propane outboard anyone? questions...

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I just recently got permission from a neighbor that I can use the lake, my son and I want to fish this lake. I have been looking for a small motor for my 10' jon boat but dont want a gas engine due to infrequent use. The least expensive I have seen is a coleman 5hp (dont want less than 5hp) does anyone have experience with propane outboards or know any other 5hp propane under a grand?
 
Mercury has a propane outboard. No idea what it costs. I would buy a gas outboard myself. Only put in the gas your going to use. That's what I did with a 4hp. I took along a small jerry can just in case on longer trips. No big deal. Dump the gas in your vehicle if you don't end up using it.
 
I thought of that but and still on the fence between an electric trolling motor and the propane outboard. With such infrequent use im trying to get something that requires no maint.
 
Originally Posted by 1978elcamino
I thought of that but and still on the fence between an electric trolling motor and the propane outboard. With such infrequent use im trying to get something that requires no maint.


no maintenance and a boat is a terrible combination that will only lead to trouble...boats and boat motors are work. This is not where you want to skimp on reliability.
 
Buy the son a set of oars? Might make more noise than an outboard though.

How much gas are you thinking of going through? I wonder if "expensive" ethanol free would be best, with a conventional 2 stroke.

Personally I'm hearing an excuse here for why you need to go more often--so as to avoid buying an expensive propane motor.
 
I don't think your john boat and small outboard will require any maintenance. In 1980, my dad bought a brand new 2 stroke Evinrude 9.9. It *may* have had a spark plug replaced somewhere along the line. It gets very low hours, as its the second to the ski boat. Every fall, the motor gets put away in the heated basement. Next month we'll take it back to the cottage. I expect it will fire right up on the second or third pull like it always does.

Just realized that 1980 was 40 years ago...
crazy2.gif
 
A viable electric outboard is silly expensive, about $4K for something that can make a real-world 2 HP. Plus the need for a $3K battery that lasts 5 years.

https://www.torqeedo.com/us/en-us/products/outboards/cruise/cruise-2.0-t/M-1234-00.html

https://www.torqeedo.com/us/en-us/products/batteries/power-24-3500-/2106-00.html

I suggest you look into the new ultra-low emission 5HP Honda outboard and run non ethanol gasoline in it. Can be found for under $1200.


Although it might seem like overkill, using VP-C9 from VP fuels, or Sunoco Ultra 95 oct fuel (you can order these in 5 gallon pails) might make a lot of sense. It won't cost you more than a propane setup and the fuel NEVER goes bad. So every year, it will work just fine.
 
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I don't know anything about propane motors, so I can't comment on that, but when I got my boat that has a 200 hp 2 stroke Merc, I changed all the fuel lines. They had a yellow brittle film on the inside, I think caused by ethanol. Then switched over to non-ethanol fuel and add the recommended dosage of Mercury Quickare fuel treatment every trip. The fuel system stays clean and the boat starts right up, even after months of sitting. I do start it up every 2-3 weeks, but the fuel in the tank might sit for months at a time and is still perfectly clean. I think ethanol free and the fuel additive makes for a very low maintenance outboard solution on the fuel system side of things.
2 stroke outboard is not very stealthy though (at least mine isn't) and not very environmentally friendly with all that unburned oil getting exhausted out into the atmosphere and waterways. I can certainly see that as an argument for propane or electric or perhaps a 4 stroke.
 
I had a 10' jon boat back in the day and ran an electric trolling motor on it. It worked great for small lakes. Big lakes not so much but I had another motor for that.
 
If this is a smallish lake, then a trolling motor would be ideal. Heck, a 50 lb thrust unit, such as this one would give you some pretty darn good speed and you could easily get around any lake under, say, 20 acres. a $250 trolling motor and a $150 deep cycle battery and you are in business. And stealthy.
 
Originally Posted by DriveHard
Originally Posted by 1978elcamino
I thought of that but and still on the fence between an electric trolling motor and the propane outboard. With such infrequent use im trying to get something that requires no maint.


no maintenance and a boat is a terrible combination that will only lead to trouble...boats and boat motors are work. This is not where you want to skimp on reliability.


Yes a boat is a hole in the water you pour money into.
 
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Originally Posted by Geauxtiger
If this is a smallish lake, then a trolling motor would be ideal. Heck, a 50 lb thrust unit, such as this one would give you some pretty darn good speed and you could easily get around any lake under, say, 20 acres. a $250 trolling motor and a $150 deep cycle battery and you are in business. And stealthy.


Good advice^^^^^^^
 
I did a bunch of research on propane motors for my 12' jon boat. I did not want to worry about gas going bad on a motor that would not see much use. I could not find any good reviews or find anyone that was very happy with them. I did finally by a 46 lb thrust trolling motor and 2 gp 24 batteries. I would have gone with a single bigger battery but I am fishing a 50 ac long lake and did not want to run out of juice unexpectedly at the far end but so far I have only used the 2nd battery once and just because the 1st seemed to be getting a bit low and did not want to damage it. It is not fast, maybe 3-4 mph. You will be limited by hull speed like a sailboat because there is no way to get on plane and will find the you only need to use about 3/4 of max power because the last 1/4 wont move you any faster but will use more battery. I also find that I find more fish when moving slowly in places my buddy used to zoom over. Save the money on the motor and get a portable fish finder.
 
Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
Originally Posted by DriveHard
Originally Posted by 1978elcamino
I thought of that but and still on the fence between an electric trolling motor and the propane outboard. With such infrequent use im trying to get something that requires no maint.


no maintenance and a boat is a terrible combination that will only lead to trouble...boats and boat motors are work. This is not where you want to skimp on reliability.


Yes a boat is a hole in the water you pour money into.


Yes, this I know. I already have a boat that is old, its 22ft and is a 1985 with a 2003 2t outboard so I understand what dropping money in an endless pit means. This is why Im considering just buying a trolling motor instead. However, this lake is very large for a 10' jon boat, its 140 acres so a gas motor to get us from A to B would be ideal. I will probably just buy a trolling motor and look around for a while for a late model 2 stroke 9.9 outboard. Like samven said, there are not a ton of positive reviews to motivate spending a grand on something else to become a project, I just dont have the time anymore.
 
A 9.9 might be a bit of overkill for a narrow 10' jon boat both in power and weight. The 6 gallon fuel tank adds even more weight. Seems to me that a smaller horsepower outboard would make a great deal more sense. Many have a built in gas tank and you can take along a one gallon jug of premix for extended tours.
 
Originally Posted by Cujet
...using VP-C9 from VP fuels, or Sunoco Ultra 95 oct fuel (you can order these in 5 gallon pails)



Correction: Sunoco "Optima" 95 octane, non oxygenated (no ethanol) gas. I mistakenly called it ultra. Sorry. It's very much the same stuff as the VP-C9 that I love so much.

https://www.sunocoracefuels.com/fuel/optima
 
There is (was?) a company called Lehr that made some small propane engines, including some small outboards. I bought one of their weed trimmers that runs on grill/torch bottles. Once I figured out the issues with correct oil levels it had been a decent trimmer. I bought it on eBay 5-6 years ago so I don't know if they are still in business.
 
Originally Posted by Elkins45
There is (was?) a company called Lehr that made some small propane engines, including some small outboards. I bought one of their weed trimmers that runs on grill/torch bottles. Once I figured out the issues with correct oil levels it had been a decent trimmer. I bought it on eBay 5-6 years ago so I don't know if they are still in business.


Lehr was the one I was considering but I have decided to hold off for a while on a gas engine. I also learned you have to use a special tank vapor vs liquid or it will not run. I was attracted to it because I can use a bbq grill tank and the Lehr will not run with that thank. Trolling motor will have to be enough for now. Another person said a 9.9 may be overkill. I disagree, weight of myself and son will be 350lbs, battery, fuel, trolling motor, tackle, anchor, paddles, cooler and anything else I will need to bring. I feel 5hp will be a bit under powered. But that will be a decision for the future.
 
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