Category: Safety features

Safety features are things that make your boat safer. Bilge pumps, ventilation fans, circuit protection, etc.

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Man Overboard!

Fell Marine kill switch

Every captain worth going boating with has thought about what could happen if he or she went overboard with the engine running.  It’s a very dangerous scenario, and yet very few of us use the tether that’s supplied that will kill the engine if we stray too far from the helm.  Hey, I’m guilty too.  I’ve been knocked out of my boat and I wasn’t wearing the darn tether!  Let’s just say the incident might have involved a little too much enthusiasm initiating a “power turn” and leave it at that.  Luckily my friend was on board and he could stop the motor, and then start it again and drive over to me so I could climb aboard. Continue reading “Man Overboard!”

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Fuse block: New Safety Measure

A Fuse Block is a safety feature that should be installed on any restoration.
A Fuse Block is a safety feature that should be installed on any restoration.

In 1949 Chris Craft did not, as a routine, install several safety features that are today considered standard equipment.  We’ve already discussed installing a bilge pump and an engine compartment blower.  Now I’d like to show you the fuse block I installed for this 1949 Chris Craft 17 ft. Deluxe Runabout.  No electrical system, marine or otherwise, should ever be contemplated without some form of circuit protection.  Circuit protections is just that—it’s there to protect the circuit from electrical overload.  That means the conductors (wires) as well as the appliances. Continue reading “Fuse block: New Safety Measure”

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Engine Compartment Blower: New Safety Feature

An engine compartment is an easy-to-install, essential safety feature for your boat.
An engine compartment is an easy-to-install, essential safety feature for your boat.

Although most classic boats were built without them, I would not consider restoring one without adding an ignition protected blower to the engine compartment.  For a gasoline-powered boat, this is a necessary piece of safety equipment that can keep you from accidentally blowing up your boat.  Originally you were advised to open the engine compartment hatch and let it air out for about 5 minutes prior to starting the engine.  This might sound like it would work, but when you consider that gasoline vapors are heavier than air, it stands to reason they will just lay in the bottom of the bilge waiting for a stray spark to ignite them.

This blower will have an intake hose that pulls air from the bilge below the engine, and blows it out one of the vent ports on the afterdeck of the boat.  Ignition protected bilge blowers are required equipment on any gasoline powered inboard craft built today.  It’s not hard to add one.  Why wouldn’t you?

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Bilge Pump: Adding a Safety Feature

The bilge pump is located in the lowest part of the bilge as the boat would float at the dock. Note electrical connections are made up above normal bilge water level.
The bilge pump is located in the lowest part of the bilge as the boat would float at the dock. Note electrical connections are routed up above normal bilge water level.

Many classic boat builders did not include a bilge pump from the factory.  I would never restore a boat without including this basic safety feature.  As the story goes, “More boats have sunk at the dock, flooded with rainwater, than ever sank at sea.”  I’m sure that’s true.  I’m also of the opinion that judges should never mark you down for having a bilge pump on your boat, whether the factory installed them originally or not. Continue reading “Bilge Pump: Adding a Safety Feature”