magma grill for Christmas

I've had a party size, round Magma on my boats for about 25 years. It's mounted in a fishing rod holder and stays there permanently, just hanging out over the side. I had a problem with it blowing out and called Magma. They said the problem was the regulator that screws onto the top of the gas bottle. The old one with the problem is all blue. The new one they sent me is blue and red and never blows out.

Cheap bustard that I am, I'm not likely to change as long as this one keeps doing my steaks medium rare.
 
Alex F said:
I have Magma Newport Infrared for few years now. For the first month or so it was great. Then it became more of a PITA. I've learned that the grids are causing more trouble than what they were designed to do. So, I took them out and the situation improved. However, as the time went by and I used the grill more and more, the comon problems were uneven heat distribution and flame going off with mild winds.

Eventually, it came to the point when I said, I need a new grill. I started looking, but then decided to give my crappy Magma another shot. I took it all apart, cleaned every little part. It gave me another indication that it's working ok. But, shortly after the flame going off issue came back. I search a bit more, talked to friends and found that the difference between Catalina and Newport is the can valve. Apparently, there's a different hole size allowing more propane to be delivered to the grills. As soon I've learned it, while on a trip, I drilled a larger hole in the valve (I forgot the proper term of that part). Strangely enough, on the lowest setting the flame was pretty strong (actually stronger than you'd like), it would cook the food faster, but you'd had to wantch not to burn the food.

The puzzling kicker was that not too long after this "mod" was made, I've experienced that the flame would still go off in mild winds. At that point I just gave up on the POS and decided to give a shut to an electrical version. So, I went with Webber Q1200. WOW....what a difference. I no longer had to worry about stupid flame to go off. The food is coocked pretty much evenly. The greasy meats don't get burned as much. Cleaning the grill is even easier. I can easily say that I was very much releaved after upgrading to Q1200.

Obviously, this is not a marine grade grill. You'll have to get creative on securing it. All I can say that it fits perfectly on the Magma fish cutting table/board, which I have placed in a rod holder. Another point to consider, it uses about 15amps @110VAC. So, on a hot summer day, when you have A/C blazing and other equipment turned on, you'll have to keep an eye on the AMP meter and manage your power. It's not a big deal, and by all means not a show-stopper. So, I would turn off A/C in the staterooms while grilling for 20-30 min. Once I'm done with the grill, I fire-up A/C back again.
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+1 on thinking about going electric. Not as much because of blow-outs (though that happened twice at the end of the season), but more because I would like to be able to grill more in marinas. I use the grill while on the hook, but last season, we seemed to be in marinas more. None would allow grilling (open flame) at the pier unless electric or in their picnic area. I could use the generator while on the hook. Haven't made a decision, but thought I would add that perspective.

For background, I have the Magma Newport with infrared. I added a cheap WM clamp on rod holder mount to the trunk rail and then use the Magma Powr'mount rod holder style mount to the grill. I also found that it was hard to get even cooking until I realized that you really have to be sure the grill is Level... both front to back and side to side. I have a little bubble level on board and the adjustable features of the magma powr-mount ball make it really simple to level out. Otherwise very happy with the grill.
 
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i have the same boat as you and installed a pair of 30 degree rod holders to the left and right of the transom locker on the top of the transom. my magma Catalina stays there and isn't a concern with heat near the canvas. i love it and used it all the time when the boat was in the water. in the winter i take the grill to the fire station during storms when i am there for days and grill inside with the door open (don't tell anyone) i never had an issue with blowing out the flame or flame up though i kept it clean all the time. in the other rod holder i put the magma table. we cook on it all the time and love the grill. if i had a generator i would consider an electric but since i dont, its magma for me. best boat money we have spent.
 
When it works, it works well. If it's windy, good luck.

Here is a review from Amazon that I found pretty funny.

This grill only does one thing well: it adheres to the universal law that anything with the word "marine" in its name gets a 200% price mark-up. This terrible product would not be fit for cooking roadkill in a post-apocalyptic refugee camp. There is a lot of stainless steel in it, so it may have scrap value, but that is all.

How much do I hate this thing? Let me count the ways:

(1) The manufacturer claims this grill is wind resistant, but this can't be a true statement unless Magma only means to imply that the grill itself will not blow away when it is properly secured to your boat (see note 4 below on proper securement). Don't be fooled into thinking the flame will not blow out when the wind pipes up. The truth is that if the wind is blowing more than about 10 knots, your flame is done for. So while you are cooking with your new $180 to $200 marine grill, don't plan on going anywhere--you'll need to stand by the grill at all times so you can relight it once every 30 seconds or so.

(2) The burner must have been designed by someone who either hates food, or hates cooked food. This is supposed to be a grill, but it comes with a small circular burner about 2 inches in diameter--basically, a small stove burner. There is a heat shield you can place over the burner which apparently is supposed to distribute the heat more evenly across the cooking surface, but what it really does is catch all the heat so that your food stays pleasantly cool and raw. So if you don't like completely raw food (and you know you don't, or why are you reading a review about a barbecue grill?) your only choice is to take the heat shield off. Then you can put a two-inch burn circle in whatever you are cooking, while the rest of it stays raw. If you are really coordinated, you can use one hand to move the food around constantly to attempt to burn it all equally, while using your other hand to relight the grill every thirty seconds when the wind blows it out (see note one).

(3) The piezoelectric ignition button broke after two uses. Magma probably never expected anyone to try using this grill more than twice, so it might make sense for this feature to have a short lifespan. Why invest in parts no one will ever use?

(4) This grill is heavy, but the hardware for attaching it to your boat is flimsy and pathetic. It came with a stainless steel arm that is supposed to clamp onto a lifeline stanchion. If your stanchion is too small in diameter for the included clamp, there is a plastic shim. The clamp, the shim and the stainless steel arm are woefully unprepared for the simple task of holding the grill level. The only way I can use this grill without it wobbling so much that raw food rolls off the side while I'm trying to relight it, is to not use the attachment arm at all, and instead put my swim ladder across my cockpit seats and balance the grill between two ladder rungs. Classy, right?

(5) There is no backup plan in this design for what to do when the wind inevitably blows out your lousy 2-inch burner, and your piezoelectric switch is broken. There is no easy way to light the stove burner by hand except to take all your raw food off the grill, unlock the cooking surface from the bottom pan, and reach in with a match or a lighter, and then put everything back together, trying to move as fast as you can before the flame blows out again. Fortunately, since nothing on this grill ever gets hot, you can do all this with your bare hands.

Overall Impression: this grill might make a good emergency anchor, might be good to throw at attacking pirates and might be good if you have extra space in your dock box and you're dying to fill it up with something. If you have a new one in the box still, and you haven't opened the box, you could regift it to someone who likes raw food and goes boating in a place with no wind--maybe a lake in a cave. This is a poorly designed piece of junk, which is priced at least ten times more than it is worth. I would be happier cooking over an empty coffee can burning scraps of trash.
 
The above review that chrishick shared is exactly my experience with the Magma grill. Especially the part about having to remove all the food to get to the burner ring to relight it. Weber has yet to blow out even on the windiest days, cooks completely even, and the little igniter button works the first time, everytime, for three full seasons now.
 
Gasman, I used my Magma about a dozen times, then got the Kenyon electric with the new boat. I never used the Magma again. If you do decide on it, you can buy mine. I'll give you the cover and fishing rod mount.
 
grill pic.jpg

I have the smaller magma mounted on the platform, love it. Best addition to the boat and small enough to store nicely in a rubbermaid container in the aft cabin. I will say that when i have greasy burgers the flare up scares the crap out of me. I have gone to very lean meat when cooking on the boat to prevent this, probably not a bad thing for my longevity as well.....
 
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We have a Magma infrared on a pedestal... We like it, but is was very expensive... Since you aren't on salt water, the little weber will probably be just fine, if not better...
 
I had the large rectangular Catalina infrared and I must say, I really hated it. Terrible uneven heat, flare-ups in between blow-outs, wobbly mounting, and generally messy. For the price I really expected better. I did use it for years though until I built in a Kenyon. Couldn't be happier now. Ill never go back!
 
I bought a Magma Monterey Infrared grill for our 340 Sundancer two years ago and it is amazing. I also found a Grillamount that has worked amazingly well. The Grillamount goes right on to the rear hatch handle and avoids having to put rod holders or any new holes in the boat.
 
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