Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
I had my eye on a bigger boat. One of the reasons I wanted the boat was it had a new propane cook top installation. I’ve been firing up my coffee and cooking with a white gas stove out on my back deck for the last 15 years and not only does it get old doing that in the rain, it was dangerous—-white gas flare-ups , stove falling over from passing wakes etc.
So when the deal on the new boat fell through due to a paperwork issue, I decided to hang on to my current boat and do my own LPG install.
Thought I’d do a quick pictorial if anyone else out there has been thinking of doing this
First, in order to be ABYC compliant, here’s the hit-list:
A)) LPG tank must be mounted in a location that allows it to drain any spilling LPG gas into the water——if it’s in a storage locker, the locker has to be plumbed with a drain spigot to allow for this
B)) System must have a soelenoid shut-off valve that can be operated in close proximity to the LPG appliance
C)) System must have a pressure gauge so leaks can be detected
D)) There must be a vapor-proof gland installed on the LPG feed line where it enters the interior of the boat
So this is what I did to be ABYC compliant:
Mounted a stainless tube on swim-step so I could attached propane tank and bracket—-bracket has a soelenoid and pressure gauge attached— Bracket and slender LPG tank was expensive but as it is compact with the built-in components , I figured it was worth it ——having the swim-step uncluttered was important as I step on it to service outboards etc. and if I ever fall over-board, I want that swim-step wide open because that’s the only way I’ll ever get back in the boat—-the slender LPG tank sits in a corner of the swim step —-a true fiberglass LPG tank locker like the ones Trident offers would have completely covered the swim step
To plumb the LPG line, I decommissioned my starboard macerator pump and used the out-flow for the pump as a way to get the gas line into the boat without drilling a hole in the transom. I ground the lip of the plastic thru-hull fitting flush with the transom then in order to be ABYC compliant, installed a vapor-proof gland over the hole
Cook-top: I removed a Kenyon KISS butane stove (completely useless), enlarged the hole, and dropped a two-burner ENO stove into the cut-out. You can also see the soelenoid shut-off switch—-again, in order to be ABYC compliant, that switch has to be within two feet of the cook top and you should not have to reach over an open burner to get at the switch. Yes, I’m going to have to move all those spoons and plugs to another location—-when I fired up the burner the spoons were really unhappy sitting up there and got hot to the touch
The final part of the install—-I sewed a cover for the tank out of sunbrella material. This was time-consuming but I figured a necessary thing to do—-I wanted to protect the solenoid valve and the wiring on the bracket from salt water and rust, or at least slow it down. It has a zipper installed on the top to get at the shut-off valve of the tank without having to remove the cover
The last part of the install will be a LPG sniffer with an alarm. Haven’t decided which one to get yet.
Total costs so far: $ 1,000. Ouch, but it’ll be nice to have for the trips I’m taking which have gone from 10 days to three weeks and longer over the years as I explore farther and farther north
So when the deal on the new boat fell through due to a paperwork issue, I decided to hang on to my current boat and do my own LPG install.
Thought I’d do a quick pictorial if anyone else out there has been thinking of doing this
First, in order to be ABYC compliant, here’s the hit-list:
A)) LPG tank must be mounted in a location that allows it to drain any spilling LPG gas into the water——if it’s in a storage locker, the locker has to be plumbed with a drain spigot to allow for this
B)) System must have a soelenoid shut-off valve that can be operated in close proximity to the LPG appliance
C)) System must have a pressure gauge so leaks can be detected
D)) There must be a vapor-proof gland installed on the LPG feed line where it enters the interior of the boat
So this is what I did to be ABYC compliant:
Mounted a stainless tube on swim-step so I could attached propane tank and bracket—-bracket has a soelenoid and pressure gauge attached— Bracket and slender LPG tank was expensive but as it is compact with the built-in components , I figured it was worth it ——having the swim-step uncluttered was important as I step on it to service outboards etc. and if I ever fall over-board, I want that swim-step wide open because that’s the only way I’ll ever get back in the boat—-the slender LPG tank sits in a corner of the swim step —-a true fiberglass LPG tank locker like the ones Trident offers would have completely covered the swim step
To plumb the LPG line, I decommissioned my starboard macerator pump and used the out-flow for the pump as a way to get the gas line into the boat without drilling a hole in the transom. I ground the lip of the plastic thru-hull fitting flush with the transom then in order to be ABYC compliant, installed a vapor-proof gland over the hole
Cook-top: I removed a Kenyon KISS butane stove (completely useless), enlarged the hole, and dropped a two-burner ENO stove into the cut-out. You can also see the soelenoid shut-off switch—-again, in order to be ABYC compliant, that switch has to be within two feet of the cook top and you should not have to reach over an open burner to get at the switch. Yes, I’m going to have to move all those spoons and plugs to another location—-when I fired up the burner the spoons were really unhappy sitting up there and got hot to the touch
The final part of the install—-I sewed a cover for the tank out of sunbrella material. This was time-consuming but I figured a necessary thing to do—-I wanted to protect the solenoid valve and the wiring on the bracket from salt water and rust, or at least slow it down. It has a zipper installed on the top to get at the shut-off valve of the tank without having to remove the cover
The last part of the install will be a LPG sniffer with an alarm. Haven’t decided which one to get yet.
Total costs so far: $ 1,000. Ouch, but it’ll be nice to have for the trips I’m taking which have gone from 10 days to three weeks and longer over the years as I explore farther and farther north
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