SEPTEMBER 17, 2010
OUTDOORS
THEPRESS.NET
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Just say no to C-O Have you ever spent a day on the water, gotten home and just not felt all that great? Maybe you’re fatigued, have a headache and chalk it up to too much sun or beer. It could be, however, that these are also the symptoms of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, a boating safety problem more ON THE common than most ATER people realize. CO is an invisible, odorless and tasteless poison gas that is part of the engine exhaust. It’s potentially lethal, causing a handful CAPT. JON of boating deaths BLOOM every year and making countless others ill. All gasoline powered boats make CO, the effect of which varies from boat to boat and operating conditions present. Since CO is heavier than air, it stays low to the water. Combined with the “station wagon” effect, or being trapped by a low-pressure area immediately behind a boat, the inboard stern area and transom platform are especially susceptible. CO levels at the swim step on some vessels have been measured as high as 26,000 parts per million (ppm). A level of 12,800 ppm results in death in less than 3 minutes. A 2004 California law prohibits sitting on the swim platform while the motor is running, or hanging on to it while idling forward in gear, often referred to as teak surfing or platform dragging. Also prohibited is bodysurfing the wake behind a boat. Wake surfing, a popular new activity on the Delta, is still legal in California. However, caution should be used when learning to perform this skill – for both the surfer and boat occupants. Extended periods near the transom, down low at water level exposes the surfer to higher than safe levels of CO as the boat is moving slowly with the engine working hard to plow the water necessary to create a surf wake. In addition, a portion of that same toxic cloud is also being
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sucked back into the boat, placing passengers at risk. A study reported by Boat US in 2006 revealed that CO levels reach more than 1,000 ppm at the inside transom of many express cruisers. BoatTest.com performed a study with a 19-foot Correct Craft ski boat and found a CO peak of 434 ppm at the stern seat, operating at 7½ mph. This study also found a peak CO level of 58 ppm at 80 feet behind the boat and two feet off the water, right where the kids are sitting on the tube! By way of comparison, the EPA threshold of safety standard is 9 ppm for eight hours of exposure and 35 ppm for one hour. Most people start to feel symptoms above 70 ppm, and 200 ppm is considered a point of evacuation. Since you can’t see it or smell it, knowing how bad the cloud is hard to determine without monitoring equipment. However, some simple operator guidelines can keep your exposure levels to a minimum. First, limit idling in neutral and if necessary, keep the nose into the wind. Shut off the motor while people are climbing in and out or going for a quick swim. Next, ensure that cross ventilation exists so that CO doesn’t collect without any way to escape. If a side canvas is up, open a hatch to keep the air flowing through. Third, use wind to an advantage. Make that monster wake into the wind, or on a crosswind – but not downwind, where the CO cloud blows back into the boat. Finally, make some turns while pulling kids on the tube. The tube will cross an “S” trail of CO but not sit directly in its path as driving in a straight line does. Being mindful of CO while boating can help prevent unnecessary illness and even tragedy. Keep that invisible cloud at bay to boat safe and have fun. Jonathan Bloom is a USCG licensed Master and ASA certified sailing instructor. He can be reached via www.baydeltafun.com. To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
NEW SHORT REFI PLAN Another week, another new plan to “save” the housing market is released by the government. This one is called FHA Short Refinance. It allows some under-water homeowners to get a brandnew FHA loan at 97.75% of their home’s value. The basic requirements are that the loan must be current (I heard one report that some lenders will only do this if you have been current for the past 12 months), you must meet all the FHA requirements for getting a new loan (which means the maximum loan size will be $729,750 and your debt ratio, credit score, etc. must be in line), principal residences only, and your existing first lender must agree to write off at least 10% of your balance in order to get you down to the 97.75% figure. If you have a second mortgage, they’ll have to agree to write down their loan balance so your total loans don’t exceed 115% of your value. These principal write-downs are to be permanent forgiveness of the money. Just like all the other plans that have been released, it sounds great at first, but just like the others, the biggest challenge will be in the implementation. The government is predicting that 500K to 1.5M homeowners nationwide will
be helped with this program. Critics are predicting that only 2,000-3,000 will be helped. The biggest loophole is that it is a voluntary program. Your current lender does not HAVE to participate. Lenders are already quite reluctant to do principal reductions for those borrowers who are delinquent and/or foreclosure is imminent. They will probably be even LESS likely to drop principal for those borrowers that are current. Also, this program doesn’t appear to be an option for those that already have a FHA or VA loan, or a loan that is guaranteed by Freddie Mac of Fannie Mae. These last four entities account for a large percentage of outstanding loans, so that means a LOT of people won’t qualify right now. (The program may be expanded to include them at a later date.) To find out if you qualify, call your preferred mortgage professional to ask. If you need a referral to a local lender that is familiar with this program, give me a call. If you have questions on this or any other real estate topic, call me at (925) 240-MOVE (6683). To search the MLS for free and view virtual tours of homes for sale, go to: www.SharpHomesOnline. com. Sharp Realty
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