Fire Extinguisher Placement

[max-on]

Ok, I am looking for your opinion, I purchased two new fire extinguishers when I got the boat, the locations were one at the nav station and the other in the stern locker in the cockpit. Last year I sailed with the stern locker off the boat, and I could not decide where to mount the second fire extinguisher in the cabin, I do not have another locker in the cockpit with the stern locker removed. Where would you mount the second fire extinguisher? Would you keep it visible, or mount it in a cabinet?

Here are some cabin pics:





You can see the stern locker removed:





And few pics of the cockpit with the locker:

[TrueBlue]

Beautiful boat max . . . but I've said that before. It would be shameful to have a highly visible and ugly fire extinguisher detract from that nice cabin interior.

But easy access during an emergency is more important. You do not want it concealed, especially if needed by crew who may not be familiar with locker contents. The best location is adjacent to the engine enclosure - perhaps on either the port or starboard panel.

[sailingdog]

Ideally, the fire extinguishers should be mounted so that you can get at them in the case of a fire. I have one mounted on the compression post of my boat, inside the cabin. The other is mounted on the drop board rails, next to the companionway. I also have a third that is mounted next to the nav console.

A good possibility would be mounting one on the salon table support leg, seen in the first photo. It would be easy to see and access, yet relatively out of the way.

The three places that fire is probably the greatest risk on any boat are the engine compartment, which in my case is an outboard engine; the galley, and the electrical panel. You should probably mount them so that they are relatively close to those areas, but not actually in those areas. The fire extinguishers should also be mounted to be accessible in the case of a fire. I saw one mounted in a sailboat I was crewing on outboard of the stove. If there were a fire on the stove, it would be almost impossible to get to that fire extinguisher safely.

The one mounted on the companionway, is reachable from both inside the cockpit and inside the cabin. The one on the compression post would probably allow you sufficient fire delay to get out the forward hatch safely, if a fire broke out in the galley or electrical panel (in the nav console).

BTW, bigger is better as fire extinguishers go. If you have an inboard engine, I highly recommend getting and installing a fireport, so that you don't have to open the engine compartment to vent a fire extinguisher onto a engine fire. An automatic extinguisher would probably be ideal for an engine compartment, but is more money than some are willing to spend.

[max-on]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Ideally, the fire extinguishers should be mounted so that you can get at them in the case of a fire. I have one mounted on the compression post of my boat, inside the cabin. The other is mounted on the drop board rails, next to the companionway. I also have a third that is mounted next to the nav console.

A good possibility would be mounting one on the salon table support leg, seen in the first photo. It would be easy to see and access, yet relatively out of the way.

The three places that fire is probably the greatest risk on any boat are the engine compartment, which in my case is an outboard engine; the galley, and the electrical panel. You should probably mount them so that they are relatively close to those areas, but not actually in those areas. The fire extinguishers should also be mounted to be accessible in the case of a fire. I saw one mounted in a sailboat I was crewing on outboard of the stove. If there were a fire on the stove, it would be almost impossible to get to that fire extinguisher safely.

The one mounted on the companionway, is reachable from both inside the cockpit and inside the cabin. The one on the compression post would probably allow you sufficient fire delay to get out the forward hatch safely, if a fire broke out in the galley or electrical panel (in the nav console).

BTW, bigger is better as fire extinguishers go. If you have an inboard engine, I highly recommend getting and installing a fireport, so that you don't have to open the engine compartment to vent a fire extinguisher onto a engine fire. An automatic extinguisher would probably be ideal for an engine compartment, but is more money than some are willing to spend.

Thanks TB and SD! I was thinking of mounting it under the table on the wood panel aft of the aft leg post of the table, albeit that is only two feet from the on at the nav station. My concern with mounting on either side of the companionway is that it gets bumped all the time and is just in the way; I could mount it aft of the head in the quarter berth / stoeage area.

SD, I do have a 'fire port' between the companionway stairs, it is just visible as a black circle fitting.

[sailingdog]

I saw that, and guessed that's what it was, but said it anyways, since it is good advice in general. BTW, don't use a dry chem fire extinguisher on an engine fire through a fire port. You really should have a "gas" FE-241 type extinguisher for use via the fire port. Dry chem extinguishers have to be aimed at the base of the fir to be really effective.

[EO32]

My PO has one hung next to the companion way, on the bulkhead to the v-birth and another in the v-birth. I guess if you woke up to fire it would be nice to have one handy.

[PBzeer]

I have one on the engine access front panel, between the companionway ladder and the edge of the panel. The other is mounted on the bulkhead inside the starboard cockpit ladder (lift the lid, and it's right at hand). That way, if there is an interior fire, and I can't get through the companionway, I still have one available.

[Valiente]

That's the important part. I was going to ask if you had an anchor locker, because if there's fire below *between* you and the cabin extinguishers, you could get one from there. It's not exactly to hand, but it's in a place likely far from fire.

[max-on]

Originally Posted by Valiente

That's the important part. I was going to ask if you had an anchor locker, because if there's fire below *between* you and the cabin extinguishers, you could get one from there. It's not exactly to hand, but it's in a place likely far from fire.

Val, that is one of my concerns - not having an extinguisher 'on deck', as an engine fire could prevent entry into the cabin. The anchor locker is shallow (above the V-berth) and can be wet, so that is not an option. Now, Mechele says just to put the stern locker back, she does not like the open stern! If I desired to cut a rather large hole in the cockpit somewhere, say, behind a line bag, I could install a locker for the extinguisher, but I rather would not.

[Valiente]

I think it's quite possible to make a Sunbrella cover for it and to put it on a rail.

Conversely, you could get five-pounder ones and mount them either side of that quarter-berth portlight. Leave the portlight closed but undogged while motoring (it's unlikely to let in water unless you have big following seas and are getting pooped, right?). If needed, you can reach in and unclip them from the interior of the cockpit sides and then fire down the companionway to get at the bigger ones below.

I have the same issue of no cockpit lockers (flush aft deck), but I have enough overhang of the pilothouse roof aft that I can tuck a 10-pounder up and under the "eaves" and it's 99% out of the weather.