Hi Everyone - After two years of second guessing I finally pulled the string on the Mercury 5HP SailPro propane outboard. Cost almost as much as I paid for the boat - but hopefully it's more reliable than the old motor. My first impressions are positive, it's quiet, started easily, got me where I was going, no cloud of blue smoke or oil slick on the water . . . all good things.
Now I'm wondering about fuel and fuel storage. I was glad that a single 1 lb can of gas got me out to the lake and back to the marina - that was nerve wracking, the marina is not my first choice of where to run out of gas. I think I'll be using 1 lb camping fuel bottles for the rest of this season, but next year I'd like to do something different.
So my questions for propane outboard users:
What size tank do you use?
Where do you store your tank - when you are on the boat, and when you are not?
If you were going on a three day cruise - planning to sail maybe 50-60 miles, how much fuel would you bring along?
I think I'm leaning toward the fiberglass 11lb tank, taking the tank home with me when I'm not on the boat, and finding a way to secure it to the cockpit floor - just below the tiller - when I am on the boat.
Any thoughts?
Now I'm wondering about fuel and fuel storage. I was glad that a single 1 lb can of gas got me out to the lake and back to the marina - that was nerve wracking, the marina is not my first choice of where to run out of gas. I think I'll be using 1 lb camping fuel bottles for the rest of this season, but next year I'd like to do something different.
So my questions for propane outboard users:
What size tank do you use?
Where do you store your tank - when you are on the boat, and when you are not?
If you were going on a three day cruise - planning to sail maybe 50-60 miles, how much fuel would you bring along?
I think I'm leaning toward the fiberglass 11lb tank, taking the tank home with me when I'm not on the boat, and finding a way to secure it to the cockpit floor - just below the tiller - when I am on the boat.
Any thoughts?