Scent-Free by Boat

[River Hunter]

I use a boat to get in on some of the spots I hunt and have always been bothered by having gas and exhaust on myself and hunting gear. A few years ago I converted my snowblower to run on propane and it was the best thing I ever did. Zero maintenance, always starts and runs perfectly. So I set out to do it with my Mercury 9.9.
I have a local shop that does CNG and LPG conversions, Carb and Turbo Systems in Shakopee, Minnesota.
For around $200 they had my Mercury converted in a day.
Advantages:
- 1 to 2 pull starts.
- No plug fouling.
- Nearly zero warm up time.
- Clean burning and no smoke, you can BARELY smell the fumes behind the outboard.
- No carb maintenance and no gummed up carburetor.
- No need to choke or prime.
- Propane doesn't go bad.
Here's a video of the set up and start up.

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[predatorhunter]

I did the same thing with my Generator. It can now run on either Gas or Propane. I will only use gas if in a pinch. Best money I spent.

 

[Jon_Kukawww]

I use a boat to get in on some of the spots I hunt and have always been bothered by having gas and exhaust on myself and hunting gear. A few years ago I converted my snowblower to run on propane and it was the best thing I ever did. Zero maintenance, always starts and runs perfectly. So I set out to do it with my Mercury 9.9.
I have a local shop that does CNG and LPG conversions, Carb and Turbo Systems in Shakopee, Minnesota.
For around $200 they had my Mercury converted in a day.
Advantages:
- 1 to 2 pull starts.
- No plug fouling.
- Nearly zero warm up time.
- Clean burning and no smoke, you can BARELY smell the fumes behind the outboard.
- No carb maintenance and no gummed up carburetor.
- No need to choke or prime.
- Propane doesn't go bad.
Here's a video of the set up and start up.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

How long does a 20lb cylinder last you?

 

[River Hunter]

How long does a 20lb cylinder last you?

I haven't run a whole tank dedicated to the boat yet, and it all depends on throttle. Lehr has an estimated run times data sheet for their outboards (see below).
The Mercury 9.9 has a max rpm of 6000 rpm so I'm assuming it would be slightly less than what Lehr publishes, which would be 11 hours @3000 rpm and 5 hours @5000 rpms on a 20# tank.

On my 8 hp snowblower an 11# tank lasted the entire winter on the snowiest year ever last year and I have a 4 car driveway.

But that brings up a good point. Guess I should get out there and run circles around the lake for 5 hours to do some testing

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[River Hunter]

I did the same thing with my Generator. It can now run on either Gas or Propane. I will only use gas if in a pinch. Best money I spent.

Yeah I don't know why it isn't more common with other types of engines that get occasionally run. Seems like a small investment for the benefit.

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[Jon_Kukawww]

I haven't run a whole tank dedicated to the boat yet, and it all depends on throttle. Lehr has an estimated run times data sheet for their outboards (see below).
The Mercury 9.9 has a max rpm of 6000 rpm so I'm assuming it would be slightly less than what Lehr publishes, which would be 11 hours @3000 rpm and 5 hours @5000 rpms on a 20# tank.

On my 5 hp snowblower an 11# tank lasted the entire winter on the snowiest year ever last year and I have a 4 car driveway.

But that brings up a good point. Guess I should get out there and run circles around the lake for 5 hours to do some testing

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That is pretty impressive but you should still go out and do some "testing" just to make sure! Lol!

 

[Cajunshooter]

Have you noticed a reduction in power at all? I was going to do this with one of my generators last year but then I read it knocked off about 1/3 of the horse power. My generator I already pretty closely rated for what I use it for so I couldn’t go that route.


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[River Hunter]

Have you noticed a reduction in power at all? I was going to do this with one of my generators last year but then I read it knocked off about 1/3 of the horse power. My generator I already pretty closely rated for what I use it for so I couldn’t go that route.


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If there is a reduction it isn't noticeable. I think they say 20% less but my snowblower is the baddest machine on the block and it's propane. It'll launch heavy wet snow with ease.

Once I get out on the water I'll take some video.

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[cb750]

I know it's not apples to apples but: my employer used to have propane powered vehicles and dual fuel vehicles. They definitely did not perform as well as gasoline engines.

 

[drew13]

I love this idea simply for not having to worry about friggin ethanol gas going bad!

 

[River Hunter]

I know it's not apples to apples but: my employer used to have propane powered vehicles and dual fuel vehicles. They definitely did not perform as well as gasoline engines.

I had an f150 that was e85 compatible and I could definitely tell the difference. But I don't think the 20% loss is as noticeable. Losing 50 hp on a truck is more noticeable than losing 1-2 hp on an outboard. Plus, I have this on a 12 foot v hull. It's scary as hell ripping down the river WOT with a 9.9!

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[Cajunshooter]

I know it's not apples to apples but: my employer used to have propane powered vehicles and dual fuel vehicles. They definitely did not perform as well as gasoline engines.

It really is apples to apples. Propane simply doesn’t burn as hot as gasoline. So there has to be a power reduction. The only question is how much.

I love this idea simply for not having to worry about friggin ethanol gas going bad!

This is what really makes this idea shine!

I had an f150 that was e85 compatible and I could definitely tell the difference. But I don't think the 20% loss is as noticeable. Losing 50 hp on a truck is more noticeable than losing 1-2 hp on an outboard. Plus, I have this on a 12 foot v hull. It's scary as hell ripping down the river WOT with a 9.9!

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E85 like propane can help create more horse power in an F150 if the F150 is tuned for the E85. Because E85 also doesn’t burn as hot a gas the timing can be more advance to increase power without the engine running as hot. So it’s safer to run it harder.

This just won’t apply to small motors because the timing is fixed. But also I don’t think this power loss will show up if you’re not pushing the motor to it’s limit and needing the extra horses.


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[Weldabeast]

Propane = about 110 octane
Propane burns hotter than gasoline.....that's why it's recommended to install harded exhaust valves and seats.
With an engine you can manually time, propane having a higher burn and higher octane fuel you can increase the engines timing to increase performance.
Try to find and use propane with upper cylinder lubricant additive in it

 

[Cajunshooter]

Propane = about 110 octane
Propane burns hotter than gasoline.....that's why it's recommended to install harded exhaust valves and seats.
With an engine you can manually time, propane having a higher burn and higher octane fuel you can increase the engines timing to increase performance.
Try to find and use propane with upper cylinder lubricant additive in it

The higher the octane the cooler the burn.


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[ThomasHemlock]

I love this idea simply for not having to worry about friggin ethanol gas going bad!

Amen.