Fire Extinguisher Test

The Kidde Pro Plus 5HM is our top choice among the clean-agent portables. The Sea-Fire, with its lower toxicity, makes sense for enclosed spaces. We also like the Kidde Foam Spray's ability to stop re-ignition.

PS tests involved timing how long each product took to extinguish a given fire, and how much discharge was left in the canister after that. Here, the Kidde Fireboy attacks a gasoline fire burning on a small body of water.

Consider how a fire might start aboard your boat—a spark into an engine fuel leak, a spark into a propane leak, a burning bit of ash into a dry trash bin, a spoonful of flaming stove alcohol into the paper goods, an electrical short—the possibilities are many. Now consider how far and how fast the fire might progress—through curtains, cushions, vinyl headliner, oiled and varnished wood, into more fuel supplies. No need to imagine further: A fire that gets out of control on a boat is a nightmare, and has been so since the days of wooden ships with tarred rigging and gunpowder down below. Today we have plastic boats…