Just a reminder to use your blower and check your fire extinguishers

[ibelonginprison]

3 hours ago, APoko said:

You should NOT run your blower while fueling! There are always fumes present around the boat while fuelling since air and fumes are forced out of your fuel tank vent as the fuel goes in.  Running the blower while fueling is very bad and depending on where your bilge ventilation intake and fuel vent are located can actually suck fumes in to the bilge.  You should fuel with all hatches closed and blowers off, wait a bit for air to clear and then run the blowers before starting engines. 

Then again I also light up a fat spliff and ash over the fuel vent tube, listening Ziggy Marley and drinking a vodka and redbull while at the fuel dock.

Kidding.
Well... except for the redbull part. (minus vodka)... (ok, sometimes it may have vodka if I'm not driving)

 

You do make a good point. Best to let any fumes settle then evacuate rather than constantly disturb/swirl them around. 

 

 

[wedge88]

1 hour ago, sic0048 said:

 

Im sorry, but that statement makes no sense.  You think it is ok to go and try to help a boat that is on fire (which is surely out of control by the time other boaters notice the fire), but it isn't OK to try and extinguish flames on your boat when the fire is hopefully very small.  Sounds completely backwards to me.....

The point wasn't to run to a boat completely engulfed in flames for rescue but more if you see an engine hatch open and smoke from a nearby location.  Both my brothers are firefighters and trained in water rescue and they both, religiously, tell family and friends these exact words.  Maybe they are wrong but if my boat catches fire, my family and I are jumping ship.

[ibelonginprison]

I'm making everyone else jump ship if it ever happens. But no way I'm letting my boat go without a fight. 

[augie09]

that reminds me, the new boat needs a fire extinguisher.  I keep forgetting this.

 

[oldjeep]

5 hours ago, ibelonginprison said:

I'm making everyone else jump ship if it ever happens. But no way I'm letting my boat go without a fight. 

meh, mine is fully insured I'll buy another next week. The house is one thing, there are items that can't be replaced - the boat is as replaceable as a car.

[jbower]

Seeing this post made me think. My response I hardly ever used blower but since I got my vlx I tend to use it a little more. I just bought it and was uncovering on the lift the other day and hit the blower and smelled fuel. Opened engine cover and let it air out and started it up. Sure enough marina did a service on it before I bought it and didn't put an oring on the one side of the fuel filter. Raw fuel is exactly what I smelled. Good thing I insured it the day I bought it

[DUKENO1]

Unfortunately I pretty much run my blower all day from before first start and anytime the engine is running.  I have trouble all the time with vapor lock.  Ethanol fuel sux.

[mountaineerhill]

15 hours ago, oldjeep said:

meh, mine is fully insured I'll buy another next week. The house is one thing, there are items that can't be replaced - the boat is as replaceable as a car.

 

Agreed. I had an old truck catch fire on the interstate a few years ago. I grabbed my Snap-on tools out of the the back and let her burn, there was nothing else I could do after I called the FD.  

[APoko]

@flapjack

http://www.boattest.com/view-news/2982_keep-blower-off-while-fueling

 

[APoko]

23 minutes ago, APoko said:

@flapjack

http://www.boattest.com/view-news/2982_keep-blower-off-while-fueling

 

Interestingly enough I just found contradicting information in the 2015 Indmar Engine Manual which says...
"When refueling, make sure to open the motor box and
run the blower during and after the re-fueling operation.
Failure to do so may result in fire or explosion and may
cause death or serious injury."

Yet the 2015 Malibu Boats manual states...
"Below is a list of guidelines you should follow when fueling your boat:"
"2) Make sure all power is off, and do not operate any electrical switches."

but then again it also says...  
"Ensure that the load of persons, ballast, and equipment is within the limits stated on
the USCG Maximum Capacities Plate and is properly distributed based on
instructions in this manual."   

In reality, I agree running or not running the blower while fueling shouldn't be much of a concern, the blower motor is sealed/ignition protected, and yes, the fuel vent should be below the level of the bilge vent intakes...  The bottom line I was trying to make is don't just assume it's OK to just run the blower while your fueling and then assume its OK to immediately start the engine right up, you should still wait the 3-4 mins for the blower to clear any potential fumes. 

 

P.S.  I'm not nuts and arguing with myself, LOL...  Apparently the message accusing me of "making up" my post about not running the blower while fueling got deleted before I responded... 

Edited June 2, 2016 by APoko
Add P.S.

[Chrisjjbrown]

My dad's 72 Master Craft blew up on him in his back yard.  Story goes, went out to check some things in the boat he hit the blower button and boom.   Blew him clear out of the boat and he was in the hospital for a few weeks with serious burns on his legs. 

[Bill_AirJunky]

9 hours ago, Chrisjjbrown said:

My dad's 72 Master Craft blew up on him in his back yard.  Story goes, went out to check some things in the boat he hit the blower button and boom.   Blew him clear out of the boat and he was in the hospital for a few weeks with serious burns on his legs. 

It blew up when he started the blower??

[wedge88]

On 6/1/2016 at 10:49 AM, sic0048 said:

My dad's 72 Master Craft blew up on him in his back yard.  Story goes, went out to check some things in the boat he hit the blower button and boom.   Blew him clear out of the boat and he was in the hospital for a few weeks with serious burns on his legs. 

Was your dad also part of the Italian or Irish Mafia at the time?  Seems like a "Goodfellas" situation...  

Edited June 3, 2016 by wedge88

[APoko]

 

16 hours ago, Chrisjjbrown said:

My dad's 72 Master Craft blew up on him in his back yard.  Story goes, went out to check some things in the boat he hit the blower button and boom.   Blew him clear out of the boat and he was in the hospital for a few weeks with serious burns on his legs. 

6 hours ago, Bill_AirJunky said:

It blew up when he started the blower??

41 minutes ago, wedge88 said:

Was your dad also part of the Italian or Irish Mafia at the time?  Seems like a "Goodfellas" situation...  

 That actually used to occasionally happen with the older style blowers, I'm not sure of the year the newer regulations began but blowers didn't always have to be "ignition protected" and it was possible that when you turned on the blower its motor actually generated the spark which ignited the gas fumes.  Back then the theory was that the blower motor was mounted up high (presumably in fresh air) with a hose running down to the bottom of the bilge to pull out the small quantities of gas fumes that would normally be present (think carbureted engines) and settle at the bottom because they are lighter than air.  However if you have a significant fuel leak its likely that the entire bilge area could become filled with gas fumes and if the older non-sealed blower motor sparked internally, BOOM.  The ignition source could have also come from anything electrical that happened to make the slightest spark near the gas fumes, could have been the switch on the dash, or faulty wiring if there were any fumes in that area.  Typically the starter motor is the biggest concern generating a spark because its located at the bottom of the engine very low in the bilge where gas fume concentration would be the greatest.   Just another example why its a good idea to do the old open the motor box and sniff test, especially on an older boat.  Safety regulations and technology have come a long way so those of us with newer boats, fuel injected engines, and modern safety technology legitimately have very little to worry about, but its still a darn good idea to take 30 second to flip the motor box open, and then 3 minutes to run the blower especially at the beginning of the day or after fueling up.

 

[ibelonginprison]

Our boat is part of our family.
I'll try to save her the same way I would a pet. My 'Bu has a personality, and I would be very sad if she died and there was something I could do to save her, but didn't.

Yeah, I know - people don't get it. You don't have to understand. You just gotta know that's who I am. 

 

(and yes, I talk to my boat and my cars, and they talk back in their own way.)

[Chrisjjbrown]

13 hours ago, Bill_AirJunky said:

It blew up when he started the blower??

 

6 hours ago, wedge88 said:

Was your dad also part of the Italian or Irish Mafia at the time?  Seems like a "Goodfellas" situation...  

 

5 hours ago, APoko said:

 

 That actually used to occasionally happen with the older style blowers, I'm not sure of the year the newer regulations began but blowers didn't always have to be "ignition protected" and it was possible that when you turned on the blower its motor actually generated the spark which ignited the gas fumes.  Back then the theory was that the blower motor was mounted up high (presumably in fresh air) with a hose running down to the bottom of the bilge to pull out the small quantities of gas fumes that would normally be present (think carbureted engines) and settle at the bottom because they are lighter than air.  However if you have a significant fuel leak its likely that the entire bilge area could become filled with gas fumes and if the older non-sealed blower motor sparked internally, BOOM.  The ignition source could have also come from anything electrical that happened to make the slightest spark near the gas fumes, could have been the switch on the dash, or faulty wiring if there were any fumes in that area.  Typically the starter motor is the biggest concern generating a spark because its located at the bottom of the engine very low in the bilge where gas fume concentration would be the greatest.   Just another example why its a good idea to do the old open the motor box and sniff test, especially on an older boat.  Safety regulations and technology have come a long way so those of us with newer boats, fuel injected engines, and modern safety technology legitimately have very little to worry about, but its still a darn good idea to take 30 second to flip the motor box open, and then 3 minutes to run the blower especially at the beginning of the day or after fueling up.

 

According to my dad Apoko's response is what is believed to have happened.  Hit the switch and spark ignited the fumes.   All I know is my dad is extremely perinoid about hitting buttons and running the blower in his boats. 

Edited June 3, 2016 by Chrisjjbrown

[95echelon]

On 6/1/2016 at 2:27 PM, ibelonginprison said:

I'm making everyone else jump ship if it ever happens. But no way I'm letting my boat go without a fight. 

For me screw trying to fix it up after all the smoke damage and all of the tiny little things that heat can affect. I would take the insurance money and replace...

[smc1048576]

Im thankful to have found this thread...

Ill be honest guys... the Malibu was our first proper boat... IE anything more than a simple bass boat or pontoon boat (stuff we have at our other properties and such...)

My boat didnt come with an operations manual, Ive been reading the net and relying on what was told to me by the place I use to service the boat (SMG Wake, Houston).  Ive seen the blower function on my MUX switch, I didnt really know what it was about though... or what to use it for...

Thank you guys for helping me understand its function and when to use it.  Is there anything else such as the blower, that a new Bu owner should know?  Ive only had the boat on the water 1 time since I picked it up... It was a spur of the moment purchase, my wife and I thought "hey thats cool looking!  we could take that on Sam Rayburn and have some fun".  

I wish some of you guys where close by, I would buy the beer just for some in person instruction on the boat LOL

[hethj7]

Surely there is a Houston area member that can take you up on that offer!    Seriously though, congrats on the new purchase.    Run the blower, check to make sure your plugs are in, and watch the gauges to make sure you have oil pressure and aren't overheating.  Those are the basics.   If you run into a problem with any of those, post up and I'm sure someone can get you pointed towards a fix.   I've said it before and I'll say it again - this site was and continues to be a big reason I'm in a Malibu.  While most of the knowledge here applies to all inboards, the Malibu specific info shared on this site can't be beat!

[smc1048576]

Just now, hethj7 said:

Surely there is a Houston area member that can take you up on that offer!    Seriously though, congrats on the new purchase.    Run the blower, check to make sure your plugs are in, and watch the gauges to make sure you have oil pressure and aren't overheating.  Those are the basics.   If you run into a problem with any of those, post up and I'm sure someone can get you pointed towards a fix.   I've said it before and I'll say it again - this site was and continues to be a big reason I'm in a Malibu.  While most of the knowledge here applies to all inboards, the Malibu specific info shared on this site can't be beat!

Im not technically in Houston, I just do all of my service and such there... my wife and I go to Houston for business on a weekly basis, thats how I found SMG Wake.  We actually live closer to Lufkin in a town called Huntington (less than 4 miles from Lake Sam Rayburn).

Yea these forums have been a real help, Ive spent loads of time just reading and lurking.  My boat is at an Upholster right now getting a custom interior done, then the following weekend we plan to be at either Lake Livingston or Rayburn with some friends... will be the second time to have this boat on the water

[formulaben]

1 hour ago, smc1048576 said:

Is there anything else such as the blower, that a new Bu owner should know?

Well, this very recent thread comes to mind...

 

[ibelonginprison]

On 6/3/2016 at 3:36 PM, 95echelon said:

For me screw trying to fix it up after all the smoke damage and all of the tiny little things that heat can affect. I would take the insurance money and replace...

Upgrades, bruh! Build her bigger and better. 

I mean if it's on FIRE on fire, then my three little fire extinguishers aren't going to make a dent in it anyway, and I'm grabbing my throwable, my wallet and my car keys and I'm getting my soggy britches to shore. 
But I'm not going to see flameup that hasn't engulfed the boat yet and just bail. lol 

[Bill_AirJunky]

Thats all good to say, but till it happens, you don't know what you will do.

A few years ago we were at the Seafair hydroplane races & one of the boats (a brand new Shaun Murray edition Sky Supreme) had an electrical fire on the tower, that spread to some of the interior. He had a towel hanging on the tower, and someone had turned on the tower lights, which caught the towel on fire. He yanked the towel off the tower & tried to flick it into the water. The flaming towel came apart & he flicked little bits of flaming towel around the boat. A couple of guys on boats nearby (the boat races are wall to wall boats) had their fire extinguishers out in seconds & blew it all out. Thankfully they didn't just grab their purse & jump overboard or there could have been a lot of boats on fire that day.

Anyone remember the marina fire on Lake Union in Seattle a few years ago? How many boats burned? Like 200?

[ibelonginprison]

Well, I've jumped up on a burning boat, double fisting fire extinguishers before, so I'm pretty sure I know how I'll react. lol 
I also have done a lot of track days and off road days where cars/trucks can catch on fire - so unless it's way out of control and engulfed (which I have had the displeasure of witnessing several times as well) usually keeping a calm head can help get the situation handled. 

[Michigan boarder]

Pull the pin

Aim

Squeeze the trigger

Sweep across the fire

 

Just thought I'd point that out.