Propane use - How much do you need/use

[a64pilot]

I carry four 10 ln aluminum tanks, one is dedicated for the grill and easily lasts a season (6 months)
The others last one month each, so use is 10 lbs a month. I don’t know what it has or do with anything but all showers and laundry is done aboard when cruising, but heating water and washing clothes doesn’t use propane anyway.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

Aluminum or steel tanks?

aluminum $$$$ ones

BTW a 10# used to only last 3-4 weeks. But one day the flies were collecting around my propane locker and I discovered that there was and had been a small leak (to them it smelled like rotting meat I guess).

[klaspat]

Typically a 10 lb tank lasts us about one month. Cooking only but all meals on board. Seldom use our bbq which is on a separate system
Cheers Pat

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

aluminum $$$$ ones

BTW a 10# used to only last 3-4 weeks. But one day the flies were collecting around my propane locker and I discovered that there was and had been a small leak (to them it smelled like rotting meat I guess).

Originally Posted by klaspat

Typically a 10 lb tank lasts us about one month. Cooking only but all meals on board. Seldom use our bbq which is on a separate system
Cheers Pat

Better check for leaks!!!!

[Cheechako]

In warmer latitudes, we used a 10# tank about every 5 weeks. We had a smaller tank for the BBQ. We cook less on the stove in warmer climes I think. I think in cooler latitudes it was more like every 4 weeks.
Propane was available in the Caribe and Mexico readily. It may take a cab ride or etc though. Some places it becomes difficult. Having a tank for the BBQ means you always have a back up.
Electric would eliminate much of that but then you'd be maintaining a generator.

[Tayana42]

We have two 10 lbs propane tanks. When we lived aboard for 3 years our usage was 10 lbs per month. That was cooking most meals aboard on our three burner range and oven. We used separate 1 LB cans of propane for the barbecue grill but not very often.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I carry 2-10# propane bottles. 1 generally lasts 1.5-2 months as full time liveaboard.

I used to hate that I only had a 10# tank. But now I like it as when it empties I swap it out and can plan for refilling the other. If you are a cruiser of liveaboard you really need to have 2 tanks or you need a backup plan for the dinner that you were in middle of cooking when it runs out.

I carry a little Trangia stove with a bottle of fuel... at least you can have a hot drink....

[mikereed100]

Living aboard full time, 2 people, we use about 20lbs every 2 months. We do a lot of baking, heat shower water on the stove and, most importantly, brew a batch of beer about every 6 weeks, which uses a lot of propane.

[teneicm]

Full time liveaboards, family of 4, eating 95% of all meals onboard. One 9.5 kg tank (standard US BBQ size) lasts from 6-8 weeks, depending on how much baking we need to do (can't get bread in all places!).


We carry one 9.5 kg tank and 2 smaller 4.5 kg tanks. Never ran out, but we always look to fill up as soon as one tank goes empty. Make sure you have an an appropriate setup and understanding of how to decant a full local tank into your tank.

[barnakiel]

The hobs are rated so you can simply calculate the use of gas. You can also run a simple test of one small bottle - note when you connect, note when it runs empty.


In our single case: 2 onboard, PLENTY of cooking and baking, butane gas,


We use 6 liters of gas over 8-12 weeks.


We carry up to 20 liters at a time when cruising. Note the boat is only 26' hence not much gas carried.



b.

[Hasbeen]

Two burner gas stove, with small oven rarely used, & a 5 liter gas fridge in the Pacific islands. We would get 10 to 12 weeks from 2 twenty pound bottles.


Gas was our limiting factor, the availability of places to get gas was limited. It was often 500 or 600 miles to a town where gas was available, so cruising had to be organised.

[Lula Mongo]

We have been cruising in Brasil for many years, the fitting in Argentina is the same as the US. In Brasil, you would need the fitting for the US tank and attach it to a plastic hose with two valves and the Brasilian terminal at the end.
Then you loan a 13 kg tank, hang it upside down on top of the US one and open one of the valves, you will hear the liquid flowing, tha other valve is for letting the air out of the lower tank, heating the upper (sun), and cooling the lower, I have been able to get my tank (20 lbs, aluminum) almost full, 90%? If not clear enough, please ask...

[carlwk3c]

Originally Posted by Ubifig

This questions is directed to full time liveaboards with 2 to 3 people living aboard. I am curious of how much natural gas do you carry, what size tanks, how long does it typically last, how readily available globally is it to purchase/re-fill? Do you recommend electric stove or grill over propane?

We are a couple, full time cruisers on a PS Crealock 34. We have 2x 17# propane tanks. We eat about 2-3 meals a week ashore when not on passage or anchored in a remote area with no eat out opportunities.
A tank typically lasts us between 3-4 months, then we switch and refill the empty.
We don’t do a lot of baking and often use a pressure cooker (a whole chicken or pot roast done to perfection with about 30 minutes of propane at 1/4 throttle, for example.)
Propane has been readily available (except in Martinique, where they use butane in bottles with European fittings that are not compatible).
Propane has been priced at, and sometimes well below, US prices.
We do not use electric cooking, nor other Electric galley appliances, with the exception of a small blender.

[Perfect Ride]

Originally Posted by Ubifig

This questions is directed to full time liveaboards with 2 to 3 people living aboard. I am curious of how much natural gas do you carry, what size tanks, how long does it typically last, how readily available globally is it to purchase/re-fill? Do you recommend electric stove or grill over propane?

Background: Full time 2 people with occasional sun-downer guests. Eat 95% of meals on board heating on average 2.5 meals a day + coffee/tea. Have a 3 burner stove (now 4 burner) and a Magma grill we use often.

Carry and Size: 40-60 lbs in 3 x 20lb tanks, we tend to like more remote adventures.
Usage: about 10 lbs propane/butane a month
Availability: Either propane or butane is available most every where we have traveled excepting more remote islands and coasts. Cooking is very similar to each.
No experience with electric stove though we do use the microwave for occasional popcorn.

[JebLostInSpace]

I cruise full time, but single-handed so not quite your target audience. My boat has all electric appliances - stove, microwave/convection oven for cooking, plus a water heater. I have a nice 5kw generator to power it all.

It works well enough. The electric stove model I happen to have doesn't get as hot as I would like, but otherwise it gets the job done.

It's nice that I never have to refuel anything but diesel.

The fuel consumption from the generator is almost negligible, but not quite. My fuel consumption is around 2/3 gal/hr on the main engine, plus contributions from the generator. In actual fact, I end up at about 3/4 gal/hr (hrs measured on the main engine). My hrs counter on the generator doesn't work, so that's about as good an estimate as I can provide.

I would 100% switch to propane if given the opportunity. I hate the noise of the genny every single time I have to cook. Want coffee? Start the genny. Time for dinner? Start the genny. Want a hot shower? Start the genny and wait an hour for the water to get hot.

My electric stove is not on a gimbal. This makes any cooking underway highly difficult, so I avoid it. I'd love to be able to put something on while sailing. Perhaps some electric stoves are put on gimbals, but mine is not and I hate it.

Just my 2 cents, I've never experienced the painful aspects of the propane galley. Maybe they're just as bad.