LPG tank Hunter 39

Ralph Johnstone · Jan 25, 2023

Duluthwinger said:
We tried to ship the boat from Saugatuck to Bayfield Wi its new home.

If shipping the boat was your first choice, why did you allow a simple matter like removing the arch shoot that idea down ?

Or did you finally see that sailing the boat would be more fun and cheaper ? Just curious.

jon hansen · Jan 25, 2023

2 weeks ish. maybe a little more

jssailem · Jan 25, 2023

Duluthwinger said:
The boat has 1 LPG tank onboard. Do you think the 1 tank should be enough to make the trip?

Tough question... How big is the tank? Here is an ad from a local chandler.

WORTHINGTON CYLINDER
Aluminum LPG Cylinders - Vertical
Vertical Aluminum LPG Cylinder - 6 lb (1.4 gal), 22.1" x 6.3" Dia.
SKU: 98693 Item ID: LPG 1410-0006
Capacitry:
6 lb/1.4 gal 10 lb/2.4 gal. 20 lb/4.7 ga l30 lb/7.1 gal

What size of the tank do you have?

Then there is the stove...
The Force 10 2 burner with an oven uses about 17000 BTU's per hour with all burners going.

A Gallon of LPG contains about 91,500 BTU's

For each gallon of fuel you carry you could run the stove, all burners, for about 5 hours.

How do you plan to eat? Gourmet 5 course meals or heating water for morning coffee then shut down the kitchen..

How long before you run out of fuel and have to go ashore for a warm meal... All depends on you and the chef.

Hello Below · Jan 25, 2023

If you have room in the propane tank locker and are concerned about running out of propane, take along a few 1lb bottles from the local big box outlet as a backup. You would also need one of these adapters.

Home Depot - 1lb to 10lb Tank Adapter

quadrille38 · Jan 25, 2023

Duluthwinger said:
Hi,
We bought a new to us 2011 Hunter 39 last fall in Saugatuck MI. We tried to ship the boat from Saugatuck to Bayfield Wi its new home.
The trucking company said the boat was too tall and the arch had to come down and we told them no to that.
So we will be sailing "Antares" back to Bayfield in the late spring of this year. I have a question (and maybe more).
The boat has 1 LPG tank onboard. Do you think the 1 tank should be enough to make the trip? I would think I could fill the tank en route.
We plan to just Marina hop all the way back as there will only be my wife and I aboard for the trip. How long would you think 1 tank will last
if using the stove for lunch and some of the dinners?
Thanks for your replies,
Al

I have a 2008 38 that is pretty much the same boat as the 39.
Up until last summer we have always had just one of the standard propane tanks and have found they will last at least 2 and sometimes 3 summers. Make sure the tank is full and you will be fine. Even if you are cooking heavily and baking a lot, you should be able to get through a summer with 1 tank.
If you want to increase capacity the small tanks like what you have are available on the SBO store although when I looked they were out of stock. So I ended up finding the exact tank on Amazon and ordered it there.
A few weeks later I had to go to the hardware to refill my home gas grill tank and imagine my surprise when the local Ace hardware had the same size and ironically the same manufacturer of tank as the one I bought.

I did do a little plumbing / piping change in my propane locker to make it easier to change from one tank to the other. I changed from the threaded metal fitting that required a wrench to change to the newer type fitting that can done by hand. Much easier.

Oh and good decision on not removing the arch. There are many postings on here about that and it’s not as easy as it sounds. Some posters said that a) getting the sealant loose was an absolute nightmare, b) when they got the bolts loose the arch kind of sprung out and it was almost impossible to spring them back in to get the bolts in when they were trying to reinstall it, c) the thing is heavy and it will several people and maybe equipment to move it.

seadaddler · Jan 26, 2023

I have been out cruising 3 weeks and always had plenty propane maybe get add on gauge
from ac haredware which I got to see how much propane we use.

quadrille38 · Jan 26, 2023

Duluthwinger said:
Thank You Quadrille38 for confirming what I was worried about removing the arch.
The thought of removing the headliner was bad enough but the thought of messing something up when trying to remove the arch was just too much for me even if I could talk the guys at the marina to do it.
Thanks all,
Al

You bet.

On propane question Id be willing to bet that many of the places you will be stopping on your journey will be places where propane would be available in the unlikely event you run low.

Davidasailor26 · Jan 29, 2023

seadaddler said:
I have been out cruising 3 weeks and always had plenty propane maybe get add on gauge
from ac haredware which I got to see how much propane we use.

The problem with propane gauges is they really can’t tell the volume of propane remaining. As long as there’s any liquid propane left the pressure will only vary with temperature, not liquid volume. Once all of the liquid is gone the pressure drops off very quickly.

The best use of a gauge is to check for any leaks, by turning off the propane tank valve and seeing if the pressure holds steady. If you want to actually know the quantity of propane left you need a scale.

smokey73 · Jan 29, 2023

I think you might be able (how is that for a qualifier) to get a rough idea of the liquid level by pouring a small amount of hot water on the tank and then using an non-contact thermometer or IR gun to see where the temperature changes along the height of the tank. If I recall correctly,after a few seconds, where the liquid level exists the surface temperature of the tank will be cooler than the surface temperature in contact with the gas. There used to be some tanks with a strip on the side of the tank you could splash hot water on the strip and the strip would change color right at the liquid/gas level interface. May even be able to buy one at an RV store?

Juice6576 · Apr 20, 2023

I have the Marlow Hunter 37, which is pretty much identical to the 39. We live aboard all summer, and we've filled the tank every w years, and rarely have to add more than a half tank
on my 37, the arch has a skive joint in each leg with two large cap screws holding it together. If it is the same, you could separate the arch without messing with the deck joints.

Ralph Johnstone · Apr 20, 2023

Weighing is most likely the easiest way to determine what's left in the tank :

Weighing is done with an electronic fish scale.

jviss · Apr 21, 2023

Juice6576 said:
we've filled the tank every w years

How many is "w"?

jviss · Apr 21, 2023

Ralph is right on, that's exactly what I do. I weigh a new or empty tank, and fill it, then weigh it again, and write these on the tank with a permanent marker. I use a digital scale I got on Amazon for $10.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07176GDPY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But, you now would have to know the rate at which you use gas! I found I get more than one season per 10 lb. tank, making coffee every day I'm aboard, most weekends and a couple of weeks in the summer, and also cooking once a day or so during those two weeks.

I carry two tanks, so I can switch if one runs out.

I considered carrying the 1 lb. bottles with an adapter, "just in case," but I realized I always have a 10lb. backup.

Tally Ho · Apr 22, 2023

My boat has little 5# tanks. I can go a full season or more on these…cooking breakfast, baking a pizza in the oven, grilling steaks on the bbq.

I would think you would have no trouble going 2 weeks on a tank….if it is full.

I also have an adaptor for the 1# disposable bottles (that was all the PO used).

I keep a spare 5# tank in a second LPG locker so I never run out.

Greg

fero · Apr 23, 2023

We live on the boat 6 months each year and get 65 to 75 days out of 10 lbs tank ( possibly slightly overfilled - no scales where we fill ). And yes you can tell by pressure when you’re close to empty. around 50 psi will give you 2-3 days. Having 2 tanks lets you empty the tank completely. The adaptor for 1lb/bbq bottles will help as well.

LPG tank Hunter 39

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SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

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