Caribbean cruising: propane or buthane?

[Koeketiene]

Title says it all: which is more practical/easily obtained in the Caribbean - propane or buthane?

 

[macd]

Mostly propane, althogh I think butane's available on some of the French islands. But most places seem happy to to refill butane bottles with propane. Most modern cookers seem happy on either gas.

(It's ok to drop the aitch in buthane, btw: we won't think you're common )

 

[jimking]

Propane, buthane is not generally available.

 

[KellysEye]

Propane.

 

[john_q]

We left the UK set up for Propane but have had both/either given to us when refilling in the East and West Caribbean, depends where you are, for example Belize is a 70/30 mixture of propane and Butane.

 

[GHA]

Title says it all: which is more practical/easily obtained in the Caribbean - propane or buthane?

Whatever you can get, it can be a mixture of both. Best to have propane bottles probably.

 

[TQA]

I wander about the Caribbean. The LPG supplied is generally 30% Propane and 70% Butane. But we are in the islands so you take what they have.

I would have to check to be certain but I am reasonably sure that my system regulator runs at 2.75kPa. My bottles are 20 lb US Ali ones with the quick connect fittings. Most of the chandlers stock these and the connectors.

In places like Grenada St Lucia and Antigua they can cope with most bottle fittings. The French islands can be difficult about strange bottles. IE Anything not Camping Gaz.

USA stations will often refuse to fill any non US certified bottles. Some cruisers have been known to add there own certification copying it from a US bottle.

 

[Koeketiene]

The French islands can be difficult about strange bottles. IE Anything not Camping Gaz.

Looks like I'll be refilling in the French islands then.

 

[TQA]

Looks like I'll be refilling in the French islands then.

Grenada St Lucia and Antigua will fill Camping Gaz as well as most others.

 

[capnsensible]

We got 4.5 kg butane. Had no problem filling up all over Windies. They just call it 'cooking gas'. No idea what went in it but it, well, cooked food......

Only place anywhere that Ive ever had a snag was Bermuda, but we overcame in the end.

 

[FullCircle]

Quick browse of the BES.co.uk catalogue will see you with most combinations so you can changeover. I also have a self filling kit/rig so I can decant my own (buy some scales and know the tare weight of your bottle).
Butane and Propane use the same burners, and the regulator pressures are the same. Hoses are LH thread and different for UK propane setup, so you will need a couple of pigtails to changeover.

 

[RobbieW]

...Butane and Propane use the same burners, and the regulator pressures are the same....

but only if you have a 30mb regulator. Earlier installations may have a 37mb or 28mb regulator designed for the individual gases, propane and butane respectively (iirc)

 

[FullCircle]

but only if you have a 30mb regulator. Earlier installations may have a 37mb or 28mb regulator designed for the individual gases, propane and butane respectively (iirc)

True, but they are cheap at less than a tenner each, so that's what we bought. With the changeover valve as well, it is dead easy.

 

[purplerobbie]

Is it possible to get a gas filter? I recently had an oily liquid in my gas pipes and wondered if there is some sort of filter to stop it damaging the cooker?

 

[geem]

We carry a Gas Safe see through large bottle that we have had filled in various places. it is designed for LPG and has a safety cut off so it cant be overfilled. It lasts us about 3 months. Our back up bottles are camping gas blue bottles. We carry three of those. We swap regulators but that only takes a minute. It covers us for most eventualities here in the Caribbean. The large see through bottle lives on a bracket on the stern. Works well for us.

 

[Artic Warrior]

That's right, I had to change the sizes of my jets on my cooker for
it to work better.

but only if you have a 30mb regulator. Earlier installations may have a 37mb or 28mb regulator designed for the individual gases, propane and butane respectively (iirc)

 

[Anne Hulbert]

French islands much more expensive for gas exchange, especially St Bart's. It's fine to refill camping gas bottles with propane - we did it for years, but had to replace with US bottles for the States.

 

[Stingo]

USA stations will often refuse to fill any non US certified bottles. Some cruisers have been known to add there own certification copying it from a US bottle.

Care to tell us how you make the copy?

 

[TQA]

Given that this would be an entirely hypothetical situation for me as I am a thoroughly law abiding chap, I would start by photographing an existing sticker and using any modern word processing program reproduce the wording and layout. Dirty it up a little them laminate and glue on. Scratch with 120 WD and dirty it up again.

Any logo or complex seal could be printed out and added prior to lamination.

I might be tempted to go down this route if my boat had a custom made gas bottle locker which would not accommodate any US bottle. I know this does occur.

I am fortunate as my locker does accommodate US bottles.