Brother in law was looking at one for his eldest daughter's 12 foot boat. Local outdoor store is going to have some Mercury 5HP ones on a fairly decent sale and he was wondering if they are worth a damn.
Brother in law was looking at one for his eldest daughter's 12 foot boat. Local outdoor store is going to have some Mercury 5HP ones on a fairly decent sale and he was wondering if they are worth a damn.
I'm a lifetime boater and I didn't even know they existed.
I was today years old when I learned that they make propane outboards.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
Same here.
Propane in a boat? Scary enough with gasoline. I open my engine hatch before even turning on the fan. Never smelled fumes but I have seen several boats blow their stern off.
They're Coleman branded Tohatsu, just like the Mercury 2.5 and 5 hp.
I would wonder about parts and service availability.
supposedly they are very good, and a hell of a lot better than Lehr that first brought Propane to the boating market.
Yes, propane scares me on a boat too, but as long as you store the tanks where any leakage cannot make it's way down into the cabin or the bilges, it should be safe. Tanks should be kept in a sealed "propane locker" that vents outside the boat. With a 12 foot boat, you are probably ok.
The propane doesn't scare me unless it gets out. At least with a propane system, it's sealed. Most gasoline outboards use a vented tank.
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:The propane doesn't scare me unless it gets out. At least with a propane system, it's sealed. Most gasoline outboards use a vented tank.
Vented? The 6-gallon tanks I use will allow air in, but under no circumstances, forbidden by law, will they ever release vapor into the air. If you happen to leave these tanks in the sun, they will swell up like some kind of surreal balloon. Even with normal changes in temperature, they will swell. They are allegedly "designed for" this behavior.
If vented tanks for outboards exist, they are not widely available now.
If the boat is not on the water, I leave the caps loose.
Learn something new every day, it's the first I've heard of such as thing as well.
frenchyd may be right about a boat with a cabin... but since the op is talking about a 12 foot boat, and a 5 hp outboard, I doubt it has one. Make sure fumes are not collecting in the low points, and let that clean burning fuel do its thing! Now if I just get the 2 stroke oil to mix...
I looked into the Lehr outboards a year or so back. They have some horrible reviews and I believe they have gone out of business at this point.
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:They're Coleman branded Tohatsu, just like the Mercury 2.5 and 5 hp.
I would wonder about parts and service availability.
Tohatsu has made all of the small outboards for Mercury for years and years now. In most of Asia, Tohatsu are what the commercial fisherman use. I've had a Tohatsu 90 TLDI on my 17' Whaler since 2005, and the very very few parts it has needed were all easy to get. All I've done in that time is impellers, plugs, and fixing a fuel line fitting and fitting that were leaking. Still starts the first crank every time and sips fuel. Don't worry about Tohatsu parts.
In reply to Sonic :
Nice to hear, thanks
Toyman01 (Moderately Supportive Dude) said:I looked into the Lehr outboards a year or so back. They have some horrible reviews and I believe they have gone out of business at this point.
yes, Lehr was terrible. Great idea, I loved where the small cannisters of propane could plug right into the back of the cover, but their engines were based on cheap chinese things and the carbs were even worse. They founded and almost tanked (sorry) the propane outboard market in one go.
One really good thing about Propane outboards, none of that nasty gasoline we get now sits in the carb and gums up the works. It's clean running and keeps the internals clean as well.
In reply to Sonic :
Oh, your Tohatsu 90 is a lot different than the little 2.5 and 5 HP motors. Their 90 has had a good reputation for years.
The little ones are sold in places like West Marine, and even Tractor Supply. Cheap and disposable. Kind of like the current Mitsubishi Mirage.
I've heard (second hand) that some of the dealers won't service them. Anecdotal, but I'd look at it carefully.
In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :
Yea, I would imagine the assembly facility that builds the big ones looks TOTALLY different thant the ones they have building the small ones with their name on them!!!
My newest outboard is admittedly only a 2016 Yamaha 50, but it came out of the crate with a vented tank. I bought a second tank as a spare, and it is vented as well.
Many outboards must have a vented tank. My Merc 70, if you blast up the lake and forget to open the vent on the tank, it will go about 2 miles and die. You look back at the tank and it has collapsed itself. Open vent, squeeze ball, start again. You are right that as of very recently the EPA is requiring one way valves on tanks, but quite honestly I haven't seen more than one or two at the marina.
I have never seen an outboard tank that didn’t have a vent on it. Most recent one we have is probably from 2014. Not sure about new laws, but that’s news to me if true.
I have heard good things about the Tohatsu mercury’s, though I’ve never owned one. No clue on propane
I should also mention that easily 80% of my boating is in Canada on a remote fishing lake, so it's possible A) that canadian laws are different and B) that the remote/fishing aspect just means that I see mostly older motors. There are still a significant number of 2-strokes on that lake.
Interesting. These are typical of the type of tanks I own and the only ones I see in stores:
I'm sure it's just like the misguided idiocy that plagues gas cans you'd use to fill your lawn mower.
We have that exact gas tank, but the cap has a vent that you can loosen and tighten on it. Looks like the law has changed, but summit has you covered:
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:I should also mention that easily 80% of my boating is in Canada on a remote fishing lake, so it's possible A) that canadian laws are different and B) that the remote/fishing aspect just means that I see mostly older motors. There are still a significant number of 2-strokes on that lake.
Fresh water and a short season. Motors last decades longer than here.
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