You would need about 3 dozen of them. At about $4 a piece that is $144.00 or about $48 per gallon of gas, not considering the dumping fee for getting rid of the spent cylinders. A $100 minkota 30 and a garden tractor battery would do about the same thing for under $200. and it is more "green". Like all fuel it not the fuel but the storage. I am going to wait to the minature atomic powered model. Tim
propane outboards?
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Probably depends on HOW you go all day on 3 gallons. If you're not at WOT all day long, I'd estimate maybe 4 gallons of propane or less. (A very inexpert guess.)
Apparently you can use larger external tanks; I think you're not limited to the small cans. I'm not particularly familiar with the various larger external tanks that might be available, other than the 20-lb cans typically used for BBQ grills and so forth.
-Chris
By 'all day' do you mean 8 hours continuous run time? I read a review of the 5 hp where the consumption at 'cruise' (not WOT) was a 16 oz. canister per hour. So, 8 cans (double that if you run flat out all the time)? 8 cans would take up about the same space as a 3-gallon remote tank, and you get rid of the fuel line.
You can buy a 4-pack of canisters at Lowe's for $10. with tax, so you're talking $20. for a day's running. More expensive than gas, but no fuel storage and gummed up carb worries.
Not for everybody, obviously, but I think the idea is a good one.
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The average boater use the tender for short slow rides to a beach or dinghy dock and for that propane is a good option
If i needed a slower light use tender i go for electric instead of fuel as you can recharge it daily and not have to worry about carrying any fuel at all
If i needed a slower light use tender i go for electric instead of fuel as you can recharge it daily and not have to worry about carrying any fuel at all
Flatsflyer
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I recently saw an 80HP propane outboard engine advertized in a boating magazine, can't remember which one.
If you're bringing extra propane tanks with you, you need to store them someplace very safe and even then, something bad can happen. My marina once called the owner of a boat that was leaking propane from an approved storage spot (locker on outside of transom properly setup and vented for the purpose, etc). How do I know it was a legal setup, I'm the owner and the boat had been inspected prior to purchase. The storage locker worked great and vented the propane. The problem was the valve on the tank, which was closed, developed a leak. The whole dock smelled of propane and anyone with an open spark near the boat could have caused a big bang.