Fire; Distress Signals - Hunter H41 Operator's Manual

If a person falls overboard, hypothermia may be an
immediate concern. Hypothermia means a person's body
loses heat to the water faster than the body can replace
it. If not rescued, the person will become exhausted and
likely drown. In general, the colder the water, the shorter
the time for survival. PFDs will increase survival time
because they provide insulation.
Water Exhaustion orUncon-
Temperature sciousness
32.5 Under 15 min
32.5 – 40 15 – 30 min
40 – 50 30 – 60 min
50 – 60 1 – 2 hrs
60 – 70 2 – 3 hrs
70 – 80 3 – 12 hrs
Over 80 Indefinite

4.4 Fire

DA NGER
!
A fire aboard your boat is serious. Explosion is pos-
sible. Respond immediately. Develop a fire response
plan.
4.4.1 Fire
Every boater should develop a fire response plan to
determine what kind of fire (fuel, electrical, etc.) might
break out, where it might break out, and the best way to
react.
Important: Everyone on board should know where a fire extin-
guisher is and how to operate it.
Any fire requires stopping the engines immediately.
If the fire is in the engine compartment, shut off the bilge
blower immediately. Do not open the hatch to the engine
compartment. The fire will flare up as the fresh air supply
increases suddenly.
Hunter 41 • Boating Safety
Expected Time of
Survival
Under 15 to 45 min
30 – 90 min
1 – 3 hrs
2 – 4 hrs
2 – 4 hrs
3 hrs – indefinite
Indefinite
!
4.12
Keep the fire downwind if possible. If the fire is aft, head
into the wind.
Have all persons on board put on their personal flotation
devices (PFDs).
If you can get at the fire, aim the fire extinguisher at the
base of the flames and use a sweeping action to put out
the fire.
If the fire gets out of control, make a distress signal and
call for help on the radio.
Deciding whether to stay with the boat or abandon ship
will be difficult. If the decision is to abandon ship, all per-
sons on board should jump overboard and swim a safe
distance away from the burning boat.

4.5 Distress Signals

4.5.1 Mayday
If you have a VHF radio, heed storm warnings and
answer any distress calls from other boats. The word
"MAYDAY" spoken three times is the international signal
of distress. Monitor marine radio channel 16, which is
reserved for emergency and safety messages. You can
also use this channel to contact the Coast Guard or other
boaters if you have trouble.
Never send a "MAYDAY" message unless there is a serious
emergency and you are in need of immediately assistance.
4.5.2 Visual Distress Signals
The U.S. Coast Guard requires that all boats operat-
ing on U.S. Coastal Waters have visual distress signal
equipment on board. In general, coastal waters include
all waters except rivers, streams, and inland lakes. The
Great Lakes are considered coastal waters, as is a river
mouth more than two miles wide. Boats owned in the
United States and operating on the high seas must also
carry visual distress signal equipment.
Visual distress equipment must be in serviceable con-
dition and stowed in a readily accessible location.
Equipment having a date showing useful service life must
be within the specified usage date shown. Both pyrotech-
nic and non-pyrotechnic equipment must be U.S. Coast
Guard approved.