The Shopping List - Fire Extinguishers

There are two purchasing criteria for fire extinguishers with which boaters need to be concerned: Is it U.S. Coast Guard approved and what is the Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) classification? For our test, we looked at the most common fire extinguishers found on recreational boats: U.S. Coast Guard approved B-1 models that are rated for A, B, or C fires. For more information on approvals, rating systems and minimum requirements of fire extinguishers please view our Boating Safety Study Guide. Here's a list of the units we tested:

5-B:C Models – U.S. Coast Guard Approved B-1, UL Classified 5-B:C, Dry Chemical Retardant

• Kidde PWC, Retail Price $22.99
• First Alert Mini Marine Fire Extinguisher PWC, $64.79 (4 pack)
  
• Kidde Mariner 5, $27.99
  
• First Alert Mini Marine Fire Extinguisher, $29.99

10-B:C Models – U.S. Coast Guard Approved B-1, UL Classified 10-B:C, Dry Chemical Retardant

• Kidde Mariner 10, $27.99
• First Alert Marine Fire Extinguisher, $29.99

1-A:10-B:C Models – U.S. Coast Guard Approved B-1, UL Classified 1-A:10-B:C, Dry Chemical Retardant

• Kidde Mariner 110, $33.99
• First Alert Multipurpose Marine Fire Extinguisher, $116.53 (4 pack)

Halon Replacement – U.S. Coast Guard Approved B-1

• Kidde Halotron 1 – 5-B:C, $184.99
• Kidde Halotron 1 – 1-A:10-B:C, $354.99

Kidde products are available at Westmarine.com and Defender.com. First Alert products are available at Amazon.com and Acehardwaresuperstore.com.

We tested 10 fire extinguishers in total.

These compact, 5-B:C units are rated for liquid and electrical fires. The two on the left are designed specifically for PWCs.

These 1-A:10-B:C units are rated for solid compustibles, flammable liquids and electrical fires.