Boat survey reveals motorboat gas hoses almost 40 years old and in need of urgent replacement

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When did you last check your gas hoses? In this video, PBO expert and marine surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies, discovers something that ‘sickens him’.

“This boat was built in 1984 and these are the original gas hoses,” he says. “Look at the state of them! It’s amazing they [the boat owner] haven’t blown themselves up.”

The regulator is also is a poor state. Ben recommends you replace your regulators every 10 years, minimum.

“Please, please think about safety of gas and the age of your hoses,” he urges.

Remember that gas rubber piping has a service life of five years, and will have the date stamped on it. If you find yours is out of date, or has no date on it, the piping needs to be replaced urgently. This should be part of your pre-launch checks, says Steve Risk of Coleman Marine, especially if your boat’s been laid up for a while and you’re returning after Covid lockdown, for example.

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