Caribbean cruising: propane or buthane?

Caribbean cruising: which is more easily obtained?

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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 ;))
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 said:
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)
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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.
 
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?
 
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.
 
TQA said:
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.
Click to expand...
Care to tell us how you make the copy?
 
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.
 
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