Propane Outboards

[rossny]

What is the boat show price for the 9 hp and the weight? Also will they run on butane if propane is unavailable on the other side?

[HopCar]

The show price on the 9.9 short shaft, manual start is $2450, 9.9 long manual $2480, 9.9 electric long $2850. The show is over and I don't know how long I can honor these prices. The electric start quoted above does not have the internal battery, it's needs an external battery just like other OB's. It will be a few months before the internal battery version is available. It will probably be about $200 more than the regular electric start.

The bad news is that I don't have any 9.9's yet. I've heard everything from a week to a month before I get them.

I don't know about butane. I expect there would be a problem hooking a butane tank to the engine. If you did get it connected I just don't know if it would run or not.
I'll ask next time I talk to Lehr.

[Ocean Girl]

Please keep us posted, really interested in the real world application of these OB.
Thanks
Erika

[HopCar]

Erika, it looks like I'm going to buy a 2.5 that was at the show for my personal use. I have an aluminum canoe and an Avon I'll put it on. I'm building a little plywood skiff I'm planning to put a 9.9 on but I think I'll wait to buy one with the internal battery.

[rossny]

Hop. Thanks for the quick response. What size and length do you recommend for an AB 9.1 with aluminum floor? When will we know about the butane?

[Group9]

Seems to me if you already have propane on board for your stove and grill(and I do) then a propane powered outboard makes a lot of sense. And, if you have problems finding propane for the motor, you are going to have the same problems finding it for the stove and grill.

I think storing propane seems simple compared to storing gasoline, and not having to deal with E-10 and E-15 issues make it even better.

I'm not quite there yet, but I am getting close to pulling the trigger and getting one for my dink.

[deckofficer]

For you folks that cruise Mexico your going to love the price of propane. Since the wealthy can afford cars, the price of gasoline is higher so as to subsidize propane that most all need for cooking. The last time I was down there (1990's) I think I paid $0.50 for filling a 5 gallon bottle.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by HopCar

The show price on the 9.9 short shaft, manual start is $2450, 9.9 long manual $2480, 9.9 electric long $2850.

Will there be a short-shaft electric start model with the internal battery? That'd be my target, I think... for dink use... by old folks... so if they weren't plannning on it, you can start pushing them that direction right away

-Chris

[HopCar]

Rossny, I'm not sure what size motor you will need for your inflatable. Probably a short shaft (15"). It should be in the owners manual and maybe on the info plate of the boat. The info plate will tell you the maximum recommended horsepower. I like to come pretty close to maximum HP on boats.

I sent an email today to one of the engineers at Lehr with the butane question. He may answer tomorrow.

Chris, Short Shaft 9.9 with internal battery is what I want as well. I'm sure they will offer it in both lengths. In fact I think the prototype we had at the show was a short shaft.

Group9, I agree with you about storing propane vs gasoline. At my home I have about 200 lbs of propane that has been stored for several years. As long as I keep the tanks from rusting through I expect to be able to store it the rest of my life or until the next hurricane forces me to use it to power my generator.

[HopCar]

Here is the answer on butane from Lehr: Butane is a similar gas that can even be considered LPG (liquid petroleum gas) which can be almost interchangeable with propane for open flame applications like grills. But to run an engine on it, it requires a slightly different air/fuel ratio than propane.
As such, it would require a different calibration of the carburetor. But in many places outside US, they sell LPG which is some mixture of propane and butane. If the mix is 70% or more propane, it would probable run just fine in a LEHR engine, if more than that, it may need some alteration to run correctly. We could help a customer with that if necessary.
As far as tanks, the 1lb camping bottles that fit the Lehr engines are only propane. But the larger tanks like 20lb size have different connection styles in different countries, but adapters are available to adapt it to the hose supplied with the Lehr outboard.

[rossny]

Thanks hop. Would that be a major adjustment needing a tech and special tools and meters or an a to b switch under the hood? Hey and is hop ok or is it mr car?

[HopCar]

I asked Dave at Lehr about how to adjust for butane. Here is his response.

It would be a needle valve adjustment, and we would want to be on the phone with him while trying to guide him through it.
There is no guarantee there is enough adjustment to make it work, we haven’t done it before- its just an educated guess at this point.
Thanks,
David

Hop, Hoppy, Sir Hops Alot, I'll answer to any of them. Just keep talking to me!

[HopCar]

I now own a Lehr 2.5 and it runs great! I'm pleased with the fit and finish. It came with a spare spark plug, spare impeller, emergency starter cord, a basic tool kit and a nice owners manual. Since there was no propane in the fuel lines it took some cranking to get the propane to the cylinder but once there it fired right up. It was a one pull start after that. I ran it on both a big tank (11 pound fiberglass) and the one pound Coleman bottle. Complaints: It's got the single cylinder shakes at low speed but no worse than any other single cylinder outboard and the fuel hose it came with was only about four feet long. I bought a ten foot hose today. I want to put the tank in the bow of small boats for balance.

[Tar34]

I thought I would give some first hand experience with the Lehr propane outboard. The engine is used to push a 18ft Marshal Cat Boat. I was helping a friend move the boat across the river for winter haul out. The river was calm and there was no wind but slight outgoing current. Halfway to our destination we noticed the engine was overheating. Just steam coming out the exhaust port. Most likely we had run the engine long enough without waster for a period of time because smoke was coming coming from under the cover and the smell of hot plastic was readily apparent. I turned the engine off. I let it cool for few minutes but the engine remained very hot to the touch. I discovered the problem was a large leaf caught behind the shaft has blocked the water inflow. Still smelling plastic I became concerned about the propane connection to the motor ( a couple attached to a flexible hose which when deployed is pushed up under the canopy through a hole and end of the propane canister garage ) I was concerned about the hose bursting as we had just installed a full canister of propane prior to departure. I called for the fire extinguisher in case the hose burst. Sure enough it did and scared the crap out of me. I could hear the propane canister emptying under pressure under the canopy. With the engine still sizzling I was sure a fire was imminent and fueled under pressure. It was several minutes before the canister emptied and luckily no fire but I was certainly in unfamiliar territory. I have plenty of experience with dripping gas or diesel and even carburetor fires but nothing like propane under pressure. Very unsettling to be sure. Apparently propane's high ignition temperature saved the day, or the low oxygen under the canopy or just plain luck. The plastic/rubber flexible tube makes attaching canister convenient but I would sure feel more comfortable with hard connection. Any comment would be appreciated.

[DWJ]

I had a similar overheating experience but it was caused by a jellyfish. I agree that the little crappy hose is a failure point and should be replaced with a hard connection. Sometimes (most times) when i need to change the canister I need to remove the cover because that hose won't push back in. In addition the little bit of plastic that protects that hose from chaffing on the engine frame is totally inadequate.