fire extinguisher for outboard use

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nyx2k

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i am planning on putting my little fishing/ cabin cruiser on the chelmer and blackwater up at heybridge basin.
i have no elec or gas on board but would like to get a fire extinguisher just in case for the outboard and a small seperate fual tank. which type should i buy

regards nick
 
AFFF is good, dry powder not. C02 waste of time, water, well no not really, though it's worth knowing that if you can manage to swamp the fire in it's very early stages, a bucket full of water delivered with some accuracy it will dowse the fire
 
according to our safety instructor in the company I work for, a fire blanket correctly used, would be ideal. If you use a fire blanket, you must remember to protect your hands by wraping the first 30 cm of the blanket around your hands.

Peter
 
A Fire Blanket only works if you can exclude all oxygen, a bit difficult to do on an outboard motor, due to the shape? Also, with a petrol / gasoline fire, response would have to very swift, other wise, best option would be to dive over the side, before .......KABOOOOOOM!!!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I would go for Powder if you want to put out the fire, and CO2 if you want to try and put out a fire without ruining it!

The best way is to fire the CO2 through the air intake while leaving the engine running.
 
If you have no electrics or gas aboard and only an outboard and fuel tank then the choice of fire extinguisher is subjective.

That is because you are unlikely to suffer a fire but an explosion!!!

Think about it?

The only fire risk is from leaking fuel - you will either detect it or not - the only ignition source is from the spark on the engine - if there is enough fuel to be ignited by the engine spark the first thing you will know about it is when your floating in the water!!!

Having said that IMHO the best fire extinguisher would be a CO2.

Peter.
 
Using a C02 Extinguisher in the open air (he is using an outboard) is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard, trying to squirt C02 through an engine air intake will just stop the engine, and will not be likely to have much effect on any burning fuel. It will also put you too close to the fire, A tripple F is the correct extinguisher for the job, but as I and somebody else have already pointed out, the risk of explosion is severe, therefore any attempt to tackle the fire must be swift and effective, that is why I said that a bucket full of water will immediately swamp the fire and cool the source of ignition.

If you have time to do it, AFFF Foam, if not bucket of water, if that don't work, over the side and leave it to it. Dry powder or C02, is not very effective in the open air, (regardless of what you have seen in the movies), especially if there is a bit of wind blowing. Both should be applied to the fire from a safe upwind position, (think about it).

What we are discussing here is a bloke that is worried about a potential fire hazzard, on a small boat, with an outboard motor, and a seperate fuel tank. Ok, well what are the realities? In my opinion, the chances of such an event happening are pretty slim, ok, ok, before somebody goes trawling through Google, so they can come back to quote when it happened and where and to whom, I am sure it has happened, but so has someone being run over by a bus on a pedestrian crossing! Not exactly what you would call a daily event is it?

To the original poster, by all means carry a suitable fire extinguisher (AFFF Foam), but don't get paranoid about it /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif..............modern outboard / fuel tank installations are, (given normal safety considerations) inherently safe. If they weren't the insurance companies would climbing all over anybody that had got one, wouldn't they?

Just to take this a little further, any type of fire depends on three things, (generally known as the triangulation of fire) heat, fuel and oxygen...........take away any one of those three things and the fire will collapse.

Tackling any fire should never be a knee jerk reaction, but should be the result of a well thought out policy, that will work for you, your boat, and not least your crew! If you have any doubts about how to accomplish this, contact the local Brigade Fire Safety Officer closest to where you keep your boat, he or she will be only to happy to come and advise you of the best set up for you. and even sort out a bit of training for you if you or he / she thinks it advisable.
 
Our local safety regulations for boats although quite severe in many areas exclude the requirement for extinguisher in o/b powered boats with no cooking. However much depends on the potential for fuel leakage. Most o/b are hanging off the back so fuel leakage is overboard. You need to ensure that any leakage from the tank cannot find its way into bilges but rather overboard.(as ina sailboat self draining cockpit.) If that is the case then you should not need an extinguisher unless local regs require it. olewill
 
i think i'll get a AFFF then. I'll also speak to the manageing company and see if they have any local regs to adhere to. i agree the risk of the outboard igniting feul is remote and i suppose if the fire cant be tackled in the first few seconds then i'll take a swim as from what ive seen of the navigation its only a few feet deep anyway.
thanks for all the help regards nick
 
There was a fire started in an outboard motor on a Broads based boat this year. The outboard was very new and I believe the seat of the fire was in the engine electrics.

There were a party of people aboard, but all were safe. The rapid use of fire extinguisher mounted on the transom stopped the fire dead.

The owner had recieved advice from a BSS examiner shortly before to have the extinguisher near the engine as it was one of the few places aboard his craft that presented a risk of fire.

I'm sorry I haven't the details of the type of extinguisher. The BSS requirements are for a minimum fire fighting capacity of 5A / 34B per extinguisher although to achieve the total capacity for the boat (depending on length) some extinguishers may have to have a greater capacity than that eg 8A / 55B. See chapter 6 of the BSS Essential Guide on our website for full details.

Regards
Rob@BSS Office
 
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