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Old 05-24-2013, 02:38 PM   #1
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Propane Dinghy Motor??

What do you think about them?

We were looking at them today & it seems to be a nice setup.
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Old 05-25-2013, 07:16 AM   #2
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Is there an advantage? Finding propane dock side may be a problem.
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Old 05-25-2013, 07:19 AM   #3
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That's what I'm trying to figure out if they are more or less of a hassle than gas.
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Old 05-25-2013, 07:24 AM   #4
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I guess I don't see the advantage. If propane is cheaper than gas then maybe, but I don't run my dinghy motor enough to consider the cost of O/B fuel a consideration. Again my concern would be obtaining propane in out of the way places, or even on a month long trip. Propane is generally not available dock side from my experience. Fuel almost always is. On the plus side, since propane is stored above ground as a liquid, it is unlikely to be contaminated.
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Old 05-25-2013, 07:59 AM   #5
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According to the brochure at 3000 rpm a 10 gal tank of fuel will last 25 hrs.

I'm thinking 1 tank of fuel would be all you need to carry.

A 16.5 oz camping bottle lasts 2.5 hrs.
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Old 05-25-2013, 08:07 AM   #6
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According to the brochure at 3000 rpm a 10 gal tank of fuel will last 25 hrs.

I'm thinking 1 tank of fuel would be all you need to carry.

A 16.5 oz camping bottle lasts 2.5 hrs.
If true then I think the availability of propane may be mute.
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Old 05-25-2013, 08:40 AM   #7
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I'm a dealer for Lehr outboards and I own a 2.5. I haven't had it long but I like how easy it is to start. I also think handling propane is a lot cleaner and easier than gasoline. I haven't used it for dinghy duty but I've been using it on an inflatable to explore the shore line and get back up into the mangroves. The 2.5 really doesn't burn much fuel. At wide open throttle they say it will burn about a pound per hour. At about 3/4 throttle you get better than twice that.

I've run it on both the 16 oz. cans and an 11 pound fiberglass tank.

"According to the brochure at 3000 rpm a 10 gal tank of fuel will last 25 hrs."
That is 10 pounds not 10 gallons. Ten pounds of propane is about 2.5 gallons.

I can't speak to the availability of propane when cruising, but I can say I think it is a well made motor. I love how easy it is to start. My last outboard was a Suzuki that I had to clean the carb if I let it sit a month or two without starting. That shouldn't be a problem with propane.

Note the 11 pound fiberglass tank in the photo below.
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Old 05-25-2013, 08:50 AM   #8
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You are correct that it's 10 lbs, not 10 gallons

Oops

It appears the 2.5 is selling for $1K?
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Old 05-25-2013, 09:12 AM   #9
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To me the best fit would be on a diesel boat with a magma grill. I already carry a bunch of those small cans for the grill, so with one of those propane outboards I wouldn't need to carry gasoline. If you had a propane stove you might have a spare 10 lb bottle, too.

Those grill-size cylinders are available just about everywhere. Most department and hardware stores have them, as do many marina stores and even supermarkets. Granted they aren't usually at the fuel dock, but I've never felt like I couldn't get one if I needed it. If I was planning to buy a new outboard anyway, these would be on my short list. But no way can I justify it unless the 4-stroke gas outboard I have now dies.
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Old 05-25-2013, 09:47 AM   #10
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I've got a 9.9 Merc two-stroke and a 9 ft. Caribe. When it's time to trade off for something else, the Lehr is a legitimate alternative for us. My Admiral can change out those 16.5 oz bottles a lot easier than she can lug around a gas tank, and I can think of very few instances where we'd be going somewhere that having a spare bottle wouldn't be overkill. In the Bahamas where you could spend hours transiting from island to island just to explore, something more than a 2.5 would help. Don't they have a 9.9 HP? How about the weight?
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Old 05-25-2013, 10:01 AM   #11
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They offer the 2.5, 5.0 & a 9.9 which weighs 88lbs according to the brochure.

2.5 @ 38 lbs

5.0 @ 49 lbs
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Old 05-25-2013, 12:37 PM   #12
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Sounds like a great idea. No gasoline fumes, spills in the dinghy, winterizing the carb at season's end, carbon on rings, valves, sparkplugs, no flooding. However tanks aboard should be in a proper propane locker but so should gasoline for that matter.

The weights seem as light as some 2 cycles ...
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Old 05-25-2013, 12:49 PM   #13
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They offer a see thru 10lb tank so it's easy to monitor fuel level.

I'm pretty much sold on getting a 2.5
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Old 05-26-2013, 10:01 AM   #14
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Healhustler, If you want to play with one, you can borrow my 2.5 for a few days.
The 9.9 won't accept the little bottles, it has to run on a separate tank.

If any of you guys buy one, have the dealer start it for you and show you how to bleed the air out of the system. It's real easy and you may never need to do it after the first start but it isn't in the owners manual. The dealer should also set the idle for you. The last couple I sold idled too fast out of the box. Again very easy to do.

If you want to buy one, ask for a quote from the dealer. You'll probably get a better price than if you order it off the internet. Lehr has a minimum advertised price that we all have to stick to. That doesn't mean we can't sell it for less.
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Old 05-26-2013, 10:13 AM   #15
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Healhustler, If you want to play with one, you can borrow my 2.5 for a few days.
The 9.9 won't accept the little bottles, it has to run on a separate tank.

If any of you guys buy one, have the dealer start it for you and show you how to bleed the air out of the system. It's real easy and you may never need to do it after the first start but it isn't in the owners manual. The dealer should also set the idle for you. The last couple I sold idled too fast out of the box. Again very easy to do.

If you want to buy one, ask for a quote from the dealer. You'll probably get a better price than if you order it off the internet. Lehr has a minimum advertised price that we all have to stick to. That doesn't mean we can't sell it for less.
Where are you located?
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Old 05-26-2013, 10:46 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beachbum29 View Post
According to the brochure at 3000 rpm a 10 gal tank of fuel will last 25 hrs.

I'm thinking 1 tank of fuel would be all you need to carry.

A 16.5 oz camping bottle lasts 2.5 hrs.

Umm.... somehow this math does not add up.


or my mental ratio calculator is broken

10 X 2.5 = 25
16.5oz X 10 = 165oz

1 gal is 132 oz

how many OZ is in a 10gal tank of propane?

can you refill from a larger tank to the boat tank?

like the unlimited storing of propane however
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Old 05-26-2013, 10:50 AM   #17
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Umm.... somehow this math does not add up.

or my mental ratio calculate is broken
You missed the correction;

10lb tank not gallon
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Old 05-26-2013, 10:59 AM   #18
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Beachbum, I'm in Miami, come on down!
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Old 05-26-2013, 11:08 AM   #19
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Beachbum, I'm in Miami, come on down!
Haven't been down there in 5 years...
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Old 05-26-2013, 11:29 AM   #20
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You missed the correction;

10lb tank not gallon

Your are right I did, thanks.

Now it works

I see the price of these coming down in the future, if they go to E15 fuel then these will be very popular and in larger HP ratings for marine use.
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