USE YOUR BROWSER BACK BUTTON TO RETURN TO THE PREVIOUS PAGE

Inboard Gasoline Engine Mentality

Do you remember the gentleman here in Marathon several years ago that was life-flighted to a South Florida hospital because of severe burns he suffered when his boat blew up because of gasoline fumes? For many years I had diesel power on my boat and didn’t dwell much on this issue. We’re now outfitting a new cruiser which has twin gasoline engines and forcing my perspective to change in how I equipment and maintain this boat. While I’m going through these mental gyrations I thought I’d share some of this with you to refresh your memories on safety around inboard gasoline engines. This has monumental consequences to your family’s safety. The problem of course is that gas fumes are heavier than air and tend to accumulate in the bilge of the boat if present. Since the engine compartments are semi-enclosed spaces, any ignition source will cause the bilge air to flash ignite and blow up the boat! I see the safety issues as entailing three steps: Preventing leaks and fumes from the beginning, detecting them if they do occur, and safe practices that would preclude an explosion even if they were there. Prevention involves proper connection of fuel fittings and tanks from the beginning, and periodic monitoring of them and the bilge. The next step involves installing one of the gasoline fume detector alarms. I know that your nose is always the first line of defense here, but for a couple hundred dollars the added security is well worth it. The type that will automatically turn on your bilge blower when it alarms is the best. All of our boating safety classes teach that one should run your bilge blower for several minutes before starting the engines – especially after refueling. The same applies to the generator as well. I’m re-learning now that safety practices also include foresight in planning new equipment installations below decks. I can’t place the DC inverter in the bilge area because of internal sparks in the unit that could ignite fumes. When I rebuild the alternators and distributors I must ensure that they include ignition protection that is unlike the requirement for automobiles. The Coast Guard (wisely) requires a flame arrestor on the carburetor. The distributor cap, alternator and even solenoid on the starter all have special gaskets or screens to preclude ignition, unlike those on cars. I guess the point here is that it’s more than the details – it’s the mentality. Every item I add, repair or replace in the engine compartments/bilge area must now be done with this new state of mind. Be sure to read manufacturer precautions about use of new equipment in your engine compartments – and one last word – don’t smoke and pump fuel at the same time!

P/C Gregory T. Absten