Lehr Propane Outboard At West Marine

[onestepcsy37]

i received my 'gift' flyer from west marine today and they are now selling the lehr propane outboard. the flyer shows the 2.5hp lehr, advertised price is $1049.98.

since my need is for a salt water engine, i'm wondering if anyone has experience with that engine and how well it might hold up to salt water service, even with a lot of care. i'm pretty certain - from experience - that the lpg bottles are not salt air friendly and need additional protection if you intend to re-use them.

[HopCar]

It is designed for saltwater use. The engine seems to be as saltwater resistant as any other outboard I've seen. I haven't had enough time playing with one to give you a definitive answer on that.

Are you thinking of running it on the little one pound bottles or a seperate tank? The little one pound bottles are made of steel and will rust in long term storage unless you take precautions. They are also an expensive way to run it. If you're going to use a seperate tank, they are available in fiberglass and aluminium. The 2.5 will run up to about 10 hours on a little 10 pound (2.5 gallon) tank at wide open throttle. It will go a lot longer if you run at 3/4 throttle.

If you want to buy one, I would love to quote you on it. Here is a link to my website. Please contact me for a quote before you buy one.
LEHR

[onestepcsy37]

hopcar, i lived in south florida 25 years and remember your store very well. used to visit quite often because i could usually find or order things that nobody else seemed to know about. i'm almost certain you could give me a better price than west marine.

and yes, i'm thinking of running it on the little one pound bottles. i like my dinghy outboard to be self contained, like the built in tank on my 3hp yamaha. i've also used that little valve contraption that lets you fill the small bottles from a regular 20lb propane tank and it works great if you remember to cool the small bottle in the fridge for ten minutes before refilling it; you can actually here the 'whoosh' as the gas rushes into it.

[HopCar]

onestepcsy37, Thanks for your kind words. I've never tried refilling one of the small bottles but I'm going to give it a try. There is a good discussion and a design for what looks like a good filling rig if you're going to be filling bottles often. This guy vents the tank as the liquid goes in so that he gets a good fill. I've heard several people suggest your method of chilling the tank before filling it. I see a trip to Harbor Freight in my future to buy the adapter. Here's the link: How to refill disposable propane cylinders

[onestepcsy37]

the adapter is less than $20 but not that easy to find. i use the bottles for the magma barbecue and also a small indoor heater. at first i was unable to get good fills on the bottles. then i READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. amazing what you can learn when your read the instructions. they advised me to chill the bottle before filling. made all the difference....

i viewed the link but wasn't too crazy about the guy playing around with the vent valve to fill up the bottle. think i'll stick to the chilling method....

[HopCar]

The chill method sounds safer to me as well. I did like his contraption.

[BilgeRat]

Originally Posted by HopCar

The chill method sounds safer to me as well. I did like his contraption.

It's not that it's safer but you can get more fuel in it. Propane expands with heat and that's what causes the pressure. If you use a hose and submerge the 1# in ice water you'll get your best fill along with warming the 20#.

And 37, the adaptors are pretty easy to find on the net. Amazon.com: Mr. Heater F276172 Propane One Pound Tank Refill Adapter: Patio, Lawn & Garden