some interesting things for boating today

Boat Fires

Understanding where, when and how most fires start is the first step in reducing the risk of an onboard fire.

By Beth A. Leonard
[Image: boat-fire.jpg]
Photo of damage from a neighboring boat's fire
The boat above was a casualty of a neighboring boat's fire — when
one boat burns, it puts at risk nearby boats, property, and people.

It takes two things to start a fire: something that will burn and something that will start it burning. Every fire must have, in fire-investigator parlance, a fuel source and an ignition source. When BoatUS Marine Insurance turns a claim over to a fire investigator, his or her task is to find both. They don't always succeed — about eight percent of the time, no cause can be assigned. But it should come as no surprise that, in those cases where a cause can be determined, at least half of all boat fires originate around the motor. That's because, when it comes to boats, fuel and ignition sources are most likely to come together in the engine room or under the cowl of an outboard.

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Boat Wake Damage Liability

Whether you're in a no-wake zone or not, you are responsible for any injury or damage caused by
your wake.

By Raúl J. Chacón Jr. and John C. Scarborough, Jr.

Photo of police ticketing boater
[Image: police-ticketing-boater.jpg]
Let's face it, pretty much all powerboats create a wake. Especially on inland waters, where primarily small craft operate, wakes can be dangerous. Common courtesy toward other boaters demands that we control our wakes. However, the consequences of failing to do so go far beyond rude gestures and horn blasts. Because here's the one thing you really have to know about wakes: under the law, damage caused by your wake is treated exactly the same way as damage caused by a physical, fiberglass-crunching collision.

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