Lehr 5hp kicker(propane)

S

South of Heaven

New member
I'm researching some kicker options for my next boat (CD 19). I like the idea of either the Torqueedo 1003 or the Lehr 5hp.

I want something very small and light BUT I also want a kicker that is not gas powered. I think a self contained unit would be less of a hassle. The Torqueedo seems great but underpowered.

The Lehr is appealing because I will be using those small propane tanks for my Mr.Buddy heater anyways. I'm aware that even the 5hp is gonna be underpowered but my immediate needs for a kicker are just to get me out of harms way if my main has a problem; if in doing that it also gets me home then that's just an added bonus. Hehe. In my immediate future most of my boating will be done in areas that are covered by Boat U.S so having a bigger kicker isn't really a necessity IMHO.
I don't want a 9.9hp kicker that I will probably never even use.

Any thoughts on the Lehr 5? I searched on the forum and didn't see too much about them. Maybe that's a bad sign?? LOl.

I'm also still very intrigued by the Torqueedo... Any additional thoughts on that?
 
I would do research on reviews of the Lehr propane 5 hp. 53% negative on Amazon...pretty high! were 1 star, which I consider a very high negative.

5 hp is plenty, so is 3 hp.

The Torqeedo is fine, for short distances. The issue is longer distances. I have pushed my 18 foot cat easily with the Torqeedo--but it would only be good for a few miles, at any speed.

Why not gas? As long as you run the fuel out of small motors they do fine. I have a 3.5 hp Merc (not my favorite brand)--actually is a Tohatsu--and it has been an excellent motor (but is 2 stroke), so a few years old.

I carry extra gas for the generator, and if I have to use the 3.5 (which is kept on the kicker bracket ) I will add the oil as necessary to the fuel mixture.
 
Bob, I don't want another a gas kicker because I don't want to deal with another additional tank and line. My last kicker was great (2014 Yamaha 4hp, 4 stroke) but the line and tank seemed to get in the way AND I never even used it.
 
Most small kickers have a built in tank and do not require a separate tank of fuel to be used. You can also add fittings to allow you to fill the kicker tank from your main tank if that is needed.

If you want light and simple, the 2.5 Lehr unit would be better than the 5hp and go about double the time on the fuel you have available.

Greg
 
A question may be if the 2.5 is enough for the 19 he is going to buy.

S H--the 19 has much more room, and you can put that extra gas can under the splash well. Not in the way.

A 4 HP should be fine for the 19, again--enough to get out of the way or home. I believe that some 4 are available with internal gas tanks.

Failures on modern outboards are certainly very rare. Usually fuel or electrical related. But a kicker is good insurance
 
The 4hp you had on your 16 had an internal tank and it would have run for quite a while on that little tank. (I ran that motor on a past boat).

It may be another 3 weeks (ski season!) before I can test the Suzuki 2.5 on our 19 but I will surely post the results when I have them. I am curious how it will do as well.

Greg
 
Bob & Greg: I sold the Yamy 4 horser with the boat. I actually was planning to keep it but the new owner was adamant about purchasing it and paid me MORE than a fair price for it. Yeah, it had an internal tank and I would've used it on the 19 if I still had it.

How prudent of a decision would it be if I DIDN'T have a kicker on the new boat? As I mentioned before most of my 2016 cruising will be in waters that are patrolled/covered by Boat U.S.

I almost wanna buy the Torqueedo just to try it. LOL
 
Anyone have some updated information on propane motors? I'm looking at the Tohatsu 5hp since the Lehr's seem to have questionable reviews. This is what appeals to me:

Tohatsu’s 5hp Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) outboard eliminates carrying gasoline on board. The 5hp LPG comes equipped with a fuel line that will connect to any standard North American propane tank. The outboard will run 5 hours at WOT on a single 11lb propane tank, without sacrificing performance. Since the 5hp LPG does not require ethanol or gas, this propane outboard requires almost zero maintenance on fuel related components.

Can use propane tank carried for grill and looks like they have a hi thrust prop. The idea of minimizing fuel related problems sounds interesting since the motor would be run very infrequently (get home use not trolling). Downside is this is a higher cost alternative compared to gas motors that can be easily found used.
 
Where are you carrying an 11 lb. propane tank? It holds 2.6 gallons of fuel, By ABYC standards it would have to be kept in a sealed container, which vents overboard. There are no CG standards, unless the boat is used in charter--and in that case, ABYC standards become the regulation.

The "Sail Drive high thrust" versos comes in a long shaft--which would not be suitable for most dinghies, incase you wanted to use it both for a kicker and dinghy motor.

There is no real cost savings, nor is there significant weight savings for the Tohatsu's 5 hp.

If you have a C Dory--you will have gasoline aboard! So it does not eliminate carrying gasoline. If you mean carrying gasoline cans--not necessarily so--since some of us have a fuel port which pulls gasoline from the main tank/tanks for the Honda Generator and for the kicker.

The Lehr is about 10# lighter.

I have not considered one--since I use the Torqeedo electric as the dinghy motor and very minimalistic kicker. (Can carry a gas kicker run off the main tank.)
 
I have the Tohatsu 6hp, and have been happy with it. It runs on Gas, and has both a fuel connection, and also it's own small tank. It weights 50-60 lbs. Colby
 
Just to clarify, this would be used as a get home kicker, not for a dinghy. From many posts here it appears folks have built a variety of dedicated lockers with the required overboard drain. The regulator and valves would be in the compartment. We are looking at having propane on board to use for a stove. Of course there would be a solenoid valve to shut off the propane when the stove is not in use and a sniffer would be wired to that solenoid.

Since the kicker would be used rarely the logic was that this would eliminate stale gas and there would be no need to run out the gas left in the motor for months at a time.

Having said all of that, I am still questioning the cost of a propane motor vs a used gas one!
 
Lakehouse: I'm the OP of this thread. What boat do you have? I had the 19 when I started this thread. Big differences from the 16 to the Venture 26.....we need to know which CD you have.

Update: I did buy the Torqueedo 1003 in the summer of 2017 and I love it as a dinghy motor! Very high quality product and super reliable. I would not recommend it for any C Dory as a get home motor though. It's a dinghy motor.

As to the Lehr: I always wanted to buy one and that's why I started this thread but I eventually decided against it. From my research of them they can be finicky. And they still require all the normal maintenance that a gas motor would....so why go with the less proven product?
 
Hi Jason... agree totally about Torqeedo and have owned a 1003 for about a year. The only issue we have is with weeds wrapping around the prop - - just not enough torque to clear it off. We've been pleasantly surprised at the range but are thinking about buying a second battery for peace of mind.

We are looking at a 22 CD and an Arima 21 Sea Ranger Hardtop and trying to envision how to best outfit these boats for light cruising. Considering cooking/heating/electrical issues and all of the fun (??) that goes with modifying older boats that were never used for overnight stays.
 
LakeHouse4305":f392qlo4 said:
Hi Jason... agree totally about Torqeedo and have owned a 1003 for about a year. The only issue we have is with weeds wrapping around the prop - - just not enough torque to clear it off. We've been pleasantly surprised at the range but are thinking about buying a second battery for peace of mind.

We are looking at a 22 CD and an Arima 21 Sea Ranger Hardtop and trying to envision how to best outfit these boats for light cruising. Considering cooking/heating/electrical issues and all of the fun (??) that goes with modifying older boats that were never used for overnight stays.
Click to expand...

Cool. Welcome aboard to the group. Go with the 22! The Arima's are cool and have some advantages over the CD but when you really examine a CD they are a notch up in quality over an Arima.

If you can find a 22 with twin motors that would save you from needing a kicker! There are a good amount of Brats who have twins on the 22's. Even some 25's and 26's. Very cool indeed.
 
I use my kicker for trolling, or as an emergency motor, as I have a single 115hp outboard for the main. While I keep "emergency" gas in the Kicker's separate small tank, I tend to run it off of my main tanks for trolling. (I have an additional fuel connector on my main fuel filter, that I can attach a hose between that and the kickers external fuel connector.) I'm just not sure I see any advantage to running an LPG kicker. It's very easy to drain the kicker's carb, or to just disconnect the external fuel line from the kicker (and turn it's little tank valve off) and run it out of gas when using it. I always put stabilized fresh gas in the kicker's tank at the beginning of the season, running it's tank dry at the end of the season. (Sometimes I put fresh stabilized gas in it as I winterize the boat, and never a problem starting back up in the spring.) Colby
 
Hi Colby. Maybe we can get together so I can check out your fuel system. Since I'm getting closer to pulling the trigger I may see some other things that will give me ideas and/or I missed when we last met up.
 
Boat's under cover, but in my back yard. Not that hard to open up on a good day. But very basically, I have the standard larger fuel filter mounted in the Motor well, and the lines to the main come off that filter. There is an extra fitting spot, and I screwed a quick fuel fitting there that I can attach a line to the kicker too. I think you have my number, but I'll Pm it to you. Call anytime you'd like. Colby
 
LakeHouse4305. To clarify: Have used LPB (Propane) on my large long distance cruising boats for cooking. But in those larger motor sailers (46 and 62 feet in length ) it was easy to make a proper draining propane locker. I have seen very few which would qualify in the C Dory 22. Perhaps you have some design in mind--and I would love to see it. My boats were diesel power--and diesel heat (far superior to LPG). I had lockers for gas for the dinghy outboards.

Certainly a few had built a propane system using an external tank. But there are far more who use canisters (not something that I approve of inside.). The amount of cooking the average C Dory owner does, rarely justifies a built in propane tank, with proper sniffer, and solenoid valve in a dedicated locker.

I think the "stale fuel" argument is pretty well shot down.
 
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