Lehr Propane Outboards

[Shas Cho]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

Wind it up, then release. I'm really surprised lawm mowers and small outboards don't have such a system

I had a lawn mower in the late '60s or early '70s
with exactly that kind of starter.
It was an off-brand machine
(probably Ronco or K-Tel :=)
which may explain why the concept didn't catch on.
But it sounds like an idea with great potential for 5-15hp outboards.

HopCar, maybe you can pass the idea along to Lehr...?

[HopCar]

Funny this thread just came back to life. We received an order for a manual start 9.9 about two weeks ago. I oiled it up, put it in the test tank, bled the air and gave it a yank. It was hard to pull just like LibreVie described. I pulled it three times and gave up. I had the big guy who we call Bear pull it a few times, still no go. Our outboard mechanic saw me playing with it and suggested starting fluid. It fired and ran fine with a squirt of starting fluid. I richened the fuel mixture and now it starts right up and purrs like a kitten. It's still takes a good pull to get it over compression.

I had some conversations with Dave the engineer at Lehr. I think the problem with the hard pull is caused by the lack of a compression release on the 9.9. I put a spring scale on the handle and slowly pulled it over compression. It took 45 pounds of effort. I tried this with a 5 hp and it took either 10 or 20 pounds of effort. I understand that the 5 has a compression release which would explain the two readings.

At this time I would buy a 9.9 manual for my self but I wouldn't recommend it for a woman. If you're interested in one, go to your dealer, have him put one in the tank and let you start it. There are a lot of people out there who are happy with them but I think the hard pull is an issue for smaller people. Of course there is the electric start with the tiny lithium battery under the hood, Nice!

I'm planning to put a 15 Lehr on a little plywood skiff I'm building.

[Roy M]

HopCar, has the lithium battery starter actually come out yet, or is it still an idea? By the way, thank you for all of your excellent info and assistance with this new product.

[HopCar]

Roy, I'm not sure. I asked Lehr about that and was told that the distributer I buy from hasn't ordered any. I'm not sure if that means they won't produce them until they get orders or if they've got them in their California warehouse and the East coast warehouse just didn't bring any over. They are pricey. I think it adds about $300 dollars over the cost of a standard electric start.

The lithium starter system is more than an idea. I played with the prototype at the boat show">Miami boat show last year. It works and works well.

[Roy M]

Thanks! I'll ask around to see if they are available in San Diego.

[pbiJim]

What HP sizes offer the Li option?

Is that battery somehow mounted inside the cowling? Or is in an external battery?

Thanks,
Jim

[HopCar]

Jim, the Li battery is mounted inside the engine cowling. As I recall it was about the size of two Altoid boxes stacked. At this time only the 9.9 has an electric start option so that was the only one with the Li option. The one I saw was a demo model at the Miami boat show last February. It spun that engine many times before it needed recharging. The engine recharges it while it's running.

Before you ask, I don't know if you need a special charger if it is off the engine.
I don't know if you could run accessories such as lights off it.

If they offer it on the 15, I may go for the Li option. I don't think there was a lot of interest in it as all you need is a fifty dollar motor cycle battery and a few feet of cable for the regular electric start system, but the Li sure is a clean installation on a small boat.

I'll try to get you guys some more info on it tomorrow. Any more questions for Lehr?

[Roy M]

HopCar, can you ask them what the expected fuel consumption at WOT the 15 might be? And, if they think the summer debut is still on?

[pbiJim]

Not a question, but a comment here, I think that the LI battery option would be the most attractive in conjunction with a motor that uses the little 1 pound cylinders. If they could put that little LI starter on their 5hp, it would be a nice little ready-to-go package for a dink, that is easily removable.

It would also be a nice option for some class racing boats like a J-24, where class rules state that you must carry a motor on board during a race (for safety reasons). Those motors are typically carried stowed. Gas engines are not preferred due to the mess & the stink. The little 1 pound bottle would probably meet the class minimum of 1 liter of fuel.

[HopCar]

Roy, They all seem to use about 0.4 pounds of propane per hour per horsepower. I would expect the 15 to burn about 6 pounds (1.5 gallons) per hour at wide open throttle.

Jim, the 5.0 Lehr is so easy to start, you really don't need electric start on it. The electric starter would also add a few pounds. I don't think there would be enough demand to justify producing it.

"It would also be a nice option for some class racing boats like a J-24, where class rules state that you must carry a motor on board during a race (for safety reasons). Those motors are typically carried stowed. Gas engines are not preferred due to the mess & the stink. The little 1 pound bottle would probably meet the class minimum of 1 liter of fuel."

You're absolutely right. A propane powered engine would be ideal for that. Propane solves a lot of problems in a situation where the engine is stowed and rarely used.

[a64pilot]

The wind up starter thing came from airplanes long ago, you can see it in action on some old movies, there were two ways I think, one was a flywheel and the other an actual wind up kind of spring, but the best was the shot gun cartridge starter. Imagine that on an outboard

[DainyRays]

I am seriously considering a 5HP Lehr to power an Apex A9 Lite RIB. I wish there was some way of determining ahead of a purchase if 5hP would allow this dinghy to plane with 2 people. The dinghy is light (89 lbs) and the motor is light (49 lbs) and with only 2 people it would be at about 1/2 max payload. Any ideas how I could figure this out?

[HopCar]

Bob, bring the dinghy to Miami and we'll try it!

[Roy M]

Horsepower is horsepower, regardless of the fuel. Borrow a five HP gas engine and see if it works for you. I needed a 9.9 to get two of us on a plane in a Zodiac with soft floor.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by DainyRays

I am seriously considering a 5HP Lehr to power an Apex A9 Lite RIB. I wish there was some way of determining ahead of a purchase if 5hP would allow this dinghy to plane with 2 people. The dinghy is light (89 lbs) and the motor is light (49 lbs) and with only 2 people it would be at about 1/2 max payload. Any ideas how I could figure this out?

Do you know the recommended min and max horsepower recommendations for that RIB?

Our RIB weighs 135-lbs, the 5-HP motor we use (for now) weighs 46-lbs, min recommended HP is 10, max is 15...

And 5 HP doesn't often plane the boat, with just me and the First Mutt in it (him acting as hood ornament).

The situation is different from that Apex, but the manufacturer's recommendation is likely on target.

-Chris