Your Marine Supplies Professionals Suggest Regular Fire Prevention Checks
Raritan Engineering Company your marine supplies experts would like to share with you these topics we thought would be of interest to you this month regarding how to avoid those nasty boat fires.
Your marine supplies specialists know that although the exact cause of Tuesday morning’s roaring, three-boat fire at Santa Cruz Harbor has not yet been officially released — an unattended space heater is suspected — the stunning incident should serve as a warning to all West Coast boaters and marina operators.
In our opinion, fire aboard a boat — whether offshore or in a safe harbor — is the ultimate boater’s nightmare, as fuels can explode, crew can become trapped, and boats (especially those built of fiberglass) typically become engulfed quickly.
Your marine parts suppliers professionals feel that an electrical investigation is pending, but regardless of the exact cause, the bottom line is that I could easily have lost my boat, along with many precious possessions, and my neighbors’ boats could have gone up in flames also.
What precautions can be taken?
• Don’t leave heaters on when you’re not aboard.
• Don’t use damaged or questionable shore-power cables.
• If you see signs of previous overloads (burn marks) on dockside receptacles, report them to your harbormaster.
• Have plenty of extinguishers aboard and check them often.
Your marine parts and accessories analysts understand that boat fires are ridiculously rare. You’re much, much more likely to actually perish from a car accident, plane crash or even a cataclysmic storm than you are to even be injured from a boat fire.
Your Marine Supplies Analysts Know That Most Boat Fires Are Caused By Electrical Issues
You can find more information as well as get assistance on marine parts at Raritan Engineering.
1. Careful, Sparky
Your marine parts specialists know that most boat fires are caused by electrical issues, with wire chafe at the top of the list. Builders do their parts to follow standards and provide proper circuit protection (chafe protection, fuses, breakers, ignition-protected components, etc.), and you can help by keeping an eye out for chafing and making sure electrical connections remain tight and corrosion-free.
Tip: Your marine parts distributors experts want you to know exactly how to shut off the power (battery switch, main breaker, etc.) in the event of a fire; otherwise, the fire can easily restart after being put out with an extinguisher.
2. People Don’t Plan to Fail, They Fail to…
If your fire plan consists of “I know I have at least one extinguisher somewhere on this boat,” then you could do better. Knowing the exact locations of extinguishers (and how to use them) and how to quickly secure the engine, blowers and electrical power are good starts.
Tip: This is for crew too. They should have a clear understanding of what to do, even if only to put on a life jacket and await further instruction.
3. Really — Has It Been That Long?
Does your boat sit for months (or even years) between outings? That could spell trouble. There were actually reports of an uptick in boat fires after the recession because, after as long as five years, people could finally afford to use their boats again.
Tip: Get the boat in shape and take it out for a shakedown cruise a few weeks before bringing friends and family aboard.
Raritan Engineering has more information on marine supplies, marine parts, and marine head units.