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Lodesman · 16-05-2016, 04:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Strange logic here. If there is a gasoline smell it's because there's unburnt gasoline. Lack of propane smell might suggest the propane was all consumed when it exploded.

Propane doesn't actually smell - they add mercaptan to make it stink.
Anyway, explosions generally go up and out; the incompressibility of liquids (ie. water) keeps the hull below the WL intact - this is why divers were able to recover the submerged hull. Since fuel tanks are normally low in a boat, they are more likely to survive along with the hull. Yet a gasoline leak could also lead to an explosion with a lot of gas-soaked bits and pieces remaining to provide the strong gasoline smell. I wasn't ruling out propane as the cause, just suggesting other possibilities. The article was poorly written. Note it was a cop that put the blame on the "propane tank", but elsewhere in the article the fire department said the cause was "undetermined."

Sandero · 16-05-2016, 05:11

In the near term I will repair the Yamaha... but I am very very interested in propane OBs and will keep my eyes open to see what the market offers. Once my OB is repaired I can move on to other pressing projects and USE my boat which is inaccessible without an OB. I am not concerned about an increase in hazard from propane accidents.

44'cruisingcat · 16-05-2016, 17:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by J Clark H356

I hate to tell you Sandero, but you will waste a lot more time fooling with the Yamaha. I know from personal experience. The carb jets are the size of fine hair and tiny crystals form in the fuel within weeks that stop them up. New carbs (2), ultrasonic cleaning (3), about $500 worth of repairs and I changed to a Lehr. Since then, no problems. You have to understand the differences and once you do, you operate it and it works.

Also, with all the gloom and doom about propane, maybe we better take our stoves out and get rid of our magma grills. Sure propane will explode, but you have to deal with it differently than gasoline just like you do for the systems for the stove. There are a lot of propane appliances on the market including thousands of propane grills on decks of houses. If you take proper precautions, it is as safe as gasoline. Just don't be stupid about how you store and handle it.

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What I've been posting is not doom and gloom, it's simply factual information.

Propane IS quite safe if handled correctly, with proper precautions taken.

As safe as gasoline? No. Just as diesel is less volatile and so safer than gasoline, gasoline is less volatile and so safer than propane.

On our refinery we stored millions of litres of gasoline, in normal bunded, floating roofed tanks.

The propane/propylene was stored in massively built 450 tonne underground tanks with heavy concrete reinforcing over them. Oil companies don't spend this kind of money for fun.

mikereed100 · 17-05-2016, 08:07

I've always thought it interesting that we boaters spend so much time shouting from the rooftops the dangers of gasoline and propane on boats, then, after a day of boating, drive home in our gasoline powered cars and cook dinner on a gas stove.

leftbrainstuff · 17-05-2016, 08:50

Saw a couple pottering around our dock last weekend. I could see the little green gas bottle on top of the outboard.

Clean and simple.

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44'cruisingcat · 17-05-2016, 15:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikereed100

I've always thought it interesting that we boaters spend so much time shouting from the rooftops the dangers of gasoline and propane on boats, then, after a day of boating, drive home in our gasoline powered cars and cook dinner on a gas stove.

I don't. I don't even own a car, and my house is rented out. (The stove is electric anyway)

My boat is my home, complete with gasoline powered engines and propane fuelled stove.

All these fuels are safe if handled correctly. It's not a bad thing to be aware of the dangers though.

RKsailsolo · 05-08-2016, 06:48

Does a 9 hp Lehr have the same capability to bring a small RIB onto plane as a gasoline outboard of the same type? (All other things being equal)

HopCar · 05-08-2016, 07:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by RKsailsolo

Does a 9 hp Lehr have the same capability to bring a small RIB onto plane as a gasoline outboard of the same type? (All other things being equal)

Yes, 9 hp is 9 hp no matter if it's made by gasoline or propane.

pickpaul · 05-08-2016, 08:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by HopCar

Yes, 9 hp is 9 hp no matter if it's made by gasoline or propane.

Couldn't outboard weight make a small difference though?

HopCar · 05-08-2016, 08:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by pickpaul

Couldn't outboard weight make a small difference though?

Yes, but if you're comparing 4 cycle outboards there will be little weight difference.

If you compare a 4 cycle outboard to a 2 cycle outboard the 4 cycle will be heavier. In that case you might be able to notice a difference.

rwidman · 05-08-2016, 09:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by HopCar

Yes, but if you're comparing 4 cycle outboards there will be little weight difference.

If you compare a 4 cycle outboard to a 2 cycle outboard the 4 cycle will be heavier. In that case you might be able to notice a difference.

If you live in the USA, the comparison between a 4 cycle outboard and a 2 cycle outboard will be meaningless unless you consider a used 2 cycle outboard. You're not going to find a new 2 cycle outboard in the USA unless you find a way to buy it somewhere else and bring it into the USA.

rwidman · 05-08-2016, 09:32

I recently spent $300 to have my Honda 2HP outboard repaired because of dried up gasoline. That turns my little used four year old $800 outboard into an $1100 outboard. Propane wouldn't have done that.

The service center owner told me that from now on, I should close the fuel valve and let it run until it stalls after every use. Good advice, I suppose, but a PITA.