Houseboats Recalled

Boat/US Magazine, May, 2001

The U.S. Coast Guard is recalling certain models of houseboats that are built with an air cavity underneath the swim platform and transom in the wake of a series of deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning. The six manufacturers named so far with models subject to the recall include Stardust, Sumerset, Skipperliner, Sunstar, Fantasy Custom Yachts, and Thoroughbred Cruisers. A Coast Guard spokesman said additional models may also be identified as part of the recall.

The Coast Guard is also warning boat operators to shut off gasoline-powered generators with transom exhaust ports whenever the swim ladder or swim platform is in use. Swimmers are warned not to enter the air cavity beneath the swim platform where lethal levels of carbon monoxide are known to build up.

A high incidence of poisonings among boaters at Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona border was discovered last September by federal health officials investigating the sudden deaths of two boys on a houseboat last August. It was assumed they drowned but tests showed they were overcome by carbon monoxide while swimming around the stern of their boat. (See "Houseboat Tragedies Call for Recall," in the March issue of BOATIUS. Magazine.)

Dr. Robert Baron, medical director of the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area in which Lake Powell is located, launched an investigation with help from the National Park Service, Dept. of Interior and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Denver branch.

Their findings that nine people have died since 1994 and more than 100 needed emergency care since 1991 -- all from CO poisoning at Lake Powell -- led to a call for "rapid intervention" on houseboats by the federal Centers for Disease Control on Dec. 15, as well as warnings issued nationwide by the Coast Guard.

Their investigation included actual tests on houseboats at Lake Powell and the level of CO found beneath some houseboats in the air cavity was so high it was enough to kill a person after only a few breaths. Many boats vent the gasoline generator exhaust into this space, with no outlet, allowing lethal levels of carbon monoxide to build up within minutes. This space, as wide as the boat and about three feet long, is an attractive place for kids to swim into while playing in the water.

The Coast Guard does not have standards on the placement of gasoline generator exhaust vents, but does have the authority to order a recall for any hazard on a boat that threatens the public safety. Owners of the recalled boats should call the manufacturer for a generator exhaust vent retrofit. Federal law requires the manufacturer to pay for repairs to correct the defect, in this case the venting of the generator exhaust.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that results from the incomplete burning of carbon fuel. Exposure to humans causes headaches, dizziness, fatigue, confusion and nausea; in high concentrations or prolonged exposure, carbon monoxide causes convulsions, seizures and death. On boats, the symptoms closely mimic those of seasickness so poisoning is often not suspected.

The Coast Guard has warnings on this problem at its Web site at uscgboating.org. For recall information, go to the Boat U.S. Recall Registry site at BoatUS.com.