Fire Extinguishers,

Just though to post this after seeing the one boat go up in flames on Pewaukee lake this weekend. So Fire  Extinguishers , wheres yours ? Is it full and still have enough pressure on the gauge ? Is it accessible where you can grab it quickly , or is in buried in a compartment where you have to look for it ? How's your batteries,  fuel systems , is your motor cooling enough when you are out on the water ? And last thing , what's the plan in God forbid your rig does have a fire ? Just wanted to throw this out there after seeing one pleasure boat get destroyed by fire while out on the water , and at least everyone on board was accounted for and will sail another day.  

Gobbler,  if you have an outboard on your boat regardless of length of that boat you should have a ABC type extinguisher on board , I believe the regs are anything over 16 feet but even on my old 15 foot bass boat I had one , it's just one of those things you should have incase you need it but hope you never have to use it . 

Confused,so does it have to be a marine rated for a boat ? Or just for great lakes,bago system ?

Kidde has had more recalls than Arnold Swarznegger.

I can see shaking it but seriously, gauge or not that thing is worthless unless you go the extra mile for a bigger one....meets requirements.....pffft done....not sure how you check yours....pffft done...get a new one or get refilled.....and keep a container that you can  pee in and  toss water

You should shake your extinguisher at least once a year so the powder doesn't cake up in the bottom.

I bought my boat five years ago and it had a fire extinguisher in it, but somehow the pin got lost.  One day I was putting my anchors in the boat and I bumped it with the anchor.  Out came whatever was left in it!  I replaced it with a new one, but waited a whole year thinking it was fine, since the gauge still was reading in the green.  When I finally tested it before the next boating season nothing came out!  I have a tiller model and the extinguisher is right next to me.  Hopefully the pin doesn't fall out again because that sure made a mess on my boat when that stuff came out!

Prop-buster - If your fire extinguisher doesn't have a gauge on it you need to take a second look. It may be a "Pindicator" and those have been recalled.

https://www.kidde.com/home-safety/en/us/support/product-alerts/recall-kidde-fire-extinguisher/

Okay, you guy's have me thinking. My extinguisher is mounted right next to me by the steering wheel and shift lever, so that's good. Even though it shows in the green on the gauge, it's over six years old. So I will be purchasing a new one. Better safe than sorry. My question is, what is a good brand to get? 

Thanks for the replies, JJ 

All good points Piker. My fire happened right at launch. I hit trim switch on motor to trim up and it got stuck on in trim up. Wiring on motor doesn’t take long to heat up and start on fire. I didn’t have a battery power switch at time. If I could have turned battery power off, it would have been a lot less damage.  I sent wife to pier with pee bucket to get water. I knocked down fire with extinguisher and was trying to figure out how to secure power. Finally realized the in line fuse and disconnected it. Used water to cool off motor. Damage was done very quickly. 

Dry chemical fire extinguishers CAN and DO put fires out...they either remove the oxygen or heat from the 'fire triangle'...they either separate the fuel from oxygen or dissipate heat. You do not need water for extinguishing a gas / oil fire. In fact, water will make it worse in most cases (think frozen turkey in a fryer or trying to spray a fryer fire with a water hose)...The idea is to prevent the fire from spreading from the outboard into the rest of the boat. If you have a small fire on your motor and cannot put it out with a dry chemical extinguisher, you either 1) have too small of an extinguisher or 2) are not using it properly. I have a standard dry chemical extinguisher in my boat and would never buy those tiny white marine ones (although they would be 'legal') due to the fact that I'd rather have the extra fire retardant and not need it than run out and say "Damn, wish I would have bought a bigger extinguisher." Also, I would rather have a bigger one and be able to assist someone that has a large ski boat, bass boat, etc. that holds 30, 40, 50 gallons of gasoline and has a larger engine if needed. I have a 16.5 boat with a 90hp outboard. My extinguisher is WAY overkill for my boat, but it doesn't take up THAT much more space in the storage compartment than those little ones that would technically be 'legal'...Good advice in this department is "Don't be the guy that brings a knife to a gun fight." If you're in a boat in rough water, have small kids, etc. fleeing should be a LAST resort if you have a small fire. I like to know that I could put out just about any fire that starts on my boat and then some...