Here's an eye opening video
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mattkab
Senior Member
One of the concerning things in that video is how ineffective the fire extinguisher was in putting out the fire in the second boat. I have 4 of those on my 34', thinking that was more than enough to put out a fire before it got out of hand, but maybe not...
Fotoman
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In the safety courses I took they say you have about 60 seconds to control a fire once it starts on a boat. After that you should focus on getting out of there while you still can. Once ignited it's very difficult to stop a fiberglass fire.
A boat caught fire in front of my marina last summer. It burnt like hell for about 30 minutes before it sank. Fortunately nobody was hurt but it was a scary sight.
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psneeld
Guru
From what I could see he wasnt getting that the fire had travelled under nooks and crannies where you habe to use a long blast of powder hard into the bilge to fill up the space all at once.
The best move is never remove tbe engine cowling and then shorter bursts are much more effective. Had he closed it a single extinguisher may have worked.
Most newer inboard/outboards have a fire fighting port in the side of the cowling so you dont have to open it.
A fire blanket may have helpd once the cowling was removed.
Tom.B
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Which is why I have 4x 5# extinguishers on our boat and a few 2.5# units. I figured that those little 2.5# units were only good for something like a 10" skillet fire. Not that these 5's are a great wonder, but they are way better that the ones I see normally.
We've taken Advanced Firefighting, a five day course. I think we respected fire before, but it was always something we knew we'd just call the fire department on and they'd come deal with it. I know some others here have taken the same for their licenses. Most courses we've taken have been fun. It was not. It was hard, scary, and exhausting. We had to actually fight fires in an academy. Then they had a simulator on top of that which created all sorts of incidents. We learned that fires are hot, scary, and you don't have much time to do anything. Then as a boater, knowing when to get out of there is critical. You must manage lives ahead of the boat. On television and in movies you see firefighters go into burning homes to rescue people. Well, boats burn much faster than homes. Do you have a way to notify everyone on board and tell those below in cabins to get out? What would you do if there was a child asleep in a cabin?
Fire extinguishers aren't for putting out house fires or boat fires. They're for putting out a stove fire such as a pan on the stove or a candle fire such as a candle in a chair burning it or a very small rag fire in the engine room, but once you can call it a house fire or a boat fire, it's beyond your ability unless you have real fire hoses and equipment. Now, you are seeing some marinas with fire hoses on the docks and a very few even with fire boats.
I hope to never find out if we can use what we learned.
Fire extinguishers aren't for putting out house fires or boat fires. They're for putting out a stove fire such as a pan on the stove or a candle fire such as a candle in a chair burning it or a very small rag fire in the engine room, but once you can call it a house fire or a boat fire, it's beyond your ability unless you have real fire hoses and equipment. Now, you are seeing some marinas with fire hoses on the docks and a very few even with fire boats.
I hope to never find out if we can use what we learned.
High Wire
Guru
Once the resin in fiberglass boats gets burning, its not going out unless you use fire fighting foam on it or drown it. I agree that speed is essential to stopping the fire at the source. A minute, maybe two extinguishment window then its time to shift to escape mode for a typical cruiser.
Comodave
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The PO of my boat removed the escape hatch in the aft cabin of our Sundeck Trawler. The only way out of the aft cabin then was through the salon which is above the engine room. There are 6 portholes through which you could put your arm out and wave bye bye to the world. I ordered a new hatch and installed it immediately when we bought the boat. You need 2 paths out in case of a fire.
CPseudonym
Moderator Emeritus
When we where looking at sundeck trawlers we considered installing a large hatch in the stern. If a large enough wave ever broke through it your in trouble anyway.
FF
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"we considered installing a large hatch in the stern."
Forget the view , get a metal hatch, probably stronger than your transom.
Forget the view , get a metal hatch, probably stronger than your transom.
Bigsfish
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The only thing that really scares me on a boat is an explosion and fire. I've decided if I have a fire I'll spend only a short time time to try to control and eliminate it and then try to save my crew and myself after sending a MAYDAY. I can worry about insurance coverage later.
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