Discontinued gas bottle alternatives

With Calor discontinuing some of its gas cylinders, Barry Pickthall looks at the options available for boat owners with older vessels

- Barry Pickthall

The Calor decision to discontinue refilling its Cube, 3.9kg Propane, 4.5kg Butane, 6Lite Propane and 12kg Butane gas bottles 'as part of the Company's first steps to improving customer service' has caused uproar among boat and camper van owners.

Many of the built-in gas lockers aboard older yachts were made specifically for 4.5kg bottles and are not easy to adapt to fit the taller 6kg cylinders. Westerly and Moody owners have been voicing their disapproval both to Calor and on sailing forums. One PBO reader launched a petition on ybw.com to no avail. Others have called the discontinued service: "Socially appalling. The redundant bottles will be left dumped everywhere-It will be worse than the trekking paths up to Everest." Others question "What about the deposit I paid on the first bottle of gas?" As the owner of a wooden classic affected by the changes and about to set out on an extended summer cruise from Chichester to the Western Isles and back, I sought answers from Peter Spreadborough, the marine gas fittings expert at the Southampton Calor gas centre (SoCal), the largest distributor in the South.

"Calor Gas are not about to change their minds. These smaller bottles are no longer economical to refill," he told me.

"It only affects older boats. Many modern vessels, particularly the French boats, have large self-draining gas lockers that were designed to take the Campingaz bottles so it's not really an issue for their owners," he says.

What are the options?

Flogas produces a 4.5kg bottle that will fit in the same space as the 4.5kg Calor cylinder and refills are available from Flogas stockists around the UK. A 4.5kg bottle costs £38.50 + £28.00 for the gas, £13.99 for a regulator and an additional market volatility surcharge of £4.70, making a total of £83.53 per bottle.