Public Service Articles in the pursuit of Recreational Boating Safety:

You don't want to foul up, when fueling up Some do's and don't at the marine pump:

Several years ago my wife and I took her cousin and his girlfriend out for a ride in my 19th runabout. We were running low on gas so I pulled into a gas dock. Now, my cousin had been a boater for years, but his girlfriend was a novice as far as boating went.

We tied up to the dock, I killed the engine and I'm just starting to prepare the vessel for fueling, when I look aft and see the girlfriend lighting up a cigarette. Can you say P*A*N*I*C?

I guess she missed the class on gas vapors, flames and the effects of heat, and combustible gas along with flying debris has on the human body when she got her Ph.D.

This is one of those experiences best read about and not lived.

Fact: Fueling a recreational vessel is much more dangerous than fueling your car. While the same dangers exist for both water lovers and land lubbers; gas fumes, fuel spillage and accidental ignition. Your boat offers a better chance for disaster.

Statistic: During 2006, there were 141 accidents where a fire and/or explosion were the result of improper fueling. One death and 66 injuries were reported along with over $6 million in damage. During the five year period 2002 - 2006, the number of accidents ranged from a low of 141 to a high of 162

Interesting enough, 19 of those 141 accidents in 2006 happened in the great state of Florida. 13.46% of all accidents (which was the highest percentage) occurred in Florida; this included the other 49 states and the District of Columbia.

Incidentally Florida had for this period the largest number of registered motorboats. These figures come from the United States Coast Guard's 2006 Boating Statistics - COMDTPUB P16754.20 issued 30 July 2007. (http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/Boating_Statistics_2006.pdf)

The reason fueling your vessel is more dangerous is because the heaver than air gas fumes always find there way to the lowest point. In the case of your automobile, it's the pavement. But, in your vessel it's the bilge or your cabin.

How to properly fuel your vessel:
1. Secure you vessel.
2. Stop your engines.
3. Shut all electrical systems down, including turning off your battery at its main.
4. Close all ports, hatches, doors, etc.
5. Have all passengers (whether human or not) disembark the vessel and remain on land.
6. Make sure no one is smoking.
7. Carefully fuel your vessel making sure you do not spill any fuel either inboard, on the gunwale or overboard (we'll discuss this later).
Make sure nozzle of gas pump stays in contact with the metal rim of the fill pipe. Wipe up any spills inboard or on the gunwale.
Don't overfill your tanks! Leave room for expansion of the gas and vapors.
8. Re-open all ports, hatches, doors and let the vessel ventilate.
9. Turn on your bilge blowers and let them run for at least four to six minutes.
10. Use your high-tech gas fume detector (your nose) to determine if any fumes are present in the bilge or cabin.
11. Turn on battery and restart your engines.
12. Re-board your passengers.

If you have portable tanks:
1. Disconnect the fuel tank from the fuel hose.
2. Remove the fuel tank from the vessel and take it to the fuel dock.
3. Fuel the tank. . Don't overfill your tanks! Leave room for expansion of the gas and vapors.
Make sure the rim of the nozzle is in contact with the rim of the tank.
4. Clean-up any spills.
5. Re-secure tank back in vessel.

Contact: Aux. Robert Westcott
Chief - External Communications
Public Affairs Department
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
http://www.auxpa.org
386-717-8437
Media@auxpa.org

For more information on the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, visit us at www.cgaux.org.

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