Petrol engines - no thanks!

[longjohnsilver]

Bad accident yesterday in Falmouth <A target="_blank" HREF=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/3552504.stm> see here </A> Thank goodness no fatalities, but nasty injuries all the same. The youngster is still in a serious condition, as reported on tonites news.

I've had an inboard petrol engined boat in the past and was always concerned about sitting on a potential bomb, regardless of how safety minded I was re bilge blowers, gas detectors etc. And before anyone asks, yes I do have gas on board but outside in a vented locker which is always turned off when not on the boat. I'm not saying that all petrol powered boats are unsafe but if there ever were to be a problem then it's almost certainly going to be a lot worse than for a diesel boat.

Maybe another good argument for retaining red diesel?

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[hlb]

Your media skills are improving anyway. Petrol boats are nearly as leathal as Binladin. They aint got no holes under for the petrol to escape like cars.

<hr width=100% size=1> Flags Solly MFBR</font color=red>
Haydn

 

[danielbroad]

Looks like they didn't check the bilges or run the blower for long enough - they were only on board for 5 minutes according to the news story.

A lesson learned the hard way.

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[Dave_Knowles]

Maybe they don't have holes underneath but cars also go up in flames but we don't say we won't have a car run on petrol.

I am interested in the rest of the world many countries of which use mainly petrol do they have lots of accidents?

Considering the number of people injured and killed in boating accidents last year in the UK, I suspect that petrol accidents were very low on dangerous things on boats. I am just doing a major service on my petrol engine and I can't believe the number of bodges that previous owners have carried out which could have led to a serious accident at sea. I think some of these are due to the high costs of parts from Volvo which has encouraged the bodging rather than replacement.

To my mind the human being is the problem not the petrol engine.

<hr width=100% size=1>Cleopatra Boats at
http://www.MyCleopatra-chandlery.co.uk

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Don\'t remind me...

The whole debacle with my fuel tank rupturing always makes me think, "there but for the grace of God go I".

The tank ruptured in high seas 3 miles offshore and unbeknown to me, I had 30 gallons of unleaded swilling around in the bilge whilst motoring back to the harbour...

<hr width=100% size=1>Madoc Yacht Club
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk>http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk</A>

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

>>>
Maybe they don't have holes underneath but cars also go up in flames but we don't say we won't have a car run on petrol.
>>>
Don't drive myself but family car has been diesel for the last 12 years. Not being Jeremy Clarkson I don't see the need for petrol vehicles

<hr width=100% size=1>Two beers please, my friend is paying.

 

[danielbroad]

Re: Don\'t remind me...

Dave_Snelson - i think you should be somewhat concerned you were able to have 30 gallons of any kind of liquid in your bilges without some kind of alarm going off! You could have been sinking!

A buzzer on the bilge pump switch should suffice to warn.

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[longjohnsilver]

Re: Don\'t remind me...

I remember you posting about that! It could have been one big bang!!

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[cjrvernon]

all i can say is i sleep a lot better
now ive converted to diesel
i would not make the mistake of buying petrol again
its diesel from now on

<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.cjrvernon.com

 

[britemp]

Re: Don\'t remind me...

You're LPG now aren't you?

When I had my Land Rover converted to LPG I asked a fireman I know about the relative safety. He said he'd rather be in a crashed lpg car with the gas blowing away than a petrol car with it forming a nice puddle under the floor! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif


<hr width=100% size=1><< Sig removed at request from Kim Hollamby - he thought it might scare forumites! >>

 

[martynwhiteley]

Re: Don\'t remind me...

That would be a bit like a gas fitter searching for a leak with a match!

The bilge pump switch kicks in and................BANG !!!

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=blue> <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.mboat.org>http://www.mboat.org</A></font color=blue>

 

[danielbroad]

Re: Don\'t remind me...

one would hope that only ignition protected bilge switches are fitted on Petrol boats....

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[Dave_Snelson]

Re: Don\'t remind me...

Yes - duel fuel actually. If I was 100% certain on LPG supplies, I would have done away with the petrol tank and created some extra space!

<hr width=100% size=1>Madoc Yacht Club
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk>http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk</A>

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Re: Don\'t remind me...

That was a day of nasty coincidences. There was so much petrol in the bilge that the hydrocarbon alarm was swamped - likelyhood is I would not have heard it anyway with an F6 blowing and seas 10' high. Then the elecy bilge pump failed - then the manual bilge pump broke when I came to use it....

figure that lot out

<hr width=100% size=1>Madoc Yacht Club
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk>http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk</A>

 

[pistonbroke]

Quote "Maybe another good argument for retaining red diesel?"

Why, is red less inflammable than white?

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[Dave_Snelson]

Re: Don\'t remind me...

All the equipment that was affected by this incident was replaced - including the tank, of course!

<hr width=100% size=1>Madoc Yacht Club
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk>http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk</A>

 

[BrendanS]

>>I am interested in the rest of the world many countries of which use mainly petrol do they have lots of accidents?<<

It's negligible compared to other accidents. Most people will agree that the US has a far higher proportion of petrol boaters than the UK. Have a look at the US coastguards annual report on boating accidents. <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/Boating_Statistics_2002.pdf>http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/Boating_Statistics_2002.pdf</A>

Out of 5705 reportable boating accidents in 2002, only 160 were related to fuel fire or exposion, and out of nearly 1000 boating accident fatalities, only 4 were fuel fire or explosion related. and this is in the US, where petrol is predominant - and some US boaters are none too bright anyway! /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

I'm afraid that some people just have an irrational fear of petrol as a fuel.


<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[longjohnsilver]

White v red

Hmm, do I really need to spell it out..........................

I presume you're a petrol user?

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[Dave_Knowles]

Brendan,

My feelings entirely. I spend a lot of time in the Middle East. All the boats out there seem to be petrol and many not very well looked after. I have not heard of a petrol fire in the 15 years of going out there. That is not to say there hasn't been any but if there has they sure are not common. But at the end of the day the choice is yours.

<hr width=100% size=1>Cleopatra Boats at
http://www.MyCleopatra-chandlery.co.uk

 

[britemp]

Re: Don\'t remind me...

I've still got the full petrol tank on my Landy as well but never use it.

You may have noticed in another thread that i am moving to the Isle of Wight soon. There's only 1 lpg road fuel supplier there and it's 42p a litre (I pay around 35p a litre in Worcs) but the two Safeways are changing to Morrisons who apparently have done a deal with the IOW council to fuel their vehicles and will be selling it from their petrol stations at 29.9p a litre - result! At 29.9 a litre my V8 Discovery costs the equivalent of 40mpg against petrol. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

Shame the boating side of lpg hasn't got itself sorted as big V8's on lpg are much more fun than smelly diesel rattlers! /forums/images/icons/frown.gif


<hr width=100% size=1><< Sig removed at request from Kim Hollamby - he thought it might scare forumites! >>