feature
39
September
2009
Owners with smaller-sized and trail-
erable houseboats such as Adventure
Craft's sturdy cabin yacht houseboats
and other brands should make sure
their extinguishers are readily acces-
sible and ready to go. Check the status
gauge too before getting underway. "In
the red" means it's dead.
Lastly, if your vessel is equipped
with an engine box, those familiar with
a gadget called the Fire Port (www.
marineeast.com) suggest its instal-
lation. Instead of popping open the
engine cover to see if there's a fire (and
thus feeding it oxygen), the engine can
be inspected through this clear PVC
vinyl port. If flames are seen, jam the
head of an extinguisher into the port
and pull the trigger.
Boat owners can prevent many
fires on their boats. Just takes
some well spent time and effort.
Bottom line is to know where
and how to use what you have,
educate everyone aboard, have a
plan, and stay alert!
Learn more on this subject in
Chapman's, U.S. Power Squadron
publications and Coast
Guard Auxiliary's Skipper
Safe Boating Course. In addi-
tion, the BOATU.S. organiza-
tion has extensive informa-
tion online at www.boatus.com for use
of fire extinguishers, plus on the Coast
Guard website at www.uscgboating.org.
Ed. Note: The author is a longtime boat-
ing law writer and welcomes questions or
comments at joan_writer@yahoo.com
