The limitations and safety requirements for using a stove on a boat are different and more critical than using a stove in an RV. Using gasoline or propane stoves on boats is discouraged as fumes from both are heavier than air and can accumulate in the bilge. Boats are also subject to more movement than RVs when you are cooking. Even if you are at anchor or tied up to the dock wind, waves, or wakes from other boats or even people moving about on ;your boat can cause your boat to rock, while RVs are generally pretty stable when you are cooking, especially when properly leveled and stabilized in camp. Even unstablized, RVs are far more steady than boats. It is a good idea to always use pot stabilizers or restraints to make sure you pot doesn't slide off. You might try holding onto the handles but a sudden movement could end up with you dumping a hot mess onto your body! Boat stoves often use gimbals to keep the stove level when the boat rocks. However, there are limits to how much rocking they can accommodate so you still need to use restraints and keep an eye and if possible, a grip, on your pots and pans.
Many people do just use a simple butane or propane camping stove in their boats. If you only do your cooking at anchor in calm waters like many weekend sailors do that is probably OK, as long as you allow for sufficient ventilation and don't store fuel cylinders inside. For our small (25' sailboat) we use a single burner butane camping stove. It doesn't weigh much or take up a lot of room and is adequate for preparing simple meals for the 2 of us. The butane cylinders are sealed when detached so leaking is unlikely. Permanent propane installations, like in an RV, may develop leaks where ever there is a connection if the propane is left on while the vehicle or vessel is in motion. Portable fuel cylinders don't have any valves that can be left open and, unless they are damaged, should always self seal when they are removed from the stove. You still have to make darn sure you turn the burners off completely or better yet, remove the cylinder after each use to avoid fuel from leaking into the cabin. Since all the open spaces in a boat cabin are usually towards the top it is way to easy for propane or butane to accumulate in the bilge and risk an explosion!
Alcohol stoves are usually recommended for boat stoves because they produce less dangerous fumes and the fuel is pretty stable and safe and easy to store and transfer. Marine fuel is a combination of Ethyl an Methyl alcohol but you can use Isopropyl alcohol which burns a little hotter, but it may give off more soot. Denatured alcohol is also an option. Liquid alcohol is not explosive and alcohol fires can be put out with water. Marine stove fuel produces a lot of water vapor, sometimes with a mildly offensive odor. The vapor can contribute to condensation inside the cabin so be sure to open things up to vent it whenever possible. Some tests Ive seen showed alcohol stoves boiled water about 3 minutes faster than their propane stove so working faster can be an advantage out on the water. Don't even bother to try burning any drinking alcohol in your stove. Most are too weak to burn and may produce fumes that can cause brain damage! Hmmm. Maybe drinking them or inhaling their vapor causes brain damage too! Certainly the behavior of some people under the influence would support that idea!
If you ever need to cook while underway you will need a gimbal stove. These have the burners and sometimes the entire stove mounted on pivots so it can stay more or less level when the boat tips. They are usually used with pot restraints to help keep pots stable Of course violent movement will still cause pots and pans on the stove to move around, spill or bounce off, but the gimbal does take care of modest movement associated with "normal" sailing, often allowing you to prepare meals on the go, which may be useful on long cruises. A gimbal stove is also useful if you moor where you are subjected to strong waves from currents or passing boats. A gimbal won't protect you 100% against movement. The gimbals can't react quickly enough for fast and very violent maneuvers and if things tip far enough you will exceed the flexibility of the gimbal and the stove will tip anyway.
Pot restraints are a good idea anytime you are using a stove in a boat. Even if you are at anchor or tied up at the dock wind, waves, and passing boats can rock your boat, possibly spilling hot food on you and all over the cabin. Sometimes even someone moving about on deck and make things tip enough to create a problem. Most stoves designed for boats will come with pot restraints. You may have to engineer your own if you are using a camping stove. You might be able to form them out of metal rods like welding rods. Wire coat hangers would probably not be strong enough. You will want them to be easy to install, hold your pots and pans fairly securely, yet make it easy to remove the pots and pans when you are done cooking. If possible, it would be handy if they can be easily adjusted to fit different sized pots and pans. If you don't have any pot restraints try to hold onto the handle of pots and pans on the stove in case you get hit with an unexpected wave while you are cooking. Wearing a sturdy apron is one way to protect your body from injury from spilled hot material.
If you opt to use a propane or butane camp stove, store the fuel cylinders in a bag outside of the cabin, perhaps tied to the lifeline. Propane and butane are heavier than air and any leak will let the fumes accumulate in the bilge where any spark will set off a violent explosion. Liquid alcohol fuel can probably be safely stored inside the cabin as liquid alcohol is not explosive. Alcohol vapor is lighter than air and will escape through any openings near the top of the cabin. The small butane and direct connect propane cylinders are self-sealing so there is little chance they will leak when disconnected from the stove. To be safe, always make sure your stove is turned completely off and, for maximum safety, remove the fuel cylinders when it is not in use. Permanently installed propane stoves are not recommended for use in boats as any leak in the system could lead to catastrophic explosions!
Cooking stoves will, of course, heat up the interior so you may want to limit use on hot days, especially in smaller cabins or open as many ports and hatches as you can. On colder days that may work to your advantage to heat the interior but never try to use your cooking stove as a primary heat source in your boat. Always ensure you have adequate ventilation. Even if your stove does not put out dangerous fumes it will consume oxygen and you could suffocate. If you need extra heat, look into getting an appropriate heater rated for in-cabin use but still make sure you have enough ventilation! The human body puts out about as much heat as a 100 watt incandescent light bulb and one or two bodies in the confines of small boat cabin will usually warm things up quite nicely in a surprisingly short amount of time.
Electric stoves or cook tops eliminate the problems associated with fuel vapors and toxic fumes. However, many boats and most smaller boats lack a generator or large battery bank and an inverter to power an electric stove. And any cooking on a boat is subject to the problems of movement.
Chow down!
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