Boat Fire Sale - Really HOT !!!

[waterboy]

My daughters forwarded these pics to me off of one of her social media apps. This happened to a friend of hers, not sure of any details other than the boat was running fine up until...

Not sure of the lake either. They live in the Holly Springs area. Doesn't look like the docks at Jordan Lake, maybe Harris Lake???

Anyway, on to the classified. Boat for sale cheap, hull only. Includes trailer.

 

[Gym]

Bummer. Hope nobody got hurt.

 

[1rjclark]

DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[scokill]

Not to be rude but what value would there be to buying a melted hull?

 

[Raphael]

That looks like Arson, what would cause those types of flames on a boat?

 

[Magic]

Not to be rude but what value would there be to buying a melted hull?

I think there might have been a little sarcasm involved.....he said sarcastically....

 

[Lspeedss]

That looks like Arson, what would cause those types of flames on a boat?

I don't know..once fuel gets the fiberglass rolling..it will burn down to the water line. A boat fire is a fast mover. Be sure to turn on your blowers well before startup..let this scene be a stark reminder..

 

[waterboy]

I wish I knew more details on what happened. Yeah nobody got hurt and at least it happened at the dock rather than in the middle of the lake.

Yeah just sarcasm on the sale price. Not my boat, don;t know who it happened to other than someone my daughter is connected to on one of her many social connections..

 

[itsdgm]

Glad nobody got hurt. Might be worth more as just a "trailer for sale"

 

[jawsf16]

That makes me sad...

 

[Geiger41]

Hopefully they have a good insurance policy...possibly a replacement clause

 

[jetboater4life]

I saw something similar on the lake I frequent last year. It's scary how fast the fire moves. I posted some pictures on a thread on this forum.

 

[Glassman]

That looks like Arson, what would cause those types of flames on a boat?

Any one of a number of things...fuel vapor is very explosive.

This should serve as a reminder to us all of the importance of running the bilge exhaust fan as soon as we step foot on the boat.
Don't wait until you are ready to start the engines, either open the engine hatch or turn on the blower before you roll down the ramp. Maker sure the boat is free of fumes. Make that part of your pre-launch ritual.

That way if someone lights a smoke or plugs in an electronic device that could spark, you won't get an explosion.

 

[scokill]

Any one of a number of things...fuel vapor is very explosive.

This should serve as a reminder to us all of the importance of running the bilge exhaust fan as soon as we step foot on the boat.
Don't wait until you are ready to start the engines, either open the engine hatch or turn on the blower before you roll down the ramp. Maker sure the boat is free of fumes. Make that part of your pre-launch ritual.

That way if someone lights a smoke or plugs in an electronic device that could spark, you won't get an explosion.

I don't have any reason to NOT trust the blower, but I open the hatch before I leave for the lake while I'm piddling around getting ready and then check the engines to make sure they turn over. It's just a habit.

 

[maboat]

I'm going so show my ignorance here... I do use the blower, but I'm curious...

With these Yamaha fuel-injected boats, how serious a threat is this? There is no carburetor with float bowls in the engine compartment and there is no fuel pump in the engine compartment (its inside the fuel tank). As such I have never noticed any fuel fumes in the engine compartment. Of course, there is always the possibility of a fuel line leak or rupture. But aside from that, isn't this more an issue with carburetor engines?

I'm not suggesting to not use the blower, I'm just suggesting that with our newer-tech engines this should be less of a threat (safer) than it may be with other boats.

 

[itsdgm]

It's still a threat. Any minor leak in a fuel line will be at pump pressure due to the fact that the pump is in the tank. Also, our fuel tanks are kept in a sealed compartment forward of the engine compartment. But some guys leave the drain plug for that compartment out which drains into the bildge. Also, our fuel tank filler lines run through an enclosed space where most of our batteries/cutoff switches are located. Any leak in there would cause an explosion. Keep in mind, a fire like the ones in the pictures above could easily be caused by as little as a teaspoon of gasoline if certain conditions are present.

 

[maboat]

Understood, but all those situations involve a leak of some sort, not a "normal" situation with our boats. With carburetors, its "normal" to have fuel fumes in the engine compartment and therefore the need for a blower to vent the fumes every time - even when there are no leaks.

Of course I believe everybody should still use their blower for safety. In fact, I'm against using capacitors on my boat stereo because they are essentially big spark generators - even though the risk is small. But I just wanted to make sure I'm not misunderstanding a "normal" source of fumes on these boats or am I correct that there shouldn't be fumes unless there was a leak

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Looks like an older Islandia Sea-Doo.

 

[scokill]

To be honest I don't know why fires and explosions don't happen more often. If you think about what you witness on the lake and the IQ and experience of average Joe the boater, and all the different types and ages of boats, the conditions would have to be just right. I'm not implying that it's not a serious threat, just surprised it doesn't happen more.

 

[maboat]

To be honest I don't know why fires and explosions don't happen more often. If you think about what you witness on the lake and the IQ and experience of average Joe the boater, and all the different types and ages of boats, the conditions would have to be just right. I'm not implying that it's not a serious threat, just surprised it doesn't happen more.

Yeah, like barbeque grills mounted on the rail near the gas tank fuel vent!