Fire Extinguisher(s) - Best Mounted Where?

[RobS]

I did my due diligence and searched this out before posting but found little info.

Curious as to suggestions for best mounting areas on the 28TE in both the helm and the cabin. I carry several but have yet to mount them..

[fairtide]

I've been looking for good places to mount extinguishers on the 28 and came up with my own solution that may not be what you want to do. As I don't fish, the live well and the aft fish box are used for PFDs, docking lines, and yes, two fire extinguishers. As there seems to be some requirement that extinguishers have to be in their mounts, I have them in those mounts. The mounts, however are not screwed into anything. I don't like to make holes in gelcoat. A third extinguisher is kept in the cabin, also not screwed down.
The logic in using the aft compartments for storage of extinguishers is that the most obvious origin of a fire is the engine compartment. Keeping extinguishers near the engine may not allow easy access when they are needed. Another problem is that the helm seat does not allow the engine compartment hatch to be opened, so there is no easy way to even point an extinguisher at the base of the flames. An automatic system would be the thing to have.
Don't forget to shake or bang those dry chemical extinguishers every so often to keep the material from caking in the cylinder. After a while, it pays to get new ones.

[RobS]

Don't forget to shake or bang those dry chemical extinguishers every so often to keep the material from caking in the cylinder. After a while, it pays to get new ones.

Agreed. Am planning to replace and that's what prompted me to start this topic.

[DougSea]

I like to have one in or near the cabin (sleeping area) just in case. Ours was mounted under the "lip" below the electrical pannels. In the cockpit I had one mounted above the rod storage brackets, on the underside of the gunnel.

I had plans to also mount one on the inside pannel behind the mate seat. I figured I would want to get to it quickly and on an engine box boat that would have me on the opening side of the engine compartment. To me it's all about where I'm likely to be when a fire breaks out, and where is that fire likely to be. Engine, battery charger, stove strike me as the most likely problem areas.

I also purchased, but never got around to installing, one of those "fire ports" for the engine box. They allow you to push an extinguisher nozzle into the space without opening the hatch and letting in a bunch of additional combustion air.

Here's an example: http://www.marineeast.com/a_sch/sch_det ... &pid=13_01

[fairtide]

I have also given thought to how to get fire extinguisher stuff into the engine compartment (flush deck) so that it goes where needed without allowing a nourishing draft of fresh air to fan the flames. A consideration is what material would work best. Dry chemical materials do not flood the compartment, and may actually miss the fire.
Because carbon dioxide fills the space that it is released into, it is not a good choice for a closed cabin. Breathable air will be displaced by the carbon dioxide, thus asphyxiating anyone who stays there too long.
I have not bought a new system yet, but carbon dioxide might be a better choice than dry chemical. Even better might be foam. There are extinguishers for sale that are specialized for engine compartments. The newer ones use a replacement for Halon but I have not found out much about these. Gasoline and diesel may require different materials. If anyone has done his or her homework, let us know what you found to be a solution.