LPG - Any Good?

[Guest]

I'm thinking of converting a Mercruiser 5.7L 350 Magnum in my sportsboat to LPG. Does anyone have any advice or tips? What is it likely to do to the resale value of the craft.

A future thought is to buy a 34ish footer with 2 big petrols (cheap to purchase) and then convert this to LPG.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Guest]

I have done a bit of research on this and I'll tell you what I found ... most people [except for the conversion companies] are still unsure about the safety issues of having a large pressurised liquid gas cannister in a marine environment! I must admit I have seen what a butane [calor gaz] cylinder can do when it explodes!!!

The cost of conversion for one engine is around £3500 [approx guess as I got quotes for twin engines at £4500-5000]. Now, power is down around 15% and it will use more LPG than it did petrol so the general comment was that you will end of reducing your fuel bills by around 40%! You will probably have less range as well ...

I don't know what your 5.7 drinks? My twin Volvo 5.0 [small block chevy] on economical cruise [22 knots on a 32' cruiser] drink 12-13 gph together and that would take a long time to cover the costs of the conversion and start saving! Also, the jury is still out whetehr it will significantly up the selling price BUT you can always strip it out and take it with you to your next boat and get the savings that way?

I'm afraid you either put up with the fuel costs, move to a country which is cheaper or fit diesels which is expensive but will raise the sale price significantly. However [and finally] there is every possibility that this 'red diesel' concession will end next time it is reviewed [in 2006? I think] and the diesel boats will have similar fuel bills anyway! Me - well I'm planning the move abroad for other reasons than this but this is a strong factor!

 

[Guest]

Re: nah

Lots of people are dead keen, but lots of others refer to LPG boats as floating bombs, so I wd expect the resale to be worse, not better. Also bit of a bummer to find the stuff. So, buy a nice diesel.

 

[Guest]

The first question is where are you based? The south & east coasts are fairly well covered so from Poole to Suffolk you are OK. There is a gap at Weymouth that needs plugging and then Torquy is reachable. I was converted last year (Dec) and I have used nearly a 1000 litres so far - total cost £290, eqivalent petrol cost £850! Yes, it gives about 12% less distance but I also run the boat harder than on petrol. The jury is still out on resale value but while it may not improve it it should be easier to sell than an equivalent petrol boat. also think about how long you are planning on keeping it and how often you would use it. These factors will have a great bearing on your calculations and pay back time. Given your engine size you will have to buy a very big diesel to get the same power, you will need a bigger boat and the your going to pay more in berthing fees and all the other bits and bobs. I have had a few problems since the conversion but they cannot be laid directly at the conversions door. It is a pleasure when I put in a 100 litres and it only costs £31!
In terms of cost a single engine conversion is about £3k (depending on thye work needed it could be less). If your boat is less than say 20ft, it may not be worth it as your capacitiy may be limited. I have a a 23 footer and can carry 168 litres of gas in 2 tanks either side of the engine bay.
If you want any more info. contact me via the private facility.

David