BOATS ILLUSTRATED

Melbourne’s Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Service Board (MFB) provides a world class fire and rescue service.  With the huge expansion of commercial and residential development in Melbourne’s Dockland precinct, it was inevitable that the MFB had to provide an on-water presence.

After commissioning a Yamaha F40 powered Stabicraft 389 last year, the MFB recently launched a second quick response fire boat.   The ultimate accolade was paid to both Yamaha and Stabicraft with the new boat being virtually identical to the first.

The only concession to development is that the original MFB fire boat was powered by Yamaha’s F40 outboard with carburettors, the 2010 MFB has Yamaha’s new F40 with the advanced EFI induction system.

According to Chris Schey of the MFB, the fire boat is on call to handle a diverse range of situations, both in the Docklands precinct and beyond.

“Our most common call out is to attend to small fires in the timber piles that support the docks,” said Chris Schey.

“These fires can’t be accessed by a regular road appliance, we need to get there by water so that we can gain access underneath the piers to the heart of the fire.   Generally these are started by fishermen who have been smoking on the piers while fishing.”

More often than not these fires are at Princes Pier Port Melbourne, near the entrance to the Yarra River.   For the new MFB fire boat it’s important that the Yamaha F40 starts instantly then delivers plenty of power even from a cold start.

As a concession to safety and the kind of work that can be performed, the Yamaha F40 is fitted with a propeller guard.

“While we are primarily set up for fire fighting, it’s quite conceivable in the Docklands precinct that we could have to work in situations where there are people in the water,” Chris Schey said.

To undertake the work required, the Stabicraft 389 and Yamaha F40 combination have been specifically rigged to the MFB specification.  The hull is foam filled so as to provide flotation in the event of swamping.

The MFB boat is fitted with a petrol driven fire pump which not only pumps salt water onto a fire, but can be used as a pump to pump water from a vessel in distress.   No foam fire fighting equipment is carried on board.

The crew on board includes two fire fighters in addition to the driver.   All three MFB members are required to wear their normal fire fighting protective gear when attending a fire.   But because they are on the water, they also don 250N auto inflating jackets.

All up weight of the rig is 440 kgs plus the crew.

“We have been really happy with our last Yamaha outboard, so decided to go for Yamaha again,” Chris Schey said.  “The electric start Yamaha F40 is easy and quick to start.”

Both the original fire boat and the latest rig were set up and supplied by MY Marine, a well respected Yamaha dealer located at Dromana on the shores of Port Phillip Bay.  In addition to servicing regular boating consumers, MY Marine has gained quite a reputation for supplying a variety of government authorities with boats rigged to a strict tender specification.

“One of the key attributes of the Yamaha is that it is so easy to flush.  After removing the boat from the water, it’s pretty difficult to flush with the prop guard fitted, but with the flushing attachment on the side of the engine we can snap on a regular garden hose and flush the powerhead.”

Built around a 6-valve, single overhead camshaft, in-line 3-cylinder power unit, the new F40F is light and compact.

At the heart of the new F40 outboard is Yamaha’s electronic multi-point fuel injection system.  Combined with an electronically controlled single throttle valve, long intake track manifold and 32-bit electronic control module, the mid-range 40hp pocket rocket delivers lightening starts, smooth and quiet performance and precise throttle control.

Yamaha outboards are available through an Australia-wide network of authorised Yamaha outboard dealers.  All Yamaha 4-stroke outboards are supported with a full 4-year manufacturer’s warranty and all 2-stroke outboards are backed by a 3-year warranty – standard conditions apply