LPG or not LPG

[DIW]

Opinions please on LPG conversions - is it worth it ? - cost savings ?- cost of conversion ? - name of conversion specialist . Engine is a Mercruiser 7.4 mpi, A replacement Diesel is not an option at the present time ( neither is changing the boat !!)
Ian

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[oldgit]

Stick with what fuel you have and get a diesel next time.Unless you intend keeping your present boat for a long time.
Past postings on the forum indicate that you will get a sucessfull conversion to gas 50% of the time.My own experience working with the taxi trade tells the same story I am afraid.

<hr width=100% size=1>Two boats please one here n one in the Med

 

[floyd]

We have a friend who had an LPG conversion done. We did a lot of cruising with them. Based on this experience I would say don't bother, but to be fair it does depend on how you use your boat. For cruising LPG is a non-starter whereas for mainly dayboating or overnighting it's probably more viable.

LPG is not that widely available (I reckon it's worse than petrol) so cruising becomes a carefully orchestrated route from fill up to fill up; the prices fluctuate strangely (why is it more expensive at Cobbs Quay than elsewhere?); half the time the LPG equipment is either broken and never fixed(Yarmouth) or people are unfamiliar with it and sigh deeply when you show up wanting to fill up (most places, since they don't sell much); you will be beset with strange problems, such as your engine dieing on changeover from petrol to LPG, difficult starting, and possibly difficulties arising from the extra weight of the fuel such as getting on the plane etc.



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[Xenopus]

We run twin mercruiser 7.4s on LPG (the magnum versions) and have had a very positive experience. Its our second LPG boat. After a the initial fit they have run beautifully on either fuel however I suspect if you go for a cheap and cheerful conversion that won't be the case. You really need to be able to fit the tanks where they won't disturb the trim of the boat too much and this may mean having a smaller custom made petrol tank fitted. It is also true that you will quickly get to learn how to use an LPG filling set up since the part time fuelling staff may not be familiar with it - however this is changing rapidly as the number of LPG boats is rising fast, this season is the first that we've had to queue for gas!! If you're cruising on the South Coast then availability is becoming less of a problem - we've come across fewer broken fillers this year too - probably because of increased use. The pluses are cruising at 30 knots in a 36 foot boat at a cost of about £30 per hour (about £90 on petrol where we are) whilst still having high performance (our top on gas so far is 52 kts on the GPS at slack water) and that lovely V8 sound. For a conversion talk to Marine Solutions (see Calor LPG boats site). A good conversion is quite expensive so it depends on how much you use the boat as to whether its economic - we're on 140 hours this season so far and so the saving is enormous, a no brainer for us really. If you are thinking about it seriously, based anywhere near the Hamble, and want to have a look over our conversion then pm me - but we're off for the rest of August.

Cheers,

Matt

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[studgies]

never tried LPG in a boat but had my last car done, best thing we ever did, not so hot on smaller engines though but V6's and V8's seem to loose little power or economy.

Car conversions seem soo much cheaper, I wonder if the car specialists would look at a boat. Our pet expert on LPG systems says if it does not have an italian name do not buy it! From what I have seen of other kits he is right

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