Life on Reston’s lakes is easygoing. There’s nothing more relaxing than grabbing some refreshments, hopping on your pontoon or dock boat, and cruising around on the water for a peaceful afternoon.
What would you do if there was a sudden fire on board? Do you have a fire extinguisher? What about life preservers? How does this even happen?
With so many different styles of pontoon, dock boat, or other electric watercraft it’s hard to know what is “right” when it comes to safety. Nearly all of Reston’s 460+ registered electric boats are hand-made, or converted from gas operation. This leads to a wide array of possible power system configurations. Some are as simple as a marine battery wired directly to a trolling motor. Others may have 8 or more batteries, a control system, lights, a stereo, and more.
It may come as a surprise that nearly all boats in Reston have non-functioning or missing electrical safety equipment. Every circuit in your house or vehicle is required to have a fuse or circuit breaker to prevent deadly fires. However, very few boats have a system to prevent an electrical over-current situation which can result in a fire. Only a handful of electric motors come with an over-current protection device like a fuse or circuit breaker.
We at eBoats are eager to help ensure Reston’s boats are safe. Contact us today to have your system checked.