At the tail end of last year the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) brought out a rather stark warning about the use of generators on boats. While the BSS's remit only covers inland waterways the advice is just as good for coastal cruising and live-aboard stays wherever you are.

What prompted the statement? Unfortunately it was another accident involving a generator - luckily the owner and his friend survived, but the his pet dog sadly did not escape.

There are two main dangers with generators - fire and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. This incident was a fire, nearly a year ago, on the Trent and Mersey Canal in Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent.

The owner of a small liveaboard cabin cruiser had to jump overboard and his guest had a narrow escape when the boat caught fire. Distressingly the dog was not so lucky, being trapped inside. The boat owner also lost his home and possessions.

Remote

The boat was well alight by the time two fire crews reached it, so damage was extensive.

The attending Fire Service incident commander, Martin Hall, said: "It appears the fire was caused when the owner had been refilling an onboard generator. The fumes and petrol had created a fireball."

Carbon monoxide

But looking at the BSS's record of generator-related events (reproduced in the press release) there are just as many CO poisoning incidents as there are fires and explosions.

Most recently in 2014 a boat owner was found dead on his boat with his pet dog alongside him. He had been running a petrol generator under a canopy on the rear deck to charge a laptop, and the CO had drifted into the cabin.

Lighter than air

It's also important here to debunk a myth about CO - many people think it's heavier than air and therefore accumulates at ground level. This is not the case. It's actually slightly lighter, but not so much that it would make an appreciable difference, subsequently CO spreads evenly throughout the available space.

This means that CO detectors - just as important as smoke alarms - should be installed high up on walls or on ceilings, not lower down.

Care with generators

The BSS - which exists to monitor incidents and publicise recommendations that make boating safer for all - have reiterated the three key points for generator use:

• Never install a portable generator permanently or make unauthorised modifications that are not supported by the manufacturer, or proprietary component supplier.
• Never run generators on the boat, or on the bank near the boat's doors, vents, windows and hatches. If you can smell exhaust fumes in the boat, it could mean the cabin is filling with deadly carbon monoxide.
• Never refuel any generator anywhere aboard the boat; take it to the bank and ensure you are a safe distance from other boats and potential sources of ignition.

Do please make sure you follow those guidelines and make sure that anyone using your boat is aware of them too.

We sincerely hope that you all stay safe and have an enjoyable summer on the water.

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