Some time ago, I read an article in “Good Old Boat” magazine about a nifty way to store the small propane bottles that are used to fuel marine/camping barbecue grills. It turns out that the standard size small propane bottle fits nice and snugly inside a piece of 4” schedule 40 PVC pipe. All you need to do is find a suitable place outside the boat to mount a length of this 4” PVC pipe and then install the proper end fittings to keep the bottles captive inside and easily retrievable. It took me a while to finally get around to doing this project, and now I’m kicking myself for not having done it sooner. This was by far one of the easiest and least expensive boat projects to date, with great value.
The first step, finding a good place to mount the PVC pipe, was the hardest part. We wanted it to be both out-of-the-way and easily accessible. Our boat came equipped with seats on each side of the stern, built-in to the aft railing. Underneath each of these seats seemed like it might be the perfect place for a short piece of PVC that could hold two propane bottles (for a total of four). I bought a four-foot piece of 4” PVC, two end caps, and two screw-in plugs. I cut the pipe into two lengths of 17” each and glued an end cap on each piece. On the other end of each piece I glued a collar that would accept a screw-in plug. Finally, I drilled a line of ¼” holes along the length of each pipe for ventilation. The last step was how to mount the assembled pipes under the seats. In our case, the stern seats themselves are mounted on a section of railing which doubled nicely as a surface to wrap a large hose clamp around and hold the PVC pipe captive. One hose clamp on each end of each pipe and the job was done. As a finishing touch, and to forestall future frustration, I drilled a small hole in the “head” of each PVC plug and ran a small line through it with a stopper knot. The other end of that line is tied to the stern rail so the plug can’t be dropped overboard when loading or unloading a bottle.
That’s it! Four propane bottles stored safely outside the boat that are easy to get to and won’t get banged around.
7 Responses
Tom, i built a similar “propane locker” for Radiance. Inspired also by Good old boat.
It’s worked out great. The least expensive project I’ve done, but with great benefits.
I sent you a pm with a pictur of mine. I have it installed vertically. Also i used an end cap vice a screw in one. I tossed the first one ove board removing it. Now i have a line holding it on.
Paula.
How large is your boat? I’m telling some of my friends about your trip and they have asked.
Uncle Alan
It’s 45′ with a 14’5″ beam. The other particulars are listed in the “About” link on the blog home page if you are interested.
This is unsafe. The pressure relief valves are in the liquid and blocked. The cylinders must be stored vertically so the relief valve is in the gaseous part of the interior.
Derrick – Thanks for the comment and the warning. It’s hard to see from the pictures, but the PVC tubes under the stern seats follow the camber of the boat and they each have a slight downward angle. That, combined with inserting them so the relief valve is facing upward should keep liquid away from the valve. And, as mentioned in the post, the tubes are vented on the bottom should any gas leak out of the valve or the top of the tank. So far we’ve had no problem in 10+ years. Thanks again.