Being hit by exploding turbo shrapnel serves as a crucial reminder to prioritize safety.

      DrParker via YouTube

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      Just because something seems entertaining online doesn't mean it's wise to try it yourself. For instance, you might be tempted by the idea of replicating a world-record base jump you saw on YouTube, but enlisting a couple of drinking friends to help could lead to disastrous results. Similarly, it’s not advisable to put a large turbo on your boat engine without any kind of protective enclosure to safeguard your head in case of an incident. Just ask this guy, and he’ll share his experience.

      YouTuber Parker Mitchell learned this lesson the hard way while operating his longtail riverboat off the coast of Florida. He purchased it from Thailand, where these turbocharged diesel boats are quite popular. You may have seen viral clips of Thai speed enthusiasts racing down narrow channels in these vessels, spewing black smoke as they accelerate. That’s basically what Mitchell was doing when the engine’s turbocharger exploded.

      From what I've gathered by watching some of his previous videos, Mitchell had a fairly large Holset turbo fitted on a 3.0-liter Isuzu 4JJ1 engine. In fact, it seemed like he had two of them, though only one failed. It’s nearly impossible to determine the exact speed of the turbo, but given the high engine RPMs, it was likely spinning over 100,000 RPM, possibly approaching 200,000 RPM when the housing burst.

      Frequently, you might see turbos covered with a thermal blanket, typically on the turbine side. However, it was the compressor side of Mitchell's Holset that blew apart. While a standard thermal blanket might not have stopped the debris from injuring boat passengers, another type of enclosure certainly could have helped.

      Instead, a small brace on the wooden boat was the only thing preventing this chunk of turbo from striking a guy in the back. He did receive some metal fragments in his mouth, but everyone involved emerged from the incident in much better condition than could have been expected.

      Close-up shots of the engine reveal that the explosion ruptured the charge pipe, along with noticeable damage to the boat itself. Oil leaked onto the floor as a result of the failure as well.

      They were all laughing and joking about the explosion until someone came to help, and soon they were pulling the boat out of the water with a new F-150 Raptor R. The boat will likely see another day on the water—it’s not the first time it sustained engine damage—and the guys will be back to making videos. I just hope they're aware of how close they were to a much worse outcome.

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