Terrible story shared on FB of boat fire

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I think they rely on a high antenna and significant wattage. If they have a vessel receiving it, its gets relayed probably by not by VHF.

The work at higher wattage than civilian VHF and have some repeater stations in the Gulf.

[Cheechako]

Is this the same one showing on the news yesterday? Sailor with dog sailing N.O. to Tampa? Rescued 3 days after trouble?
Or is that yet another boat fire?


What is also confusing is he talks about his engine dying and it sounds like an outboard/plastic gas tank. But then later he says he removed the companion way ladder and engine cover to access the engine room. Atomic 4 with 6 gal tank in the lazzarette maybe?????

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Is this the same one showing on the news yesterday? Sailor with dog sailing N.O. to Tampa? Rescued 3 days after trouble?
Or is that yet another boat fire?


What is also confusing is he talks about his engine dying and it sounds like an outboard/plastic gas tank. But then later he says he removed the companion way ladder and engine cover to access the engine room. Atomic 4 with 6 gal tank in the lazzarette maybe?????

Read as though he had both OB and inboard power?

[sanibel sailor]

smoke plume may have been seen by others as well.

Diesel helps, but most boat fires are electrical... check your fuses

[boeing1]

sorry to read of the loss, good to know you and your dog made it,
however, was the fan and pump marine type, I would of thought that that they should not create a spark, or am I missing something

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Is this the same one showing on the news yesterday? Sailor with dog sailing N.O. to Tampa? Rescued 3 days after trouble?
Or is that yet another boat fire?


What is also confusing is he talks about his engine dying and it sounds like an outboard/plastic gas tank. But then later he says he removed the companion way ladder and engine cover to access the engine room. Atomic 4 with 6 gal tank in the lazzarette maybe?????

Yes, this is the guy that was just rescued off Pinellas County. Sounds like he had re-routed the fuel line from the internal gas tank for a non-functional Atomic 4 to an outboard via an electric fuel pump that he only used when needed. The outboard had quit running & he determined it was not getting fuel. Clearly there was a leak in the fuel line. When the outboard was running it only created a vacuum so it sucked air instead of leaking gas. Instead of trying to figure out why the outboard was starved for fuel he engaged the electric fuel pump which pressurized the system. Once that happened it would expel fuel instead of suck air. Because access to the motor involved removing the companion way steps he did not take the time to open it up & so he did not smell the gas leaking. Once he got the motor running again he turned off the pump but by then vapors were already filling the engine compartment. When the outboard died again he again decided just to turn on the blower & fuel pump again without opening the engine compartment to smell for gas. When he did that one of them caused a spark that ignited the vapors.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by boeing1

sorry to read of the loss, good to know you and your dog made it,
however, was the fan and pump marine type, I would of thought that that they should not create a spark, or am I missing something

The sailor that this story is about is not involved with this thread.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

Yes, this is the guy that was just rescued off Pinellas County. Sounds like he had re-routed the fuel line from the internal gas tank for a non-functional Atomic 4 to an outboard via an electric fuel pump that he only used when needed. The outboard had quit running & he determined it was not getting fuel. Clearly there was a leak in the fuel line. When the outboard was running it only created a vacuum so it sucked air instead of leaking gas. Instead of trying to figure out why the outboard was starved for fuel he engaged the electric fuel pump which pressurized the system. Once that happened it would expel fuel instead of suck air. Because access to the motor involved removing the companion way steps he did not take the time to open it up & so he did not smell the gas leaking. Once he got the motor running again he turned off the pump but by then vapors were already filling the engine compartment. When the outboard died again he again decided just to turn on the blower & fuel pump again without opening the engine compartment to smell for gas. When he did that one of them caused a spark that ignited the vapors.

Thanks for posting the above comment.

That helps explain the probable cause of a fire like this. Good to know.

Several lessons for boaters to learn in this case.

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

I made a small donation. Very easy through this site. No doubt he can really use the help.

Same here but through the Facebook-initiated page on indigogo. Hope it all gets through to him!

[mserafi1]

Without demeaning in any way, I get the impression his DIY propulsion sounds like a bomb waiting to go off...and it did. Also, many fire fighting issues here. Fire watch after extinguishing a fire comes to mind. While sad, the story is a primer on mistakes at sea. What an awful inducement to examine our own situations. He obviously had a huge heart to save his dog. They were very fortunate.

[Scout 30]

Interesting that he had a blower & turned it on the second time the motor died. Why turn the blower on if you don't suspect a fuel leak & why not turn it on before you turn on the fuel pump & at least smell the exhaust for gas which would have been present. He also never indicates that he turned the fuel pump off after the initial explosion which means that if it was still running it was literally adding fuel to the fire.

[Steadman Uhlich]

In the last year I have seen several mentions of members or new sailors considering purchase of an older boat (some from 1960s and 1970s) that have gasoline engines. Today I came across this thread from last year, and still think it instructive on several points worth sharing with new members here.

This thread starts with an account of how difficult a fire aboard a boat can be to extinguish, especially a gasoline fueled fire.