Monday, June 22, 2009

Vessel Safety Check

I just did an online Vessel Safety Check (here), because I'm bored to tears, no, because I'm very concerned with safety on a boat. Anyway, I noticed there were no questions about propane, or alcohol on board for cooking. We have two propane tanks for the galley stove, and we also have a grill. Just about every boat I see has a grill, so they must be storing fuel. You would think there would be some questions regarding this stuff. Considering the little incident I had with stove fuel a while back, I'm a little more aware of the risks of fuel storage. When we bought Alert, we found about 6 propane canisters for the grill, stored in the bottom of a locker, and they were rusty. Yikes. Imagine a rough day on the water and these things are clanging around in the bottom of a locker. They are gone now. I recently checked the propane line for any leaks, and it looks good, but I may replace the whole line anyway, as I think it may be at least ten years old. Of course the new one could be made in China, where quality is job 2, or 3 maybe. How do you store your fuel? Got propane canisters rolling around? Where do you store the fuel for the dinghy motor? Does your propane system have a built in leak check? Is it all wired to standard? You would think this would be an important part of a vessel safety check, and maybe it is, and I just have not come across it.

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