the grill into a heavy trash bag before stowing to make sure any residual grease did not get in the boat. Well, it never fails after leaving the grill in the trash bag for a few weeks, now you have a serious cleaning project ahead of you. It is great to fire up the grill on the water and grill some burgers! Another thing that became a nuisance was my friends would want to do a tie up, then they would start bringing burgers and dogs to cook. This meant I was now a short order cook for about an hour with 3X the mess to clean up. One day my buddies wife handed me 5 ears of corn with garlic butter lathered inside the husks. I just looked at her and said "are you serious"?? The grill is relatively low heat and small and she seriously expected me to grill corn to go along with her burgers and sausage! I just handed her the corn back and said it would take to long, at which point she gave me the cold shoulder for the rest of the evening.

Now I have a grill on the dock at the marina. So if we are going to cook we just plan to head in around sunset, and then grill on the dock and listen to music and hang out there. So the gas grill for the boat hasn't been used in 2 years.

 

[Glassman]

I just handed her the corn back ....

Aw Shucks!

 

[txav8r]

I haven't adopted the grill for the boat yet. I see the merit and have a similar feeling that the boat is too small to enjoy the benefits of a grill. And like @BigN8 mentions, he ends up doing all the work! I have seen @PEARCE and @farrelltravis doing added cooking and I don't think they would ever say a word, but I know they probably would just like grilling their own and eating, rather than grilling theirs, mine, and everyone else's. But I think @Ronnie is right, it adds the ability to have some options as to what you want to eat on the water. We DO grill, and then FTC (foil, towel, cooler), and that will keep it hot for about 1.5 hours and warm for about 3 hours. Any longer and we are eating luke warm food. The wife doesn't really care and would eat cold beans from the can, but it is also about ambiance and presentation to me a little bit too. I don't want to be the short order cook but I do want a nice dinner when we go. And I feel like our options are limited, so if I ever see the perfect setup that gives me that, protects my boat, and is easy...I may add the accessory!

 

[PEARCE]

Just to clarify, I don't grill on the boat and Travis does. I don't mind it one bit Mel. Y'all are friends.

 

[txav8r]

I know you don't @PEARCE ...but the last time you grilled for all of us, you about passed out! We can't have that! I did however think you used that grill on the boat too. Maybe just on the beach?

 

[zelone]

I hate dealing with the mess. Order pizzas at the dock after boating, or when on the way back. Much easier and keeps the boat cleaner.

 

[steined]

I use a Weber Q with fold out tables. It contains the mess nicely. It has a plastic stand that sets on the plastic table just fine. I've had it up to 550 degrees and there is no appreciable heat on the legs or table. It is a cast iron cooking surface, has an aluminum drip pan to collect grease / fat / crud. The lid and body are aluminum so it is pretty light overall.

I've cooked lean beef, burgers, etc on it. All seem to be ok. You can cook with the cover closed (as you do on the big grills) without fear of things melting. Keeping the lid closed when cooking burgers keeps the mess to almost nothing.

I've waxed poetic about it before, but I think it is a great alternative to an expensive all stainless Magma or the like. It fits in the cooler space on the 240/242 and fits on the table. I bungee the legs to the table, but will be building a mount for it next year out of king starboard. The older units have a single piece cast iron grate which makes for easier transport in my opinion. The newer ones have a 2 piece which allow for some flexibility with girddles and the like.

If you see one on clearance this year at Miejer's, Lowe's / HD / etc, I'd encourage you to pick one up if you have other uses like tailgating.

 

[jetboater4life]

For me it always seems time is limited out on the water. I don't prefer cold cuts but if it means an extra hour of boarding / surfing time then I can deal with it. I haven't mentioned it to the wife and kids so they haven't considered it. Maybe someday when my life slows down it will be a nice addition to the boat.

 

[albett3]

I love having a grill on the boat. Clean up isn't too bad. I really like having hot food. Grill fits nicely in the storage locker when not in use.

 

[Craig]

I waffle on this. I was one of the first to mount the grill to the table mount. The first year we used it quit a bit. I would always slide the grill into a heavy trash bag before stowing to make sure any residual grease did not get in the boat. Well, it never fails after leaving the grill in the trash bag for a few weeks, now you have a serious cleaning project ahead of you. It is great to fire up the grill on the water and grill some burgers! Another thing that became a nuisance was my friends would want to do a tie up, then they would start bringing burgers and dogs to cook. This meant I was now a short order cook for about an hour with 3X the mess to clean up. One day my buddies wife handed me 5 ears of corn with garlic butter lathered inside the husks. I just looked at her and said "are you serious"?? The grill is relatively low heat and small and she seriously expected me to grill corn to go along with her burgers and sausage! I just handed her the corn back and said it would take to long, at which point she gave me the cold shoulder for the rest of the evening.

Now I have a grill on the dock at the marina. So if we are going to cook we just plan to head in around sunset, and then grill on the dock and listen to music and hang out there. So the gas grill for the boat hasn't been used in 2 years.

Wanna sell it? Lol

 

[SCSTWG]

This meant I was now a short order cook for about an hour with 3X the mess to clean up.

I love this line. Something tells me that you and I have a lot in common.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

I love having mine on the boat.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/kuuma-profile-150-review-mods.2656/

The heat dissipator shield burns up almost all of the grease/etc. I've grilled 8 burgers on it at once (135 sq. in cooking area) and it had one or two DROPS in the catch tray. Previously I had a Coleman grill but it only held 3 or so burgers at once and I had to do more than one batch. I got this one so I could grill everything at once and be done with it. I can grill with the lid down and it keeps the mess to a minimum. I will bring along an extra towel, though, once I install my new SeaDek.

After I'm done, I just leave the lid open so it fully cools down, take off the mount with the thumb screws, extend the legs and stow it under the seat. It easily fits down there without tipping the grill at all. Again, since the grease all burns up, no worries about making a mess. I clean the grill outside of the boat at home after each use.

They're on Ebay for $107 shipped... if you want a stainless grill without the "marine" pricetag, it's a no-brainer.

ETA: I've grilled with the little black Coleman dozens of times without raising an eyebrow. After I got this Kuuma and adapted it to the table pole, I've had compliments and questions of "where did you get that??" every time I've cooked on it in the party cove!