In terms of the stove (Ebb's question), the seaswings we want (kero) are of heavy (1/4") cast aluminum...so I'm not sure just exactly how you'd go about modifying one. Sat here and stared at one for a while, and still don't see it. They will, however, take plenty of weight. 5 pound brisket, plus potatoes and carrots, plus water, plus the weight of a nice stainless cooker...what more could a man want!<G> The newer swings for the sterno cans or the little dangling propane bottles are not near as stout. It's worh looking around at a lot of pressure cookers, I've seen some tall skinny 8-Qt. ones that would fit. A friend of mine also came up with an innovation of sorts to keep the lid on even a tall pot in hairy WX by splicing up a length of 1/8" Amsteel with a hook at each end in lengths appropriate to each of his 3 pots/pans.

As to converting the lazarette, the object would really be to make a vented, water and gas-tight enclosure back there...take a look at a comercially available propane locker and modify from there.

The weight balance issue?? Well, the propane will not weigh near as much as an outboard! The boats are rather sensitive to weight back there, I used to carry the minimum I could in the laz since you can watch the boat speed up as you remove stuff from it and place it below.

Certainly none of the stuff you could pack in back there is as unkind to the boat's performance as the Atomic install is...I had one in the Commander and had the opportunity to compare to an Outboard Commander that was otherwise pretty similar in terms of sails, rig, etc...and the difference was night and day! Before I decided I'd rather just have da big oars, I had planned to remove the A4 and cut in an outboard well in the laz. Once the inboard was gone the boat was a freakin' rocket! There's also a great deal of stowage space to be had in the engine hold, plus with the engine gone there is a huge keel sump into which one could build a large water tank! At that rate, I'd mount the propane bottle(s) in the cockpit and make an outboard well! Each his own, just my thoughts.

Best,
Dave