Bt Doctur
Well-Known Member
Dont know if it was gasoline or propane but it went BOOM
https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=xZ3r_1546528155
https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=xZ3r_1546528155
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Dont know if it was gasoline or propane but it went BOOM
https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=xZ3r_1546528155
Its not jus the top, its the whole boat with the t_top still attached. The whole boat goes up in the air with the t-top still attached. then comes down sideways. that top hit him with the full force of the boat weight too. There are other full size versions of the video on YouTube and you can frame by frame walk through it. You can see the flash in the bilge under the edge of the console when it starts. Scary.Wow! That top looks like it came down on him hard. Surprised no fatality?
MM
Thats the routine i like to followHard to tell if we will ever know what caused this. What troubles me is something like this a result of a deferred maintenance or a mistake? After all there are millions of gas boats on the waters globally and the number that explode at the fuel dock is a relatively small number.
I'm not trying to diminish the danger but simply understand how something like this happens. If you think about it....the fuel system has a fill point, tank, vent and pickup tubes. Unless there is an integrity problem in the system.....there shouldn't be a leak. If there is a leak in the tank.....that is something that happens whether or not you are at the fuel dock or not.
A mistake is pumping gas into a rod holder or water tank. I have seen both and the rod holder version will make your heart stop because it will blow when you start the engine or virtually anything electronic. A bilge full of gas doesn't care about your ignition protection.
I'm also leery about running the blowers while filling the tanks. Depending on the boats design....that can be problematic if the air intakes are any where near the vents for the tanks. On those designs....gas fumes are drawn down into the ER as the tanks are being filled which can lead to a dangerous condition. Since a lot of people run their blowers when they fill their tanks perhaps that is less of a problem than I imagine.
Short of a mistake or a leak it is pretty hard to imagine what else could cause a boat to blow at the fuel dock. I still think the safest process is still to shut everything down, get everyone off the boat and fill the tanks. Then prior to starting, open the ER hatch and check for the smell of gas. I also have a gas fume detector installed as well. Once you are satisfied start the blowers, run them for a few minutes and start the engines.
The same at our fuel dock....Terrifying.
You’re not allowed to run blowers while fueling here ..or anything else for that matter. By law everything must be powered down, and all battery switches off/solenoids de-energized before the attendant will hand you the fuel nozzle.