Re: Boat Explosion At The Ramp I Launch From
Well I would think along the same lines as you Summer Fun, the gas could be anything but in my experience its probably a carb issue that some simple preventative maintenance would have prevented, gas fumes then move up through the bilge into the forward cabin, add spark and blamo! People have to use their heads here a boat is intended to keep water out but that same ideology keeps gas fumes in! a boat is a bowl, holding gas fumes and making for a pretty good little bomb, also the very nature of materials used in building a boat is not in any way designed to prevent or resist from catching fire! Think about it, Fiberglass-very flammable, wood-very flammable, Vinyl and foam-very Flammable, gas fumes-Explosive!!
I hope that this situation is used as a learning experience for others to take the precautions necessary to be safe, Thankfully the operator made it out with only his pride injured.
Guys if you smell gas STOP!!! have your carb checked out first, carbs have the most little things that can go wrong gaskets, floats, bowls or stuck needles any of which can cause a fuel leak. Then go down the line fuel lines, fuel pump fuel lines gas tank, then the filler neck. Sad to see a decent boat go up in flames but I am willing to bet anyone with 5 years boating experience has seen a boat go up in flames and that's sad.
