Propane powered Outboards

[Jim@sea]

I noticed an advert in Powerboat & Rib that there was an advert for LEHR Propane Powered Outboards.
From 2.5 to 9.9 hp.
Hopefully this "alternative" Outboard may be lighter than the present 4/stroke which we are forced to buy as 2/stroke's are no longer available.
And if more manufacturers start to make Propane Outboards the price of small 4/stroke ones will come down.

 

[rbmatthews]

Hopefully this "alternative" Outboard may be lighter than the present 4/stroke which we are forced to buy as 2/stroke's are no longer available.

A review of the 5 hp here

http://sailing.about.com/od/equipmentgear/a/Review-Of-Lehr-Propane-Outboard-Engine.htm

says that it weighs around 50 lbs, i.e. 22 kg, which is not all that light. But they seem to be much more environmentally friendly.

R.

 

[rbcoomer]

Personally, I wouldn't consider LPG for a boat. Availability is a big question mark and price varies a lot - not forgetting the issue of captive, heavier than air vapour in a boat! Petrol vapour is explosive, but LPG is under significant pressure and a small escape would yield perhaps 50x the amount of combustible vapour in the same time... Both my last two vehicles have been LPG and when I was paying 65ppl locally a few years back it was 49p when I drove up to Hereford - no idea what it would cost at quayside? (I could find out if you want as Torquay is one of the few places that still stock in this area) Much of the reason for low cost is the lower duty and we all know how fickle/greedy governments are! It's also only about 70% as efficient as petrol in MPG terms so a relatively small movement in price could quickly offset any savings. For example - in September I was paying 62p locally, but now the cheapest is 74p - petrol hasn't gone up by the same percentage in that time. Not saying don't consider, but do your homework on price/availability if you are looking at seriously. The plus side is that it's certainly cleaner - both for the car and the environment - my car emissions are usually a few decimal points away from a fail rather than a few percent!