New outboard engine running on propane to be on display at Miami International ...

One of the new products making its debut Thursday at the Miami International Boat Show is neither large nor splashy, but it could turn out to be a game-changer in the marine outboard engine industry.

Lehr Inc. — a Southern California company known primarily as a maker of environmentally friendly lawn care equipment — introduces the world’s first production propane-powered outboards in 2.5- and 5-horsepower models. You can check them out at Booth T-68 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Priced at about $1,000 for the 2.5-horsepower model and $1,600 for the 5-horsepower, the new Lehr engines are touted as greener, cheaper and easier to maintain than their four-stroke, gasoline-powered cousins.

“Propane is domestically produced. It’s cheaper. It’s not a marine pollutant. It can’t get into the water. It produces a small amount of hydrocarbon compared to gasoline. It doesn’t deplete the ozone,” Lehr founder captain Bernardo Herzer said. “They [the engines] run on less fuel. They will last longer. You won’t need to replace them as often.”

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