Helped a guy on the croix today that had an electrical fire on his outboard. Just a friendly reminder make sure you and all parties on board know where it is located and that its easy to get to. Glad the guy was ok but it could have gone sideways quick. Also might not be a bad idea to have flares on board to get the attention of other boaters incase of emergency.
Glad you were able to help and everyone was ok. Many boats are required to have a fire extinguisher and even if you are not, it is a good idea to have one. They don’t take up that much space and can be strapped out of the way. I had a small boat with a 15 hp tiller start on fire. Had to get to shore and throw sand on it to put it out. That boat didn’t require to have a fire extinguisher but it did after that day.
Good work on the fire and being prepared, CT! Nothing will make you thankful you had a fire extinguisher like suddenly needing a fire extinguisher.
We were sitting on our patio this summer and suddenly from the house behind us we saw this huge flare-up fire flash in their kitchen. Just a big fireball, we saw it right through their patio door.
I jumped up to grab the fire extinguisher I keep in the garage, Mrs. Grouse ran for the house to warn them. Then I realized the fire extinguisher I was after wasn’t there because our garage had been demolished and a new garage was under construction. Sh!t. So I go into our kitchen and grab the one there and talk about feeling like you’re going to a gunfight armed with a potato peeler…
Luckily the neighbors had an extinguisher and were putting out the burning stove just as I arrived. Whew! Sesame oil had been put on the stove to heat up and forgotten. High temp oils. Not good when they hit their flashpoint, I’ll tell you.
For the boat extinguishers, it’s a good idea to take them out and tap them with a rubber mallet or more carefully with a hammer. The powder in them cakes an I know from personal experience what squeezing the trigger and having a pffft of air coming out feels like in front of a fire. Just tip them the opposite way that they are stored and give them a few raps.
PS the date (year) is on the bottom of most marine extinguishers. They are expired after 10 years. Replace it and use the expired one as a back up in your house/garage.
Nothing will make you thankful you had a fire extinguisher like suddenly needing a fire extinguisher.
PS the date (year) is on the bottom of most marine extinguishers. They are expired after 10 years. Replace it and use the expired one as a back up in your house/garage.
Great reminder BK about checking the date. I need to do this and pick one up for my garage addition.
Great reminder BK about checking the date.
X2
Something else to think about. You need to shake the extinguisher periodically to mix the contents and avoid solidification. That happened to our RV extinguisher.
What he said! ^
Thanks for the thinking, I’m going to add this to my 1st of the year list of items to do.
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