How much LPG (Propane/Butane) do cruising yachts carry?

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by stormalong

Well, hopefully you won't be melting lead in remote locations.

My experience is that two, 20 lb (about 9kg) propane tanks last for a very long time when cooking. Heating uses propane very quickly.

When I cruised full time I would wait until after I switched tanks to start looking to get a fill. Never ran out of propane. Can't say exactly how long a tank would last but my estimation would be a couple of months. Of course YMMV based on how much cooking you do.

Now flash forward to cruising in the Pacific Northwest. I have a Force 10 Cozy Cabin propane heater. It consumes about a half pound of propane per hour on full heat. So a tank is used up in under two days. I normally use it on the very lowest setting to just take off the chill. My last cruise to Alaska made hunting for propane supplies more important. And marina friendly propane was hard to find a few times.

I carry 2 2.25 kg aka 5 pound or 1 us gallon tanks each tank usually lasts me about 6 months . I cook with portable induction in summer. ( Lfp and solar )

Are you still 8n the power? There is a shop in port Townsend that has small truck diesel forced air furnaces that have been maranized for a reasonable cost . Easy to install .

[01kiwijohn]

We cruise for about 5 months/ year in the PNW & Alaska. After converting to diesel cabin heat, we carry 4 x 7kg (the tall skinny ones) which give us about 12 weeks cooking. We have the small tanks because they are easier to back-pack when filling stations are not close by.

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by newhaul

I carry 2 2.25 kg aka 5 pound or 1 us gallon tanks each tank usually lasts me about 6 months . I cook with portable induction in summer. ( Lfp and solar )

Are you still 8n the power? There is a shop in port Townsend that has small truck diesel forced air furnaces that have been maranized for a reasonable cost . Easy to install .

Newhaul: Thanks for the comment. I am aware of the low cost Chinese diesel heaters. The drawback on those is electric usage and more complex installation. As infrequently as I use the heat I will stay with what I have. The only electric draw is the gas valve and a small fan I have above the heater.

PS. What does "Are you still 8n the power?" mean?

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by stormalong

Newhaul: Thanks for the comment. I am aware of the low cost Chinese diesel heaters. The drawback on those is electric usage and more complex installation. As infrequently as I use the heat I will stay with what I have. The only electric draw is the gas valve and a small fan I have above the heater.

PS. What does "Are you still 8n the power?" mean?

I was hand mixing and pouring concrete all day arthritis combined with autocorrect

Was supposed to read are you still in the PNW.?
I use about 8 ah using mine on the Stephfen Ulysses each day and solar replaces that easily. 5kw unit on 29 ft columbia defender.
I'm out of Port Orchard these days .

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by newhaul

I was hand mixing and pouring concrete all day arthritis combined with autocorrect

Was supposed to read are you still in the PNW.?
I use about 8 ah using mine on the Stephfen Ulysses each day and solar replaces that easily. 5kw unit on 29 ft columbia defender.
I'm out of Port Orchard these days .

I know the feeling. At 69 Y.O. everything feels like I have been mixing concrete all day.

Yes, I am still in ity bity Langley on Whidbey Island. I agree 8 ah is nothing.

Best, Brian

[goboatingnow]

My butane 3.5 kg tanks have been regularly filled by gravity. No issues. Many live aboard a buy the bigger tanks and fill small ones

Certainly in Southern Europe everyone knows someone that will fill your tank assuming they or you have the appropriate fittings

Note propane in Europe and the U.K. is almost always used for commercial applications and heating , portable stuff is always butane. Propane is widely available through commercial outlets but not as conveniently as butane .

Greece widely uses a version of the camping has 3.5 kg so it’s readily available in supermarkets currently €9-10 ( 11,12,13,14)

[newhaul]

Question for the thread . What is the availability of the 1 pound cylinders that are usually for the BBQ grill?
Here most marina stores have them .

I have the fittings to refill them off of a big tank but can be used the other way around if required. It takes 7 or 8 to fill my little big tank on the boat.

[Elie]

Since I have the space I fitted 3 20 pound bottles . And I plumbed 2 bottles with valves so I can switch quickly from one bottle to the other in case of one becomes emply in the middle of a cooking witch is really terrible in some instances. Naturally, the use of solenoid switch is mandatory for such a set up.

[sck5]

While cruising in the Caribe I dont remember anyone having only one bottle. Perhaps because refills take a while most places.

Old fashioned pressure cookers can save you a LOT of propane. Takes way less time to bring anything up to a given temp. Also keeps dinner from slopping out when things are rough.

[drgtmartin]

During the pandemic, my wife and I were living aboard full time, not eating out and cooking all of our meals on board, including bread maybe once per week. For 130 days, we consumed 30 pounds of propane. I know this because I would weigh each tank before and after it got filled and then write this information in the ships log.

This amounts to about 0.25 lbs per day for 2 people, so say 1/8 lb per day per person.

Note, that in "The Voyager's Handbook", Beth Leonard reports her and her husband routinely used 10 lbs per 6-8 weeks, or about 0.25 lbs per day for a couple.

[Shipraiser]

HR39, we can just about squeeze in 2 x PC10 (10 kg Scandinavian composite bottles).

I have a very approximate calculation that we use 1kg /week and that seems to be similar to many others. Only for cooking. 2 relatively big bottles, 5-10 kg each makes it possible to change or refill when it is suitable, not when you _have_ to, which is very nice.

/M

[Sea Wolf]

That depends entirely on how much you use. I baked and cooked a lot. We also bar-b-qued... a lot. My refrigeration was a 3 way and while underway (in the beginning) it ran on propane. We traveled in the tropics mostly and the refrigeration really sucked down the tanks… and I mean REALLY! We had 6-20 pounders (9kgs each roughly) that lasted about 3 months. We were full time cruisers on a 50 ft catamaran so we had the room. That much usage wasn’t practical as it tethered us to places we could resupply. Unless you’re planning on being in very remote areas, resupplying shouldn’t be a problem, but the price skyrockets, depending on where you are. Ultimately, we switched to solar and ran the fridge and the freezer off the solar array. It was one of the best decisions we made as it made us completely independent and we rarely went to a dock. At that point, our 6 tanks lasted 6-9 months so we could go wherever we wanted and stay as long as we wanted.

So! Like everything else on a boat… everything is a trade off.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by jt11791

It's nice to have two tanks so you can use one while the other is being filled. In some locations getting tanks filled takes more than a day.

Yep, dual tanks is very useful for reliability.

A couple 9kg/20lb tanks will last a long time if primarily just used for cooking.

Obviously, how much and what type of cooking will impact the duration. If you have a smoker on the back deck and do 12-18hr smoking sessions 3-4 times a week, you will go thru a lot more but for more typical cooking, it's likely measured in months.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Jammer

Probably not. For fills in the USA, the cylinder has to be manufactured to US specifications and be stamped by the manufacturer with the specification it meets, usually DOT-4B240, aluminum and fiberglass cylinders are different. If your cylinder doesn't have the stamp, and most sold outside North America don't, you can't get it filled, and yes they do check. Canada has similar requirements and most cylinders sold in North America have both Canadian and US approvals.

Some cruisers get a hose with the correct fittings and connect a local tank to their own and transfer the propane. There is the obvious fire hazard and also the risk of frostbite, as liquid propane has a -40 degree boiling point. Pressures can exceed 200 PSI on a hot day. Propane is a solvent and will cause rubber hoses to deteriorate with use and over time.

A lot simpler just to pick up a USA BBQ 20lb tank for $40 and get an adapter for your pigtail if you will be in the area longer term.

[svBeBe]

During our 11-year circumnavigation eating 99% of all meals onboard, a 20-pound bottle lasted 90 days on average.