Propane Outboards

[HopCar]

It looks like I'm now a dealer for Lehr Propane Outboards. I'd never seen one until today at the Miami International Boat Show. I was impressed. I think it'll make a very nice dinghy engine. No, I don't think it will replace gasoline outboards any time soon but I do see a market for it.
What do you guys think?
LEHR - Environmentally Friendly Technology

[delmarrey]

I have a propane weed-eater and love it. It'll sure be better then the E10 gasoline that they're pushing on us now. And one doesn't have to worry about the gas spills in the dinghy anymore.

What is a 5hp unit going for??

[HopCar]

The 2.5 is just at $1000 and the 5 is about $1600. If you decide you want one, call me. Is your weed eater made by Lehr?

[four winds]

Liking this idea much.

The 2.5 hp version, 4-stroke, 37 pounds, no choke or primer bulb, no carburetor gummed up. Takes a "camping bottle" or hose adapted. Use a fill adapter to fill the bottle from my on board tank.

No need for spare gasoline container.

Wish I could afford one, but I bet HopCar will sell them for the best price base on pricing of other items from him.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by HopCar

Is your weed eater made by Lehr?

Yep! Are those the Marine Green's, and what does a 5hp weigh?

Never mind I see your link now.

[HopCar]

The 5hp is about fifty pounds. Like I said I'm brand new to this but the owner of the company, Captain Bernardo Jorge Herzer, said it was targeted to sell and weigh about the same as a comprable gasoline engine.
They showed me a prototype of a one pound canister that will be very easy to refill from larger tanks, no need to freeze the can or vent it to get a good fill. They said the 2.5 would run about an hour WOT on a 1 pound canister, the five about half that. Once I get my hands on one, I'll throw it on my Avon and let you know how it goes. Yes we might work out a Cruisers Forum deal. Right now I don't even know what the darn things cost me! My guys actually sold one from our booth today. I hope they made a profit.

[NahanniV]

How long will the 2.5hp run on a 1lb canister ?

[David M]

What is the rough amount of volume difference that is the equivalent for stored energy for gasoline versus propane? Or in other words, do the propane tanks need to be significantly larger to store the same amount of energy? I like the idea if the tanks do not take up a large amount of room.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by David M

What is the rough amount of volume difference that is the equivalent for stored energy for gasoline versus propane? Or in other words, do the propane tanks need to be significantly larger to store the same amount of energy? I like the idea if the tanks do not take up a large amount of room.

I burn about a gallon an hour on my 4 HP Evinrude 2-stroke as a run-a-bout.

[HopCar]

They told me that the 2.5 would run about an hour on a pound of propane.
David, Propane is less energy dense than gasoline so I expect to get the same range, you would need a bigger tank. That said, they sell a fiberglass ten pound propane tank that is probably about the size of a five gallon can. That would give you ten hours run time on the 2.5. One interesting thing they told me is that propane is about 110 octane so it can run at higher compression ratios than gasoline. That should make the engines a little more efficent than gasoline engines that run on regular. That should make up for some of the difference in energy density. Right now I'm just telling you guys what they told me. I can't wait to get my hands on one and give it a try in the real world.

[HopCar]

Delmarry, from what you said was the gasoline consumption of your 4hp gasoline engine, I think they may be understating propane consumption. We'll see when I get a chance to play with one. How long will your weed eater run on a pound canister?

[delmarrey]

I've always wondered when they were going to start building these things. Been driving propane fork trucks all my life and ran propane driven indoor maintenance equipment. But haven't seen any motorcycles yet, but probably not a good idea, especially if one gets hit by a car.

[David M]

Gas is such an inexpensive and plentiful resource in this country it's amazing we are not using more of it, over gasoline and Diesel.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by HopCar

Delmarry, from what you said was the gasoline consumption of your 4hp gasoline engine, I think they may be understating propane consumption. We'll see when I get a chance to play with one. How long will your weed eater run on a pound canister?

I haven't really kept the time but 1 colman tank lasts me all summer for my 1/3 acre lot doing around the edges.

One thing is I wish they would have put a purge button on for a quick prime. I remove the tank after each use and to start up again, it takes several pulls. But after it's been in use it starts 1st or 2nd try.

[HopCar]

Purge button sounds like a good idea. I did start one of the 2.5hp at the show. One pull, but it was warmed up. The amazing thing is that they let me start it inside the convention center. I didn't see any gasoline engines running inside.