[Outlaw]

Several of the boat manufacturers are now starting to mount the extinguishers horizontally and the mounting bracket is the same as the one used for vertical mounting. The manufacturers are just mounting them on a horizontal surface (such as SeaRay does).

It is TRUE that a vertically mounted extinguisher does compact. If you take your extinguisher, hold it in the middle and SLOWLY tilt it left then right (take about 2 seconds to make each move) you should feel movement of the contents. If the contents is sluggish or not moving, a jolt on the bottom of the extinguisher to the palm of your hand or on a dock or piling (don't bang it till its dead, just give it a jolt). You may have to do this one or more times before you will feel the contents move. Tip the extinguisher each time after you've given it a jolt to see if it dislodged the contents. Should this not work, it would be wise to invent in a new extinguisher.

Another important note about extinguishers, regardless of what the NH State and Federal Rules and Regulations are, having two extinguishers on board is just plain smart. One in the cockpit and one in the cabin. If you have a cabin fire and your ONLY extinguisher in in the cabin .... say no more.

It's also wise to have your extinguishers checked yearly, whether by yourself - or better yet during a complimentary, confidential Vessel Safety Check performed by the Lakes Region Sail & Power Squadron. In addition to checking you extinguisher(s) the vessel examiner is a wealth of boating safety and boating knowledge. It's always good when you can walk away having learned a thing or two.

Just good sense to have a vessel safety check done, it could help prevent an unfortunate incident because you were given the knowledge to take command and make sure your boat is safe. Not all accidents can be prevented, but if you can prevent one from happening to you, that's a good thing.

Check the forum for the Vessel Safety Check Schedule.