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Carbon Monoxide Deaths on Yacht

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Fishtigua, Apr 2, 2013.

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  1. Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    Guernsey/Antigua
  2. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    What a misleading title and article... A 30' Bayliner a luxury boat or yacht?

    CO poisoning is frequent with gas boats especially on inland lakes where small boats are often beached or anchored in light breezes where CO fumes will drift in the boat

    Many gas boats do not have CO and fume detectors or ignorant owners do not test them regularly.

    Tragic.
  3. RT46

    RT46 Senior Member

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    agree, a tragic incident.

    the article indicates that the Bayliner was Diesel powered......

    It is my understanding that CO incidents with diesel power is unlikely.

    I still have CO alarms in every stateroom.

    A long time ago, I lived aboard on gas boat and had CO detectors in the salon and SR. At the time, My neighbor was a 41 Viking with DDs (I think), sometimes when he would come down and warm up the engines it would set off the CO detectors inside of my boat.

    btw, I think any boat with a cabin should have a CO detector, including small outboard cuddy cabin boats, even at slow speeds CO can creep into the cuddy and cause death.

    I would like to see a CO senor shut down the generator in addition to activate the audio alarm. (like the halon shutdown)
  4. Navatech

    Navatech New Member

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    Kind of depends on what your frame of reference is :)

    This was a diesel boat (according to the article I read)... And, you can have the same issue with a diesel boat...

    I think that the purpose of starting this thread was to point out (yet again) this danger... The logical implied message is that one SHOULD have such detectors and one SHOULD test them regularly...

    Indeed, but therefore a more powerful a message to others...
  5. Navatech

    Navatech New Member

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    Something like that shouldn't be difficult to do... Even as a DIY project...
  6. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Didn't read the whole thing, there were so many better articles linked on the right side (just kidding)

    Diesel does release CO but rarely to deadly levels, if the source in this case turns out to be the genset, that would be the first time I hear of a death from CO caused by diesel

    In any case, CO detectors are a must on diesel boats as well if for no other reason than a dock neighbor warming his gassers for 30' while you sleep...
  7. HTMO9

    HTMO9 Senior Member

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    More than 25 years ago, my family and I became witness of a tradical accident in a Danish yacht harbour. A man and his wife on their hombuild steel roomer moored next us got killed. Due to an leaking LPG cooker a explosive mixture build up in their cabin over night. When the owner switched on the battery master sw in the morning, his boat exploded and burned in flames. The woman died immediately on the explosion and the man came out of his boat as a burning human torch and fell over board. We where able to pull him out of the water, but he died on his 4th degree burns a few hours later in the hospital.

    It took month for my wife and the children to sleep without nigtmares.

    This were the last active day of our gimbled LPG stove and our diesel air heater in our sail boat. The gimbled LPG cooker was exchanged by its electrically heated brother (Force 10, great stuff) and the air heater by a complete new central water heating system.

    Our present boat has air quality sensors integrated in the air conditioning and ventilating system. These sensors have their origin in the automotive industry and becoming more and more standard equipment in modern cars. These sensors check for the amount of oxygen, the presense of poisonous and noxios gases or molecules, carbon hydrogen an bad odors. The system is coupled with the carbon hydrogen bilge alarm and the warning horn of the burglar alarm. You will not miss this noise. Because of its integration within the boats network it could be easily used to switch on or off equipment like gensets, heaters or gas bottles.

    The cheapest CO warning system on the market are those pads used in light aeroplanes. They change colour with the presense of CO. Can be ordered in any pilot shop for a few dollars.

    Seafty is paramound !!!!
  8. Opcn

    Opcn Senior Member

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    While I hate loud alarms, really hate them, it's important to remember that CO detectors that depends on visual inspection will not save you if you are gassed in your sleep.