Claris Law Legal Blogging Community

Editor: Rod Sullivan
Profession: Maritime Attorney

Category: Boating Accidents

Boat and engine manufacturers are supposed to put insulation between exhaust lines and hoses, and other part of the boat, at least according to recommendations of the American Boat and Yacht Council and the National Marine Manufacturers Association. However, in a recent incident a steering cable was run too close to an exhaust line, causing damage to the cable which resulted in an accident.

In another unrelated incident, a charter boat owner who put reconditioned engines in his boat, failed to put the insulation blankets back in place before he took it on a test drive. When he was returning from the test drive, after operating the boat for less than an hour, the engine room burst into flames in a crowded waterway. I drifted in front of a Gulf Coast restaurant before coming to rest alongside a new condominium complex, damaging only the dock pilings. The boat was a total loss.