6Hp Propane Range

[tbodine88]

If you own a propane outboard. What is the range?
How long have you run on a camp stove bottle?
A 10 lb bottle?
A 20lb Bottle?


Thanks

[Panope]

I read the title and thought- "wow, that will boil water in a hurry!"

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Panope

I read the title and thought- "wow, that will boil water in a hurry!"[emoji2]

Boil? No.

Beat? Certainly.

[tkeithlu]

Are you not aware that if you beat water hard enough it boils? All a matter of the energy transferred.

I hope that you will find an answer to this question and share it. I have one propane genset, but if is supplied by a much larger bottle, and I manage one genset that runs off 10 lb bottles. Even a rough estimate would help.

OK. Here's a way to get to an estimate. The energy contained in a pound of propane (or LPG) and in a pound of gasoline are about the same. Under standard conditions a gallon of propane weighs about 4.2 pounds while a gallon of gasoline is about 5.7 pounds. That's a 27% difference, and low and behold, propane is 27% less efficient per gallon. So, expect to get the mileage from 5.7 pounds of propane that you would get from one gallon of gasoline. Now go get an empirical figure and see if it matches.

[HopCar]

I sold Lehr outboards before I retired.
The 2.5 hp would run about an hour on one pound of propane. The 5hp would run about half an hour on 1 pound of propane.

[tbodine88]

While participating in the Texas 200, I motored out to the ICW channel sailed until my rudder broke. Motored to the land cut, fixed the rudder. Experienced light winds in wrong direction, motored to Haps Cut. Fixed the rudder again. Next day, started motoring, tried tacking into contrary winds. We reverted to motoring after running aground. We ran on the motor the rest of day.

I believe we went 80 miles at 3/4 throttle on a 15lb bottle. We averaged 4 knots. I have a brand new mercury propane 5hp motor.

[tbodine88]

2022 Texas 200 in a West Wight Potter using a 6hp mercury Propane Motor

15lb bottles

Monday - Wednesday we motored maybe 2 or three hours exchanged the bottle it was still mostly full
Thursday, motored up the channel from Ingelside to Port Aransas 3 hours
Friday, Motored from 10am - 8pm @ 4 mph The bottle ran empty at 7:55pm


Saturday motored from Port O'connor to Magnolia Beach (10mi)
Bottle is mostly full


I took 6 bottles in case there were contrary winds. This year the winds were mostly from the south as we sailed north so I used one bottle and two half bottles.