Award winning USA based technology company LEHR is continuing its expansion into the European market with the appointment of Hypro Marine as its UK and Eire sole distributor for the latest innovation, the world’s first OEM propane powered outboard motor, including 2.5 hp, 5.0 hp, 9.9 hp and 15hp models.

The benefits of propane over petrol include lower fuel cost, no petrol polluting the water, no ethanol or fuel related issues, zero evaporative emissions, easy starts (no choke), no priming, no carburettor and no winterizing. “Petrol is difficult to store and transport and the carbon monoxide fumes it produces can be harmful to boaters as well as the environment. This affects the entire food chain”, says company founder Captain Bernardo Herzer, who patented a way to make small commercial engines run cleaner and more efficiently on propane.
The LEHR 2.5 hp and 5 hp are fuelled from a 465g camping gas cylinder with the remote tank option available whilst the 9.9hp and 15hp run from a remote tank.

New to LEHR for 2014 is the world’s first electric start portable outboard with a self-enclosed internal battery for starting the engine. This will be available on the 9.9hp and the 15hp models. Stock will be available in a selected dealer network from early this year.
Hypro Marine is specialist in distributing selected quality marine products throughout the UK, including SeaStar Solutions (formally Teleflex Marine) hydraulic steering systems, Lectrotab trim tabs and Glendinning controls, Cablemaster and Hosemaster, along with manufacturing its own powered hydraulic steering systems.

Paul Woodlock, sales and marketing manager at Hypro Marine says: “It is very exciting to find such an innovative product in the marine industry that has so many user benefits from being a greener technology to the ease of use. We are in the process of creating a skilled dealer network that can handle both sales and service for the LEHR outboards and we are looking forward to seeing stock in with these dealers in the very near future”