Visit our Popular Forums

Helo1 · 27-11-2015, 15:04

We're thinking of purchasing a 12' Zodiac Air Floor inflatable boat and 9hp Tohatsu for slow cruising in California marinas and a mile or 2 along the coast, close to shore just outside of marinas. We live in an apartment and would be storing it inside to avoid theft. I've never owned an outboard. After use, would it be a hazard to store it indoors on a rollable stand? Are there fumes? Any insight on this boat/living combination would be much appreciated.

iancoombe · 27-11-2015, 15:41

Hi welcome to the forum. I think the fuel tank would be the problem, they vent and give off vapour which is easily ignited.
Inflatable boats are great fun we enjoy ours every day and cover reasonable distances.
Cheers

jeepbluetj · 27-11-2015, 17:07

One option is the Lehr propane outboard. No fumes at all. They do make a 9.9.

**roverhi** · 27-11-2015, 17:40

Shouldn't be a problem though you'd best leave the motor outside for a couple of hours after use to dry out. As long as motor is stored upright, shouldn't leak anything. Would run the carburetor dry before removing from boat by disconnecting the fuel line. Good idea to do that for any motor that won't be used regularly. If motor has to be stored horizontal, check it out beforehand, some are known to leak fluids. Tank should have a manually screw seal vent on the cap or an automatic seal. If the tank couldn't be stopped from venting gas vapors it would be dangerous to store anywhere especially a boat. Keeping a gas tank in an apartment isn't going to make landlord or other tenants happy and may be against the fire code.

Helo1 · 27-11-2015, 18:28

Thank you for the welcome to the forum and for all of the replies. I'm glad I asked. This will take some more planning and your advice is extremely helpful. I never thought about propane and will look into that. I'm starting the Coast Guard Auxiliary Boating and Safety Course next week and look forward to learning more about boating and participating in the forum.

Happy holidays to all - Bruno

ArtM · 27-11-2015, 18:38

That motor is going to smell bad regardless of the fuel type. Best to keep it outdoors locked up with a sturdy chain and a cover. It'll look like a covered barbeque grill from the street.

HopCar · 27-11-2015, 19:02

I'm a Lehr dealer so I may be biased.

I own two Lehr propane engines and I've owned a dozen or more gasoline powered outboards. I would not store a gasoline engine in a living space. It's just too much trouble getting all of the gasoline out to make it safe.

I can bleed all of the resididule propane from a Lehr in less than five seconds. My 2.5 is stored in my garage usually. It's in my store right now. After I bleed the propane out, I've never smelled it. I usually don't even bother to bleed it. There isn't enough propane left in the engine after you disconnect the tank to cause a problem.

Roy M · 27-11-2015, 20:18

ditto, HopCar. Simplest outboard I've ever seen.

HopCar · 27-11-2015, 20:48

Hi Roy, I've got a few hours on my Lehr 15 now and I love it. Which tank are you running yours on?

tomfl · 28-11-2015, 00:01

Downside to propane is cost to run. Gas should be R90 in outboards but it is cheaper than propane and even a small gas tank will have much greater range than propane.

Upside of propane is how clean and quite it is. Also a lot easier to move the small light fuel tanks.

If you are using the motor to power a boat on a daily basis gas is the way to go, if you are only going out a couple of times a month I would consider propane.

YMMV

**GordMay** · 28-11-2015, 02:52

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Bruno.

**StuM** · 28-11-2015, 03:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomfl

Downside to propane is cost to run. Gas should be R90 in outboards but it is cheaper than propane and even a small gas tank will have much greater range than propane.

Upside of propane is how clean and quite it is. Also a lot easier to move the small light fuel tanks.

If you are using the motor to power a boat on a daily basis gas is the way to go, if you are only going out a couple of times a month I would consider propane.

YMMV

Took me a while to make sense of that. To me, propane is gas. Finally realised you were talking about propane v petrol.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Dave22q · 28-11-2015, 07:36

I would check the weight of a 9.9 motor. Much more weight and power than needed on a 12' RIB. I suspect a much smaller motor will do you. Apartment storage is really not practical, draining/burning off all of the gasoline is a time consuming pain and indoor gasoline storage is a major fire hazard. If you can find an easily portable propane motor, that is more practical. Alternatively, if you do not need to go fast, an electric trolling motor with at least two batteries would cost much less and could work well. Spare batteries are critical. You would need to learn something about battery management to get full use from this set up.
Best of luck.

Roy M · 28-11-2015, 08:14

Carter, it's from Port Supply (https://www.portsupply.com/buy/lehr-...tank--15761463). I have two of them, and will have a third before I take off. It fits perfectly, strapped beneath the thwart seat on the RIB. Two spares lay in cradles, with straps, under the portside inflatable tube when the RIB is stored on deck.