We’ve been fighting with the oven on our Seaward Princess stove. Top burners work fine, but the oven has had a mind of its own, or so it seemed. Often in the middle of a baking project we’d find it had gone out.

This is fine with Steve, who likes his baked goods "pudding style" in the middle. But Linda, who rules the galley, prefers cakes with a more Betty Crocker-like interior.

We assumed the culprit was the oven control system, and when we were in the Seattle area we called Erik Schimke at Sure Marine about the problem.

"Check your LP gas regulator before I make a service call," Erik said. "These have tiny orifices and can easily plug. They will allow the stove top burners to work, but the oven, which requires more gas pressure, may not be getting enough fuel."

We’ve always carried a spare regulator, but never used one. They don’t take much space, and cost about $25. After installing the new regulator and checking for leaks with soapy water, we tested the oven with a berry tart. The oven stayed on, the the tart was yummy. Betty Crocker would have been pleased.

Moral of this story? Carry a spare LP gas regulator.