Propane
By Dave and Jaja

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This week SetSail asked our cruising contributors about their Propane: How much propane do you carry? What safety precautions do you follow? Any problems obtaining propane when cruising? If so, how do you deal with the problem? What type of propane bottles? Where is it stored? Do you use an electric solenoid? What sort of hose/tubing is used between the propane bottle and stove?

Back in the early 80's I saw a 40 foot Tolleycraft motor boat, on Seattle's Lake Union, that had been ripped to pieces by a propane explosion. It looked as if giant hands had descended from the heavens, punched through the deck of the boat, and then scooped-out the interior - taking the entire deck with it. The perimeter of this fiberglass hull was cracked at intervals, from the gunwales to the waterline. Miraculously, the boat didn't sink, nor was there was there a resulting fire. There was just one big WHOMP that shook every window within a 3 mile radius. The couple who were sleeping aboard in the aft cabin survived.

Moral #1. Don't anchor too close to other boats. It's not only impolite, it could be dangerous.

Moral #2. Get to know your boat's propane system inside and out. Take nothing for granted. Propane is only as safe as you make it.

Onboard Cylinder Storage.

Propane is convenient. Compared to the futility of an alcohol stove, or the headaches associated with cooking on kerosene, (ie; kerosene quality, clogged burners, and having to carry stove alcohol for priming) propane is clean, quiet, and hot. Keep in mind, however, that convenience often leads to complacency. Complacency leads to laziness. BOOM. It's not a good idea to get lazy around propane.

Propane cylinders must be stored in a dedicated locker. The locker must have a vent in the bottom that so that any propane leaks will drain overboard and dissipate in the wind. As everyone knows, propane gas is similar to water; it is heavier than air and flows downward. If the overboard discharge vent has a loop in it that rises as high (or higher) than the bottom of the locker* the propane might create a vapor lock and the gas will not "drain" out of the locker. If you are unsure if your locker drains properly, pour some water into it. The water should run out easily.

*(This loop is sometimes mistakenly installed in an effort to keep seawater from backing into the locker when the boat heels. Best to have a little sea water in the locker than a little explosive gas).

I built a propane locker in Driver's cockpit that is large enough to hold three 20-pound steel propane cylinders. I installed a 12-volt solenoid valve inside the propane locker that is activated by a push/pull switch in the galley. A green led light is illuminated when the valve is open. Between the solenoid valve and the stove is a single length of certified propane hose, with threaded end fittings.

Refills

Getting propane cylinders refilled overseas is no greater or less a challenge than trying to find good quality kerosene for a kerosene stove. The trick is not to let yourself run out of propane and get stuck. Always be on the lookout for a "source" because one town may have nothing but the next town might have it all. On Driver, even if we only have one empty cylinder, we refill it.

The countries we've had propane experience with are Bermuda, Iceland, Norway, Scotland, and Canada.

For the most part, service stations overseas use an exchange system. You drop off your empty cylinder for a full one. Naturally, you must have that particular company's cylinders. Canada is the only other place we've been, besides the US, where gas stations fill your own cylinder while you wait.

Exceptions to this "exchange rule" are if you are lucky enough to be near the main gas plant that supplies the service stations with refills. This is why it is important to always be on the lookout; it's a bummer to run out of propane and learn you sailed past the main plant 3 days earlier. In Bermuda we got refills near St Georges harbor. At Lerwick, in the Shetland Islands, I also went to the main plant which was close by. Everywhere else in Scotland operated on the service station exchange system.

Iceland was easy because they use US steel cylinders with threaded nipples. Shell Oil let me exchange ours for theirs. No questions asked.

Norway operates on the exchange system and the main gas plant is located in a mysterious location no one has ever heard of. Even more discouraging, each service station company has their own style of cylinders and none of them look like US ones. On a happy note, they use the same style of threaded nipple fittings. However, there is a slight problem with this because even though the fittings LOOK the same, theirs is metric and ours is standard. That being said, a US nipple will thread into a Norwegian cylinder and create a good seal (I use a nipple fitting with a rubber "o" ring gasket) but the Norwegian nipple will not fit into the US cylinder what-so-ever. The threads are a hair too big. During our three year stay in Norway we rented one of their cylinders which gave us the ability to exchange it everywhere within the country. (We paid a 50 dollar deposit for a 30 pound cylinder. When we left Norway we gave the cylinder back and got our deposit back).

Refilling your own Cylinders.

Refilling your own empty cylinders using a full one is easy and provides a superb alternative. When we left Norway I decanted propane from their cylinder into ours. Gas flows downhill so all you have to do is tie the full one above the empty one and connect them with a piece of propane line. (It is a good idea to carry two threaded nipples, a 6 foot length go hose, and an assortment of brass fittings). A 20 pound cylinder, for example, holds 20 pounds of propane. Weigh the empty cylinder before you fill it and stop when it is 20 pounds heavier. I use a hand held fish scale. Sometimes a service station will let you borrow a cylinder for decanting purposes. All you do is pay for the gas. Be creative!!!