Volvo Penta 3.0GS/SX Owner's Manual page 8

Carbon monoxide poisoning
When a boat moves forward through the water a va-
cuum is created behind it to a greater or lesser ex-
tent. In some circumstances this vacuum effect can
be so great that the boat's own exhaust gases are
sucked into its cockpit or cabin. This poses a risk of
carbon monoxide poisoning to those on-board.
This problem is greatest for high, wide beamed boats
with a vertical stern. However, it can be a problem for
other types of boat in certain conditions (running with
the cover up for example). Other factors that exacer-
Remember
Safety equipment: Life jackets for everybody on board, communication equipment, distress
flares, approved fire extinguishers, life-buoys, anchors, paddles, torches etc.
Replacement parts and tools: impeller, fuel filter, fuses, tape, hose clamps, engine oil, propeller
and the tools for jobs that may be necessary.
Get out up-to-date charts for the planned route. Calculate distance and fuel consumption. Listen
to weather reports.
Tell friends or relatives about your planned route when undertaking longer journeys. Remember
to tell people about changes to your plans.
Teach those on-board the location of safety equipment and how to use it. Ensure that there is
more than one person on-board who can start and drive the boat safely.
This list should be added to if the type of boat requires extra safety equipment. We recommend that
you contact your local boating organization to find a suitable course.
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bate the problem are wind conditions, load distribu-
tion, sea conditions, trim, open hatches and ventil-
ators etc.
Most modern boats are designed so that vacuum ef-
fect problems are very rare. If a vacuum forms be-
hind the boat do not open ventilators or hatches at
the front of the boat. Strangely enough this leads to
an increase in the vacuum effect. Instead, try chang-
ing speed, trim or load distribution. Try also to take
down, open or in some other way change the confi-
guration of the cover. Contact your boat dealer to
find a solution for your particular boat.