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Cheap ways to
Save Your Boat - And Your Life!
When I do surveys I see many vessels that lack some simple and inexpensive equipment that could be the difference between life and death. To me, it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money on a boat, mooring, fuel and supplies, and then pinch pennies on basic safety items. While there are all kinds of sophisticated (and expensive) options for improving your boat, I'd like to recommend a few that have a high safety value and a relatively low cost.
► Smoke/CO detector - File and smoke detectors are mandatory in homes - why not in boats? If you eat and sleep aboard you are taking the same risks with your family in your boat as you are at home. You are especially vulnerable while sleeping, especially in a cabin with limited exits. Engines, heaters and stoves are also dangerous sources of carbon monoxide, which is both odorless and deadly. Combined smoke/CO detectors are available that can be wired in permanently or will operate on batteries. Cost: less than $100.
► Means of boarding unassisted from the water - Very few people seem to be aware that Transport Canada requires any vessel with a freeboard (distance from the waterline to the gunwale) of more than 0.5 meters to have a means of reboarding. This should be deployable from the water when no one else is aboard. Think about it - you are alone on the boat, either at the dock or underway, and you slip and go over the side - it can and does happen. Even if you can get back to the boat, you will have no chance of reboarding if you haven't provided a means to do so. A swim platform may suffice, but just having a swim ladder aboard or attached to the transom won't do unless you can reach it from the water. A simple solution for many vessels is to attach a short line to the swim ladder and let it trail behind the boat just above the waterline. Put a big knot in the end so the ladder can be pulled down by someone on the water, allowing them to reboard. Cost: A few dollars for a short piece of line.
► Bilge alarm - Most boats that are kept in the water depend on bilge pumps to keep them dry. Inboard engines in particular will drip continuously at the shaft when underway. So good bilge pumps are essential - but bilge pumps can fail. Again, whether at the dock or underway, if the boat starts to take on water, the sooner it is detected the more likely it is that something could be done to prevent the boat from sinking. Bilge alarms typically make enough noise that someone on the dock might hear it go off and could alert someone to the problem, even when you're away from the vessel. Cost: less than $65.
► LPG leak detector - Propane (LPG) is a popular fuel for cooking and heating on boats, because it is very efficient and economical. It is also highly combustible and explosive. One of the most dangerous aspects of propane gas is that it is heavier than air - so fumes from any leak are likely to settle in the bilge, where they will remain undetected until exposed to a source of ignition. At that point it is all over - quickly and often catastrophically. Having a special LPG fume monitor located as low in the boat as possible will help insure that any leak is detected early. Cost: less than $60.
► Labels - Even an experienced operator of a boat can sometimes forget to do basic things. And there's always the case where someone new is aboard who is not familiar with the systems on a boat. Putting warning labels and notices in highly visible places may not look "cool", but it can help prevent disasters. Do you have a blower label reminding you to run the blowers before starting the engine? How about a notice near the head reminding the user to close the flush valve so water won't enter through the head? Cost: a few dollars.