Re: Propane outboard?

[david-bartlett]

quote 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.

Art,

I had this same discussion with my brother in law at lunch today! I could not agree more with all your points.
Reduce-Reuse-Recycle!