We tested three types of grills. The kettle- ûstyle Sport Extreme (left) and Magma (right) ûare in the foreground. The cylindrical Force û10 is in the center and is flanked by three ûbox-types. To the left is the Tasco, sitting on top of the Dickinson Sea-B-Que. The Sport ûSupreme is at the far right.

The last time we evaluated marine cockpit-mounted barbecues, in 1991, all of the test units were charcoal models. If you keep a charcoal version on board, it's wise to wrap the grill after each use in a large plastic garbage bag to keep ash and grease from contaminating the other contents of the locker. It's difficult to keep a barbecue clean.

This year, as we contemplated another summer afloat and the joys of barbecuing aboard, a search of catalogs showed that the most popular models now are fueled by propane. Most companies still offer charcoal models, essentially the same except there is no burner or regulator, but it’s the propane model…