Before you start your engines, turn on the blower and let it run for three to five minutes.  Everybody says that.  Most people do it.  And it’s good practice.  But it’s not the best practice for safety.  The fact of the matter is any fuel needs to be handled with care.  So whenever I’m teaching, I tell boaters to turn the blower on, then go to where the blower vent exits the hull and take a good whiff of the air that’s coming out of your bilge. See any liquid fuel that has gotten into your bilge will still be there after five minutes of blowing… or after five hours, for that matter.   If you smell raw fuel, turn off the blower and find out what’s going on. 

            I noticed in the Safe Boating Guide version that came out last year they give the same instructions – to take a sniff, not just let the blowers blow. 

            You’ll find the blower exhaust somewhere on the freeboard, usually toward the stern, just below the gunwale on one side or the other, or perhaps both sides.  There may be a brass fitting with a hole in the middle, or the exit may be somewhere in the sculpted fiberglass detail on the stern quarter of some cruisers.  You will feel the air movement when the blower is on.  You don’t have to get your nose right into the airflow, just cup your hand in it and bring it up to your nose.  The smells of raw diesel fuel and gasoline are quite strong.  If either one is there, you will notice it. 

            This is particularly important when you’re at the gas dock.  If there’s a weakness in the fuel system, it is more likely to let go with the added pressure.  If there’s a leak somewhere it will be most obvious when you’ve just refueled.  Explosions are more likely at the fuel dock.  Now I know there are not very many explosions, and the odds are very much against it happening to you… but why take any chances at all when the fix is so simple?  So before you start your inboard or IO engine(s), take a moment to smell the blower exhaust. 

            There’s more you can do.  If your boat has been sitting at the dock for a week or more, I’ll suggest that it’s a good idea to lift a hatch and look in the bilge before you start up.  Even after fuelling up this is a good idea.  Check the water level to see that your bilge pumps are working… see if there’s any oil leaking from your engine(s)… you can make sure there aren’t any tools or other items that could interfere with the engine operation.  Many times a wrench or snorkel or something stored below has got caught up in the belts and made a mess.  And, of course, check for fuel.

            If you do notice a problem in your bilges, turn off your bilge pumps.  You don’t want that hazardous liquid going into the water.  Use one (or more) of those bilge socks that absorb hydrocarbons.  The chandlery will have them and they’re probably at the gas dock, too.  Then hand pump or dip any remaining bilge water into a suitable container – a plastic can that is rated for fuel – and dispose of everything properly at a hazardous waste site.  Then find out where the leak is and fix it.

            Another hazard you might find in your bilge has no scent at all… carbon monoxide (CO).  It’s something you need to be aware of… and not just in your bilge but throughout your boat.  Many times, boaters have been killed by carbon monoxide while sitting on the aft deck or below with the engines idling.  It only takes a few minutes.  Wherever the air is still and an engine is running, you have to be aware of this poison.  I was doing a demonstration at the Toronto In-Water Boat Show, standing on the dock beside an idling boat.  There was a breeze, but I was standing in the lee and in less than five minutes, I started feeling dizzy.  So we shut off the boat ‘til we were ready go set out.

            To avoid the CO hazard, don’t idle your boat.  Simple.  Let the engines run only long enough to warm them up – a couple of minutes is all they need.  Then get underway.  If you want to charge your batteries, take the boat out for a run, don’t do it at the dock.  If you’re idling through a waterway or canal and there’s no wind blowing, make sure your side curtains and windscreen are open and there’s no place for the air to collect in the cockpit.  Close the hatch to the gangway so the exhaust can’t collect below.  And make sure your CO sensors are up to date and have power. 

            Even running at speed, CO can build up in the cockpit if it is all closed-in except the back.  It’s a result of the “station wagon” effect.  As the boat moves forward, air is drawn in from across the flat back of the cockpit enclosure.  (Back before seatbelts and such, we discovered we could throw a ball of paper out the open back window of our woody station wagon and the air would push it right back into the car.  Same thing happens in the boat.)  So make sure you have enough openings forward so the air moves in through the front of the cockpit and out the back to keep the carbon monoxide out of the boat. 

            Boating is a gas.  And with the right attention to the gases you might find in your boat, it will be a lot safer, too.