Beware!

After following this forum for a couple of days I have noticed a trend that is cause for concern. There are lots of suggestions for swapping carbs, intakes, and ignition systems. Although most marine engines are marinized versions of simple American automotive engines they are not automotive engines. A boat engine operates in a closed compartment. It often even shares that closed compartment with the gas tank. Gas fumes in this compartment combining with any source of spark can create an explosion that you would not believe. This happens more than you think. I have purchaced several boats that have exploded and burned to the waterline for parts. A marine carburetor is designed so that if the float sticks and it floods it vents the gas all down into the throat of the carb. The automotive version will spill the gas all over the engine. It then runs down into the bilge where it sits emitting fumes. Boats have flame arrestors on the carb to keep a flame from coming out in the event of a backfire. You are required to have a solid metal fuel line from the fuel pump to the carb. If you start swapping things around you will need to fabricate and new custom bent solid line. The fuel pump itself is different. There is ane extra diaphram and a tube that runs to the flame arrestor. If the fuel pump diaphram fails the leaking fuel gets sucked up the tupe and dumps into the cyliners. It's automotive couterpart will dump the gas into the crankcase where again it sits and becomes a hazard. Starters, alternators, distributors, solenoids, all of these must pass a strict test that the Coast Guard puts them through to make sure that they cannot emit an open spark. There is a reason why this stuff is more expensive. There is also a huge liabiltiy issue. when the lid blows off that boat and kills someone there will be an investigation. When they find those car parts or that rubber fuel line on there the search will begin to find who killed little Johnny. If a boat comes into our shop and it has automotive parts on it we either replace them all or send it down the road. With all due respect to all you Hot Rodders out there, be careful.

Re: Beware!

Down the road is correct. Had one last week come in. Guy had sent it to north GA to have the 3.0 swapped out for a 5.7. Complaint was that he needed the shift switch hooked up because the mechanic in Ga musta forgot. Sure I said, easy fix. Raised the lid, there sat a Delco automotive distributor with the coil in the cap. Engine driven fuel pump was there but not connected. Electric fuel pump was sitting on the intake with automotive still on the sticker and of course no oil sensor shut down. Starter had something like Big Bubbas starter repair on the side. When I questioned why there was a strong smell of gas, the owner said he had just filled it up. I looked in the bilge and saw gas pouring from a hole in the tanks fill hose. I told him of his problems and said I wouldn't be interested in working on his boat because of the liability unless he was willing to replace everything with marine. After he woke up from fainting from the cost, he went down the road. I'll read about him later.

Re: Beware!

Explosion is right! My grandfather lent his 30' Chris Craft to his son (my uncle), after fueling up he only let the blower run for a second before trying to 'flash' her up. KABOOM! Luckily it didn't kill him but he was burned badly on his arm and face (he's ok and no scars now). It burned to the waterline too, a post fire survey did not show the cause but it's safe to say it was fuel related. Yesirry folks, be careful! Oh, the 30' was insured and he ended up doing the right thing and replaced her with a 36'. Happy Yachting!

Re: Beware!

I'm really new to this boat owner business and couldn't figure out why everything was so derned expensive. Hell, I've been putting some automobile barnburners together for years at a fraction of the cost. Then when I bought my basket case (listed below) and a Clymer shop manual I realized that automobile and marine is the old apples and oranges. Only these oranges will killya!!!<br /><br />Mike

Re: Beware!

Anything that hits the shop with car parts or look like a liablity issue goes down the road. I give them the speach most of them never listen. V

Re: Beware!

You can't be too careful with customers and always watch your back. Back in the spring of 96, I had two fellas stop with a boat outside my gate and asked if I could take a look at it. Complaint was the engine seemed locked up. Cobra 3.0 in a boat built by a OMC company. Jumped up in the boat, lowered the drive and hit the starter. Engine pully tried to turn but would spring back when you released the key. I told the guys the gimble bearing was frozen and the drive would need pulling to survey the damage. Problem was, my lot was full and it would be a week before I would have room to fit them in. I gave them a worse case price, they said they would be back the following week. The next morning the CG called and asked if I would come down to the station and ID a boat. The guys had went home, ripped the bellows off the drive, WD 40'ed the bearing till they could get the engine to start, then went fishing. The CG found the boat swamped offshore with one body in the boat. When I surveyed the boat, I found where the gimble had come apart and wallowed a hole in the gimble assembly allowing water to flood in. They found the second body about a month water when it floated up. Now there wasn't a reason the boat should have swamped. Any sober person could have stuffed their shirt in the hole and stopped the leak and the bilge pump still worked but notice I said sober. The boat was covered with beer bottles. Anyway, the family sued everybody they could sued except me. The only reason I stayed out of the suit was the fact the boat never entered my yard. I got so tired of giving statements to everyone concerned, I started sending bills for my time. Never did collect. The guys attempted to call 911 on their cell phone but the battery would go dead about the time the operator answered. So the family sued the county 911 system for not calling out the CG sooner. They sued the CG for not responding soon enough. They sued OMC for building the boat. The family of the second fella sued the family of the first who owned the boat for going out in a boat that was unsafe. Their insurance paid them $30,000. That was the only money they ever collected.

Re: Beware!

Wow!

Re: Beware!

This is my first year owning a boat, and this forum has helped me more than any of you could know. (and probably saved me lots of $$ in the process)<br /><br />I was one of the people that started the conversations of switching over a points system to an HEI, because it was so cheap. I had already bought the distributer from a junk yard, and then I read your posts on here. I now have an extra distributer for my 71 chevy... Because a Marine distributer will be put on.<br /><br />All I can say is Thank you, to the knowledgable people on here, who knows, you may have saved my life, or what could have been worse, my family's life. A couple hundred bucks is NOTHING when it comes to being safe.<br /><br />Ignorance can kill, listen to the "elders"

Re: Beware!

Hmmm. Looks like I got a bit of work to do next spring. I've got a rubber fuel line and I suspect the wrong fuel pump. But what about the Petronix electronic ignition? I put it on at the advice of my boat mechanic. Any concerns with it?

Re: Beware!

No, for two reasons. What you need to worry about with electrical components is sparks. The Pertronix is a solid state device, and there are no moving parts, so it doesn't produce any sparks.<br />Secondly, it fits inside your [hopefully] sealed marine distributor. Think of all the sparking that's taking place inside of the cap! The rotor is whirling around, making and breaking contact with the terminals of the cap. Zap! Zap! Zap1 Also, think about your old ignition points. Constantly opening and closing, sparking like mad. From that point of view, the Pertronix is actually safer than a point type ignition. And, that's why marine distributors are different from automotive units - they're hermetically sealed.

Re: Beware!

Just a little curious on something of the same nature in sparking. Does switchs and fuse blocks in the bilge area need to be USCG approved? My shore power breaker panel is the bilge also and wonder if it really should be located elsewhere such as in the cabin? For my interior bilge lights, and bilge blower switches are plain old toggle switches. Are these okay to use or not?<br /><br />SS

Re: Beware!

SS,<br /><br />I assume that your switches are on the dash panel. Ifso, I think you're OK.<br /><br />The breaker box in the bilge bothers me a bit though. Unless it is specifically designed for marine use. Look for USCG or BIA labels on it.<br /><br />Junction blocks shouldn't be an issue. Fuses on the other hand may be.

Re: Beware!

Dejohns, <br /> I know this breaker panel is no more than what you would find in a house. The cover doesn't have a gasket, the box connectors are the clamp type for romex. I know it does not meet vapor tight standards. This late winter (Feb) I am going to move it into the cabin. The toggle switches that are in the bilge I will mount in an enclosed box to make them vapor tight. All that will be showing will be the bat handle of the toggle. The fuse block I can enclose also. This will make me feel a bit safer. The boat was that way when I got it. I would think that all Line voltage wiring from shore power should be in conduit with vapor tight connectors in the bilge area. Hopefully I am thinking in the right direction here. Thanks

Re: Beware!

Another concern is my fuel tank has been relocated to under the bow. I have a blower in the bilge but nothing under the bow. This is on a 18' Starcraft (aluminum). Is it common to have a blower under the bow if your tank is there? While it is a closed bow, it is very open to the cockpit (I can reach right up to the bow, over the tank and I'm 230) so it hasn't concerned me much but what do others have?

Re: Beware!

The fuel tank in the bow is common and not a problem.<br />The fellow with the breakers in the bilge needs to fix that. Also he mentioned Romex cable. That cannot be used on a boat. It is single strand and with vibration it breaks. There is a marine substitute abailable that is multi strand and tinned. You can get is at most West Marine or Boater's World stores.