Poor planning - Gas bottles - What to do?

[Petronella]

So we left the UK after much work on the new boat and are now in the (gorgeous) Spanish Rias. Problem is we didn't think too much about our gas regime. Result? Two 7kg Calor Gas butane bottles (25cm x 50cm) with a clip on regulator top that fit snugly into their allocated space in the lazarette. Now they are almost empty.

Can we get them filled in Spain? No, not with these clip on tops. Maybe there's an adaptor we could use? I think not? Can we fit a Spanish bottle into the space? No. Would we rather have propane? Yes, preferably.

What to do! We're flying back to the UK for a few weeks in August but then we really will need to find a solution.

Any ideas?

Thanks.
John (S/Y Mehalah)

 

[Stingo]

There will be other UK boats in the rias. They're very likely to be friendly. Ask them.

 

[GHA]

Any ideas?

Set of these will let you borrow a local bottle & decant into yours. Outside of course
https://www.socal.co.uk/p/4018/cylinder-adaptors/gasboat/gasboat-4018-go-anywhere-adaptor-kit


Or might well be a local fill anything place hidden somewhere away filling up the motor home crowd.

 

[Mikedefieslife]

Repsol do 6kg (and 12-13kg) bottles, you normally need Spanish address to get one initially, then it's just swap at any Repsol station. In some marina's I've been in, there's usually a guy who can get you one.

Otherwise it's expensive Campingaz for you.

 

[sailaboutvic]

You have two option
One is buy a set of adapters and keep decanting has GHA said , in that way keeping your bottles but it does mean find a dealer who will let you taken a local bottle away you would probably have to pay a deposit .
The other way is change then and buy camping Gaz bottles where you can get them refilled almost any where .
By thre are. Smaller bottles and can cost more to refill .

 

[GHA]

but it does mean find a dealer who will let you taken a local bottle away you would probably have to pay a deposit .

Nah.....
No point trying to guess the future in too much detail when cruising, things always find a way of sorting themselves out - just ask around and someone will have a spare bottle you can borrow or the happy hour bar will help, something always comes along - just have a little faith it will be ok and good chance of some fun or meeting interesting people along the way

One of the lessons of cruising, you've no idea what's going to happen but it's usually OK .

 

[sailaboutvic]

Nah.....
No point trying to guess the future in too much detail when cruising, things always find a way of sorting themselves out - just ask around and someone will have a spare bottle you can borrow or the happy hour bar will help, something always comes along - just have a little faith it will be ok and good chance of some fun or meeting interesting people along the way

One of the lessons of cruising, you've no idea what's going to happen but it's usually OK .

Your right there , guessing the future is a no brainier , see what each day bring as the morning sun rises up .

 

[differentroads]

Repsol do 6kg (and 12-13kg) bottles, you normally need Spanish address to get one initially, then it's just swap at any Repsol station. In some marina's I've been in, there's usually a guy who can get you one.

Otherwise it's expensive Campingaz for you.

The Repsol bottles are a bit wider than 7.5kg calor bottles. I have just the same problem and the Repsol bottle won't fit my made-to-measure gas lockers. ?
I had my Calor bottles exchanged in Andalucia, but haven't found anyone doing it further east in Spain. And DIY refilling is a bit too underground for people to tell passing yachties like me, being illegal and all.
Didn't have the problem when we was in Galicia, so can't help the OP. Umm, eat out more and hurry down to Gibraltar-Malaga area where you can get them refilled, sorry, exchanged.

 

[temptress]

You can fill them yourself or usually find someone who will. When in Spain I took my calor bottles to the refilling plant and they refilled them there.

Try these guys for adaptor kits

https://www.whayward.shop/

 

[Graham376]

We just changed to Camping Gaz, fit the locker OK, a bit more expensive/kg but available virtually everywhere.

 

[sailaboutvic]

We just changed to Camping Gaz, fit the locker OK, a bit more expensive/kg but available virtually everywhere.

Only thing I would say about Camping Gaz , if the op heading for Greece , be perpaired to lose your nice bottles for some old rusty once
So if you get approach by someone asking you to exchange your nice blue bottle for a green , dark blue, orange , do the guy a farour and exchange your one with his , your going to lose them any way .

Bit more info tho of us finding ourself in the position to leaving Greece with old rusty bottles , buy a can of blue spray paint , then find an old lady in an Italian shop and exchanged them for nice new once , if you can find a camping Gaz label to stick on all the better .

 

[mattonthesea]

Can get them refilled in A Coruna. Club Nautico marina office has details. Cheap too!

 

[differentroads]

We just changed to Camping Gaz, fit the locker OK, a bit more expensive/kg but available virtually everywhere.

Thats just what we did. Getting my existing bottles refilled is fine when I'm staying in one place, have access to a car, etc. It doesn't work for our three days and move on cruising style.
Pain in the proverbial that the Campingaz bottle is likely to last a month instead of three with the 7.5kilo Calor. But worth it to not get hung up waiting on shoreside services.

 

[[3889]]

Can get them refilled in A Coruna. Club Nautico marina office has details. Cheap too!

Yep, No 6 bus, IIRC, from outside marina to here where Calor are refilled.
Estrada Fisterra
Estrada Fisterra, 15008 A Coruña, Spain
https://maps.app.goo.gl/rMG6mezZCXu3fYcG9

 

[vyv_cox]

Thats just what we did. Getting my existing bottles refilled is fine when I'm staying in one place, have access to a car, etc. It doesn't work for our three days and move on cruising style.
Pain in the proverbial that the Campingaz bottle is likely to last a month instead of three with the 7.5kilo Calor. But worth it to not get hung up waiting on shoreside services.

Yes, same here. Camping Gaz, or something else in the same bottles, is available easily from one end of the Mediterranean to the other. Greece, awkward as ever, now has Petrogas bottles, same shape and fitting as the Camping Gaz bottle but a darker shade of blue and sometimes with an embossed name on the top. Outlets will occasionally refuse to exchange pale blue CG bottles for the Petrogas ones but aerosol paint is quite cheap and the colour seems to be sufficient for them to accept them. Many outlets will not accept rusty bottles but a rub over with emery paper and a quick spray usually solves this problem. Many petrol stations will refill your own bottles at about half the price of exchanging them at supermarkets and the like.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Yes, same here. Camping Gaz, or something else in the same bottles, is available easily from one end of the Mediterranean to the other. Greece, awkward as ever, now has Petrogas bottles, same shape and fitting as the Camping Gaz bottle but a darker shade of blue and sometimes with an embossed name on the top. Outlets will occasionally refuse to exchange pale blue CG bottles for the Petrogas ones but aerosol paint is quite cheap and the colour seems to be sufficient for them to accept them. Many outlets will not accept rusty bottles but a rub over with emery paper and a quick spray usually solves this problem. Many petrol stations will refill your own bottles at about half the price of exchanging them at supermarkets and the like.

We got rid of a Petrogas one to day , the guy in the marina gave us a funny look but when he sew the camping Gaz sticker I stuck on he just replaced it , although it did coat us €25 in France , but at less I got a nice bottle , only one left to exchange .
Another spray job to morrow .

 

[Petronella]

Thanks guys for all the useful information. We're headed west rather than east so I think my best bet is a full adaptor set with a connecting hose. That way I should be able to find a filling man down a backstreet every six months or so. There is one for example in Cangas in the next ria down from us but he just doesn't have the right adaptor.

 

[GHA]

Thanks guys for all the useful information. We're headed west rather than east so I think my best bet is a full adaptor set with a connecting hose. That way I should be able to find a filling man down a backstreet every six months or so. There is one for example in Cangas in the next ria down from us but he just doesn't have the right adaptor.

Least with a set of adaptors you can use any bottles so covered even if the only option is expensive camping gas.
In the algarve there is a place outside Olhao who reckons he can fill anything, costs about €20 for a 10kg bottle.

 

[blenkinsop]

Depending on how far west you are going, this will be a repeated problem, particularly in countries with strongly applied regulations (eg US and Oz).
Many smaller places eg Carribean Islands will fill anything. We ended up buying larger cylinder which had to be secured on deck, and relying on taking it local filling stations, who generally supplied propane. One advantage of the larger cylinder (with a small reserve) is that it may last 3 months or so.

 

[James Marinero]

A few years ago I was in Ayamonte and took my calor bottles to a petrol station which sold autogas. It was a hot day and a long cycle ride, but they had the adaptor for the bottles and filled them there on the forecourt from the gas pump.

6 months previously in Sicily I bought a largish local bottle (€18 deposit) plus regulator and hooked it up as the locals did, with rubber pipe and jubilee clip.

Today I'm in Niue (200 mls east of Tonga) trying to get Calor bottles filled - and my luck's not in. I can't even buy a local empty bottle (the monthly ship came in from New Zealand on Thursday and the hardware store hasn't yet unpacked their container on account of all the rain :-( )

I'm writing this because there's too much rain to do any repairs - and it's the dry season! Such are the joys of cruising. Good luck.