When you are a boat owner there are a lot of fears that roll through your mind when you go out on the boat. One that I am sure crosses all of our minds at one point is the threat of a fire while on the water. If for one reason or another your boat catches on fire, do you know what you can do to help prevent an on board fire?
There are two main types of boat fires that can happen, the first being a fuel fire. Fuel fires out number other types of fires 2 to 1. These types of fires are also the most avoidable. Make sure to follow these guidelines from the U.S. Coast Guard when fueling your tank.
· Close all hatches and other openings before fueling
· Put out anything that produces smoke
· Turn everything off, engine, appliances, radios, etc.
· Make sure everyone is on land
· Keep the fill nozzle in contact with the tank and wipe up any spilled fuel
· When finished, open up all hatches to ventilate
· Run your blower for a minimum of 4 minutes
· Use your nose to check for fuel vapors before starting the engine
Just following these simple steps will help to drastically cut down on the probability of you having to deal with a fuel related fire.
The second most common type of fire is an electrical fire. Sadly many result from those boaters who decide to be a do it yourself boater. If you are going to install or fix things yourself, make sure you do it right. Electrical tape should not be found anywhere on your boat. Make sure to use waterproof materials.
Another way to prevent this type of fire is to regularly check your electrical system for signs of corrosion.
Keeping a regular maintenance schedule will help you to keep any potential problems in check. Also, a good idea would be to keep double the amount of recommended fire extinguishers on board your boat.
Fires can be a scary nightmare but as long as you are prepared and are doing everything you can to help prevent an onboard fire, that nightmare will hopefully never become a reality.
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