Boat Owners Taking Advantage of Lpg Savings

It’s not only car drivers that benefit from using lpg – there’s also a growing band of leisure boat owners taking advantage of cheaper fuel, cleaner engines and a cleaner environment says Peter Burton, owner of Hamble Marine Ltd in Southampton.

Since Calor first introduced the use of ‘marine gas’ by installing nearly 30 lpg sites at or near the main marinas around the UK in the early 1990s, over 200 boats have been converted to run on this ‘new’ fuel.

The typical lp gas boat is around 30ft long with one or two petrol engines and owned by a private individual purely for leisure purposes (weekend cruising or holidays). There is also a niche market of water ski schools that use smaller boats but with much more intensive use.
Most boat installations are intended to be dual fuel, i.e. the lpg gas components are added to the existing installation, resulting in a considerable increase in available range if both fuels are used. Normally, the owners start their engines and manoeuvre in and out of the marina on petrol before switching to lpg for their main cruising. This enables hot water to flow through the vaporiser before any substantial amount of lp gas is used and the petrol in the carburettor keeps the diaphragm and jets clean and lubricated.

Higher standards

A marine installation has to meet considerably higher safety standards than is necessary for road vehicles. A new European Standard has recently been approved, and is currently being implemented throughout Europe, that imposes a number of additional requirements, including separate filler units and content gauges for each tank and an even more sophisticated electronic control unit.

The new control unit will typically be connected to four individual gas sensors – if any one senses a low level leak, an alarm will sound. For higher concentrations of leaking lpg gas, the fuel supply is automatically switched off.

Why lpg?

Most boat owners change to lpg for similar reasons to car owners – lower fuel costs. Petrol typically costs over £1 per litre at marinas, whereas lpg is typically 45p per litre.

There is also the cleaner burning aspect of lpg, resulting in both a cleaner engine and much lower emissions to lessen the impact on the environment. This cleaner burning also results in further cost savings for the owner, as engine oil and spark plugs need replacing less frequently.

Installation

A typical installation is normally done in five steps:
Step 1 - survey. This is done to determine the best place to position the major components (tanks, control switches, sensors, etc). In particular, the size and location of the lpg storage tanks is discussed and a quotation given for the work.
Step 2 - installation. The actual installation is normally carried out at the installer's premises and can take between two and five days, depending on complexity.
Step 3 – controls, etc. This includes fitting the electronic control system and sensors. The switch panel is mounted on or near the existing dashboard and the fuel gauge circuit is modified to read either petrol or lpg according to which fuel is being used.
Step 4 - fuel filler. A dedicated lpg fuel filler is fitted, clearly marked either MGS or LPG.
Step 5 - sea trial. When the conversion process is complete, the installer takes the boat out for a sea trial to ensure everything is working correctly and to check the boat's performance.
Step 6 - handover. After the installer has confirmed the installation is complete and working correctly, the boat is handed over to the customer with full instructions on its operation and use.

The future

The price of diesel fuel has increased dramatically this winter following the removal of the special tax regime on marine diesel and now costs typically 80p per litre at most marinas. Diesel engines cost several thousand pounds more than the same performance petrol engine (and are considerably heavier).

For these reasons, we are expecting to see an increase in the size of typical boats being converted to run on lpg. The majority of boats being converted are 25ft to 35ft long, with either single or twin engines of between 4.3 litres and 7.5 litres. It seems likely that this size may extend up to 40ft as the fitting of petrol engines (rather than diesel) becomes more attractive.

Hamble Marine Ltd is a leading specialist supplier to the UK marine market. Based near Southampton, we have a network of registered installers along the south coast from Essex to Torquay that are marine engineering companies specialising in converting mainly Mercruiser and Volvo engines. Staff employed by these installers undergo a training course covering all the vital aspects of carrying out a safe and reliable lpg installation and after-sales service and inspection.

Contact Hamble Marine Ltd on 02380 001088 www.hamblemarine.com

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