Play it Safe
It’s often the things we cannot see that pose the greatest danger on our boats. A recent incident in Wrightsville Beach drove this point home to a world cruiser at the very beginning of his journey. Timothy Wilkinson was lucky to not be killed when his sailboat exploded, reportedly due to a faulty propane installation. The blast blew the cabintop off the boat and sent Timothy to the hospital with second and third-degree burns.
Given the dangers of LPG, why do we continue to use it aboard our boats? In a word, convenience. LPG—either propane or butane—is readily available in most parts of the world at a reasonable cost. A small cylinder of propane can last many weeks and is easy to refill even in remote locations. The truth is, propane can be safe if handled with
