Deb and Ed M
SW MI, USA
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Joined: 06/07/2004
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Having had a sailboat in a marina, and knowing how much EVERYTHING costs - I can't imagine what this kind of cleanup will run, dollar-wise :-( Because if it's like is is around here - not only do you pay for the cleanup - but there's fines for polluting the water, too.
I'm amazed that the owner survived such an incredible blast.
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Terryallan
Foothills NC
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Joined: 06/28/2004
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Admittedly. The boats I built were smaller than those mentioned. However. The gas tanks were installed under the floor, in the bilge. The boats were equiped with vents fore, and aft, To force the fumes out. They were also equiped with fans on the vents. You were required to start the blower, and let it run 5 miniutes before you tried to start the engine.
So my question. Do these large boats not have bilge vents, and blowers?
BTW. The blowers were located high enough in the vents, to not set off the fumes
Terry & Shay
Pioneer 23T6
04 F150, 5.4, Lariat SuperCab
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Francesca Knowles
Port Hadlock, Washington
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Joined: 02/23/2011
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An ordinary bilge vent doesn't work for propane, which can't "find" such a vent.
Propane is different from the fumes you're talking about- being heavier than air, it sinks to the bottom of the hull- venting has to be at the lowest level, which is of course underwater in a boat.
That's why propane is only allowed under the very strict "closed, above the waterline, vented lockers"` rules, described in the Coast Guard regs I posted earlier.
" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien
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Desert Captain
Tucson
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Joined: 02/19/2011
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Propane is and has been for years the overwhelming fuel of choice on boats for cooking stoves. Properly installed (pressed hoses- no hose clamps and a solenoid between tank and stove, propane sniffers and alarms), it poses no more hazard of fire or explosion than any other fuel. Standard bilge blowers will remove propane and or gasoline fumes very efficiently, "if" they are properly used. Far more boat fires are caused by alcohol stoves than propane. Propane is rarely used for cabin heat as burning propane puts excessive moisture back into the air turning a boats interior into a rain forrest.
Other options are alcohol which is inefficient and dangerous (flame is hard to see), kerosene gives good heat (high BTU), but is messy, lots of carbon/soot and requires preheating burners, diesel works well - lots of BTU's but can be prohibitively hot especially in the tropics; CNG is expensive, less efficient and only available (mostly) in the continental US. Bottom line, propane is here to stay in both marine and RV applications but folks be careful, rare is the individual who gets to make two mistakes with propane in one lifetime. 
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Francesca Knowles
Port Hadlock, Washington
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I think I created confusion with my Threadstarter, which was directed more towards RVers with cabin-cruiser type boats that are unlikely to come equipped with any of the safety measures required for safe operation of propane appliances aboard boats.
I've changed the Threadstarter to more directly point to that fact- I hope!
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adondo
Pasco, Washington
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Joined: 07/28/2004
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I saw that news story, and it hit kind of close to home - Sequim was where my dad lived. (And had his 37' Owens) A family friend bought the Owens before dad died, and it's now moored in Vancouver WA.
I wondered at the first almost sans-details article I read if it might have been a propane problem. Most boats that size are diesel powered, so I was sort of dismissing a gasoline fumes issue. Guess I was right.
What a mess. It's going to be an expensive insurance payout for cleanup as well as damage to quite a few other boats. It is a miracle the owner lived thru that blast too. The USCG can stick you with a $5,000 fine for oil or fuel spillage too. (You make an oil sheen on the water while fueling, and it's going to cost you!) Most marinas require an extra insurance rider just for oil and fuel spills because of the fines and cleanup costs alone. Hope the guy was covered.
Gasoline fumes also sink, and blower intake vents have to have a tube extending to the bilge bottom. The blower itself is up high, usually at or near the outlet vent. I have a second blower up front in my boat, as I have a 5 gal aux. tank that feeds the 5 HP kicker motor. I installed a two stage pull switch that starts the main blower first, then the second one when all the way out.
Alcohol, as mentioned, has almost invisible flame, and not a lot of BTU's. But the stuff isn't explosive, so was used in a lot of boats. Diesel burners are dirty, but diesel is pretty safe. That's a major reason why a lot of large boats are diesel powered - no settling explosive fumes like gasoline has. Diesels are also more reliable and fuel efficient, but the fuel type is most of the reason they're used.
FMCA# F355513. 40 foot Safari Continental, one slide, Cat powered Magnum Blue Max chassis, PAC brake PRXB, Allison MD3060, Aqua-Hot, 7.5 KW Quiet Diesel, Howard PCS, Velvet Ride suspension. 2006 Jeep Commander.
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thunderstruckhd
Ft.lauderdale and Key West,Florida
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Propane did not cause the accident. Faulty equiptment, improper care, owner carelessness, or another falt caused the explosion. For what it's worth the leading cause of boat explosions are caused by gas fumes and sparks...
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