View Full Version : Where's the fire?!
USC8791
03-16-2005, 10:53 AM
East Tx started a helpful thread on checking fire extinguishers for the new season. I'm curious to know if anyone has ever had to use their's while onboard? There have to be some good stories out there! :eek:
jsonova99
03-16-2005, 11:00 AM
nonoe or me so far (knock on wood!)
JEREMY79
03-16-2005, 11:06 AM
I never had to use it in the boat. I was in the shop welding and caught something important (like the wall) on fire and had to use the boat exinguisher to get it out. I would have used the shop one but the boat was closer.
ski_king
03-16-2005, 11:20 AM
Never used one on the boat, but did use one on my dads truck, that is story in itself.....
I replaced mine a couple of years ago as it was no longer in the green.
I used it to teach my wife and kids on how to use it. I started a small oil fire in my burn pile at home and let them put it out. I think it helps to have used one, should the need arise.
Suprisingly most people using one for the first time point at the flames and not the source of the fire.
east tx skier
03-16-2005, 11:25 AM
Not on the boat thank goodness. But two years ago, on the 4th of July, we'd driven well outside the city limits to shoot off some fireworks. An errant bottle rocket went horizontal and over a barbed wire fence, where it ignited a little brush fire. I ran to the back of the jeep, remembering that I'd put a fire extinguisher back there. Unfortnately, it was the empty fire extinguisher I'd pulled form our I/O after I was boarded unaware and released with a warning. Meanwhile, my wife is holding up the barbed wire fence so a friend of mine can get under it and stomp out the fire before it spread.
Good times.
ski_king
03-16-2005, 11:34 AM
Never used one on the boat, but did use one on my dads truck, that is story in itself......
I went to borrow my dad's truck on a cold winter day. It had sat for a while and wouldn't start. So I did the usual with the air cleaner off sprayng starting fluid. Still didnt want to start so also poured a little gas in the carb. Finally got my wife to sit in the truck and crank, while I sprayed. We had a hard time communicating as the hood was up and the windshield was covered with 6 inchs of snow. The thing backfired and splattered the excess fluid around the engine compartment and ignited. I didn't know if the truck had a extinguisher or not so I ran into the house and grabbed the closest one I knew of and ran out and quickly put out the fire.
Problem was, I forgot to tell my wife that the truck she was sitting in was on fire. I am not sure which was hotter, my wife or the fire.
east tx skier
03-16-2005, 11:39 AM
Details, details, details.
East Tx started a helpful thread on checking fire extinguishers for the new season. I'm curious to know if anyone has ever had to use their's while onboard? There have to be some good stories out there! :eek:
Not onboard, but we gave it to someone on the side of the road with a burning RV.
I had a friend with an old 40' Chris Craft, dual gas (not diesel) screws. Something floating in the bilge caught fire once, put it out pretty quickly.
When I was young, twice saw open exhaust hot rod type boats blow their tops. One might have had NO. Both guys found their fire extinguishers really fast :eek3:
Professor
03-16-2005, 12:53 PM
Outboard on the old bass boat caught fire. Fire extinguisher malfunctioned (probably from being submerged…another story) but put most of the fire out. Soaked my new coat with water and covered the engine. Worked.
Evan Jones
03-16-2005, 01:06 PM
Friend of mines Nautique had carb trouble. Wasn't starting. Filled exhaust full of fuel and finally started. Blew apart the exhaust-fiberglass muffler. Lifted the engine cover right up. Luckily no one hurt.
AirJunky
03-16-2005, 01:31 PM
Never used one on the boat, but I did buy an extended pylon back in like 1994 from a guy who's boat had burned to the waterline. The pylon was the only thing left & was in amazingly good condition. Thankfully, it wasn't cursed either & we used it for several years after that.
jimmer2880
03-16-2005, 05:52 PM
Nope, but I do know of some people who got blown out of their boat by not using their blower. Does that count?
milkmania
03-16-2005, 06:08 PM
I actually got chills when I read that!
you know that little shiver you get sometimes when someone walks up behind you:uglyhamme
or the chill I got when I looked at those 4 portly ladies in the swimsuit thread:purplaugh
east tx skier
03-16-2005, 06:20 PM
There's a movie called "The Tingler" that attributes "spine tingling" to a little monster that attaches itself to your spine.
quincyfirefighter
03-16-2005, 10:47 PM
Never used one on the boat, but did use one on my dads truck, that is story in itself.....
I replaced mine a couple of years ago as it was no longer in the green.
I used it to teach my wife and kids on how to use it. I started a small oil fire in my burn pile at home and let them put it out. I think it helps to have used one, should the need arise.
Suprisingly most people using one for the first time point at the flames and not the source of the fire.
Gentleman, Please take my word on this!!! Not only Check your Fire extinguisher but buy a small (maybe 2 1/2 or 5 pounder) from home-depo or such and learn how to use it. :headbang: You can also ask your local Fire Dept. to show you and your family the proper way to use it. I personally have a 20 pounder on my boat. But that's just me, seen to many fires get out of control. :eek3: Also way to go POWERSLOT82 on teaching your family. I was a Boy Scout when I was young also!!! Ok off my soal box now. Just don't want any of my MC family getting burnt. :cool:
Leroy
03-16-2005, 10:56 PM
There was a picture last summer of boat on local lake and it was burned down to the water line. Young girls out in the boat and did not use the blower and kaboooom (at least that was their story). They jumped in the lake. None were hurt.
Hoosier Bob
03-16-2005, 11:15 PM
I run the blower 24/7. Old friend had an old MC. Burned to the waterline! Now he owns the local Ski Nautique dealership. When they burn, they burn. Blower until it can't blower no more! :D
quincyfirefighter
03-16-2005, 11:16 PM
Thank God!!!!!
jimmer2880
03-17-2005, 07:19 AM
There was a picture last summer of boat on local lake and it was burned down to the water line. Young girls out in the boat and did not use the blower and kaboooom (at least that was their story). They jumped in the lake. None were hurt.
They were lucky. Unfortunately, when it happened on my river, a 3 year old had 3rd degree burns over 50% of her body because her parents didn't use the blower and had a gas leak they didn't realize they had.
captkidd
03-17-2005, 10:45 AM
Years ago I was riding on the boat with a friend. We pulled up at the marina and there was a boat gassing up on the other side of the dock. Suddenly everyone started scurrying about and we realized that their boat was on fire (apparently weren't using the blower). Someone ran out of the marina with an extinguisher and put it out, but my friend moved away from the dock pretty quickly.
I have an extinguisher in my kitchen (under the sink; haven't had to use it yet :D ) and one in my basement where I park the boat. Pretty cheap peace of mind.
quincyfirefighter
03-17-2005, 11:21 AM
Years ago I was riding on the boat with a friend. We pulled up at the marina and there was a boat gassing up on the other side of the dock. Suddenly everyone started scurrying about and we realized that their boat was on fire (apparently weren't using the blower). Someone ran out of the marina with an extinguisher and put it out, but my friend moved away from the dock pretty quickly.
I have an extinguisher in my kitchen (under the sink; haven't had to use it yet :D ) and one in my basement where I park the boat. Pretty cheap peace of mind.
Captkidd hope you don't have a gas water heater or gas forced air heater in your basement where you park your boat. Gas fumes from your boat, Exploding combo :eek3:
ski_king
03-17-2005, 11:35 AM
You can't have too many extinguishers. You also have to use common sense and not have the mentality that it can’t happen to you. I was a vol. firefighter for many years and you wouldn’t believe how many stupid things people do that result in a big fire.
My cousin, who was a firefighter in his younger days and presently, drives a gasoline tanker made a blunder a few years ago. He was cleaning some paintbrushes in his basement garage using gasoline of all things. Had a kerosene heater in the opposite corner of the garage. He thought he was safe as they were almost 20 feet apart, separated by his fishing boat. He accidentally knocked over the container of gas, which spread towards the heater.
An hour later his house was on the ground, he lost almost everything.
Rockman
03-17-2005, 02:17 PM
:eek3: Thank goodness we have an outbaord...but still have a fire extinguisher on board.
Scary story though...my sister and brother-in-law had a 24 foot racing sailboat in one of the marinas in downtown Chicago. The Marina that they were at was closing early for the season and they had to move their boat to another marina (which had excellent security) for the last two weeks.
While their boat was at the new marina, there was a fire on one of the boats docked 2 boats down from theirs. When security saw the fire, it was getting to be pretty big and was just about to start spreading to the neighboring boats. So the security guards pushed my sister's sailboat and each Cigarette boat next to my sister's from the dock to float freely in the marina, so they would not catch on fire.
That was a very smart thing to do as my sister talked to the Cigarette boat owners that night and each of their boats had about 600 gallons of gas on board. :eek3:
MasterMason
03-17-2005, 02:50 PM
:
That was a very smart thing to do as my sister talked to the Cigarette boat owners that night and each of their boats had about 600 gallons of gas on board. :eek3:
Whats that about an hour run in one of those beasts?