An automated fire suppression system won’t protect your boat from a devastating boatyard fire ignited on another boat, or nearby work areas, but it can prevent one from starting on your own boat. In 2020, we reviewed several popular—and expensive—systems designed to activate automatically once a certain temperature is reached—see “New Fire Prevention Tools.”
The first line of defense against fire is meticulous installation following ABYC guidelines. Next is maintenance. Corroded and faulty bilge pump wiring is probably the most common cause of fires in unattended boats. Or perhaps it’s an engine or galley fire. If you are leaving your boat for a long period, you should carefully inspect these high risk areas and take any preventative measures to reduce the risk of fire. Removing all flammable materials is an obvious first step.
The systems we looked at had remote tanks of fire suppression material with tubes that could be located in these high-risk areas. These systems are not foolproof—they need to be inspected and replaced at designated intervals. They also need to be sized appropriately. For more on this topic, see the original report, and search “fire prevention” on the Practical Sailor website.
