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Editor: Rod Sullivan
Profession: Maritime Attorney

Category: Boat, Ship and Marina Fires

Two fishermen fishing in a Florida redfish tournament are lucky not to have died. Gritter Griffin of Alabama and Paul Jueckstock of Port Orange were on their way to the weigh-in at Charlotte County's when there was an explosion and fire aboard their boat .

"We heard an explosion," said Griffen. "There was fire the length of the boat." Griffin was catapulted from the boat, but neither he nor Jueckstock knew what was going on at the point. It didn't take long before they realized they were in trouble. There was a second explosion which sent Jueckstock airborne.

"I think I dived into the water," Jueckstock said. "I thought I might have broke my neck -- the water was only two feet deep."

Most gasoline powered boat explosions are caused by fuel leaks. A common source of the problem is the tank gaging system used in many small boats. The guages used to be housed in tubes made from aluminum which extended into the fuel tank. However, the manufacturer has changed the tubes from aluminum to stainless steel. While no announcement heralded the change, speculation in the boating community is that the aluminum tubes weren't strong enough to withstand the pounding, surging, and motion of fuel inside the tank, without suffering from fatigue.

In short, if you have a fuel leak, remove the gage and send it to a metalurgist for testing. Frank Grate, a metallurgist in Miami, is familiar with testing these types of gages.