Propane outboard?

[Buccaneer]

I feel really out of touch…… would have never guess
these were made…….

http://www.do-bid.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?dobid106/19

Prepare to be boarded!

[frankr]

They are for sale at our local West Marine store. About 3 Grand for a 9.9hp. Unbelievable.

[al-lockhart]

Unbelievable, the seller claims that it has no emissions and you could run it in your kitchen, I guess you could until the CO killed you! What an idiot!

[rmhxruss]

Have heard that some of these propane models are copies of Yamaha motors. Does anyone know anything about this.

[johnyrude200]

I am a sierra dealer and my distributor has definitely pushed the Lehr line 5hp motors, which go retail for $999.00. From a business standpoint it follows the SOP to promote your product…get the lowest common denominator of your product out to the masses.

I mean, the convenience makes sense, but I haven’t/hadn’t looked beyond the brochures based on the price point and the fact that I sell a 5hp OMC 2-stroke for about 1/3rd of that (60’s model, 90’s model less than 1/2). I’m a 2nd tier distributor so the mark up for me is marginal. 1st tier generally have a 40% markup. Me, not so much. That’s a fairly universal breakdown across industries (know from working a couple of other completely different industries previously).

Tough to sell that propane motor to anyone other than a yacht owner (one that has a vessel worth at least 150k) with an inflatable dinghy they use to traverse calm waters to their mooring, or from their island home to a local island bar mid evening or at night when the wind has died down. Mostly because it’s just not mainstream yet. But that may just be my personal opinion.

Interesting topic…how much power do one of these have…I mean…5hp is 5hp regardless of fuel source, I would think based on current standards.

[johnyrude200]

rebranding isn’t anything new. It’s just a way to help promote the OEM where they knock 10% off their main brand to help promote a ‘little brother" from a smaller market.

For OMC – think sea king, sea bee, sears-roebuck, etc. That was back in the 40’s-early 70’s. That generation is still bullet-proof for the garden-variety HP’s and name-brand motors.

I’m sure plenty of other members with MUCH more real-world experience can give example for OMC or other recognizable brands commonly found today.

[Casey Lynn]

A few "EX" OMC folks are involved with Lehr. I know a couple of them and from what I know Lehr got some of the better people hired on.

[PugetSoundBoater]

quote Al Lockhart:

Unbelievable, the seller claims that it has no emissions and you could run it in your kitchen, I guess you could until the CO killed you! What an idiot!

Which would kill you quicker, the CO or your wife?

"Some people want to know how a watch works, others just want to know what time it is"
Robbie Robertson

[johnyrude200]

#2

[lotec]

I’ve often thought that a propane fuel outboard would have the advantage of not having to worry about the ethanol gas turning to goo in the carb if left over the winter. Having one may actually make sense for people who don’t use their motors that much: for example an auxiliary motor on a small sailboat. Just one trip to the dealer to clean the fuel system would be the difference between the Lehr and a gasoline 4-stroke. (Of course that’s only true if the Lehrs don’t have some other Achilles heal unique unto them.)

Personally, I really think that the world has gone BACKWARDS with smaller outboards. (Though I believe the lion’s share are all produced by or under license from Tohatsu, so it’s really only one brand that is represented.) It doesn’t seem that any of these new small 4-cycle outboards in the 2hp to 20hp class are improvements over the 2-stroke models they replaced.

1) They certainly are not lighter
2) They have not proven to be as reliable, corrosion proof or as serviceable (Son Harry had a summer job at a Merc dealer that often entailed replacing the carb with a new one on the 4-6hp models every time they got dirty. Even the Merc Tech just couldn’t get them to function when rebuilt, no mater how hard they tried! And that to the tune of $250 a pop plus labor…)
3) The high number of plastic parts will limit their lifespan – after just one summer out in the salt/sun the decals peal and plastic checks making them look like hell. Even Scott Atwaters held up better in the salt & sun around here!
4) If past practice is any indicator, parts for them will be obsolete in 10 years
5) Given the environmental impact of producing and then recycling an outboard every 10 years, is the difference in 4-stroke emissions really better over a 2-stroke motor that’s design has been proven to last 25, 50 or 75 years?

I think small outboard motors (1-20hp) reached the pinnacle of their design, function and reliability from the 1950s through the 1970s – maybe into the 1980s for certain models. Guess we can thank the pinheads at California’s Lake Tahoe who started it, and the nitwits at the EPA who finished it, for the loss of a better, safer and more environmentally friendly technology…. Not to mention the loss of jobs for the people here in the USA who used to produced them.

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