Well, got that call at home late Saturday night from the local fire dept: "the boat in the slip next to you caught fire and you're boat sustained some heat damage..." It's now believed that the shore power connection on our neighbor's 30 ft houseboat shorted, arc'd and set all ablaze. There was a strong wind blowing from bow to stern and when his dock lines burnt through the houseboat drifted north, away from the dock and onto shore. This is fortunate because, had the wind been blowing otherwise, the fire would likely have swept the entire dock as the boat would not have drifted away, so the fire dept says. The gas tanks on the houseboat exploded and sent debris all over. It's lucky there wasn't a boat in the slip on his other side. No one was injured, and that's the blessing. There's so much shrink wrap on the big power boats, the whole area could have been an inferno. Our boat was not engulfed in the houseboat flames but I'm told this is simply heat damage. The wind blew the flames over the stern. I had not tented the boat because I was hoping for some reasonable winter weather and taking the family out for a sail over Thanksgiving weekend. Had our boat been tented, it would have burnt the entire boat and likely set fire to the powerboat on our port side. Wow! all five portlights (Gray) on the starboard side have melted in place. The wooden handrail on the aft end of the cabin top is burnt to a crisp. Main halyard, head sail furling line, shore power cable...all burnt through. There's no apparent damage on the inside of the boat. Of most concern now is the hull damage just below the toe rail down to the level of the finger pier. The gel coat is burnt and flaking off and I can see some fiber glass mat beneath. This means structural damage in my opinion. The aluminum toe rail looks undamaged by the heat. The plastic tubes around the shrouds that minimize abrasion of the head sail sheets all melted. There's soot or scorching on the underside of the spreader. I'm meeting with a marine surveyor this week and the houseboat insurance agent. My fear is the cost to repair will outstrip the insurance agent's opinion of Charisma's value. Anyone know anything about hull repairs, fiberglass damage repair, etc.? Sale prices of H36 Cherubinis? Advice in general? We'ld always been very careful about fire threats on board our boat. Guess that isn't good enough. Sad day. Mike
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Sad News
Mike, I'm sorry to hear of the damage to your boat. We had a similar scare in our Marina this last spring. It happened on a Saturday, when most people visit so all the other boats were quickly moved and saved. The owner was out sailing on a friend's boat. The frantic CH 16 calls to get him back to the marina is what alerted us. Our marina is part of a small village with just a volunteer fire department. Their slow response and lack of boat fire experience was an eye opener for all. Since the marina is a major portion of the overall village, that's changing. The fire fighters are now receiving the specific training to be more effective. Another change was the addition of new fire extinguishers every 20' along the piers. Our marina operator is a great guy who was frustrated with his ability to respond. The extinguishers were in place within just a few days. All-in-all it was lucky for us. It was a slow, smoky, smoldering fire that was limited to the interior, a total loss for the owner, but a wake-up call for all of us. It was caused by an overworked and unattended space heater the owner was using to dry his forward berth.
Mike, I'm sorry to hear of the damage to your boat. We had a similar scare in our Marina this last spring. It happened on a Saturday, when most people visit so all the other boats were quickly moved and saved. The owner was out sailing on a friend's boat. The frantic CH 16 calls to get him back to the marina is what alerted us. Our marina is part of a small village with just a volunteer fire department. Their slow response and lack of boat fire experience was an eye opener for all. Since the marina is a major portion of the overall village, that's changing. The fire fighters are now receiving the specific training to be more effective. Another change was the addition of new fire extinguishers every 20' along the piers. Our marina operator is a great guy who was frustrated with his ability to respond. The extinguishers were in place within just a few days. All-in-all it was lucky for us. It was a slow, smoky, smoldering fire that was limited to the interior, a total loss for the owner, but a wake-up call for all of us. It was caused by an overworked and unattended space heater the owner was using to dry his forward berth.
Sorry to hear about your problem...
Mike, About ten years ago the same problem happened to me. A power boat two slips down wind of us caught fire (electrical heater) and burned to the water line--a boat between the power boat and me also caught fire and burned almost to the water line. Our boat (Hunter 35.5) sustained considerable damage. Here are some things to look for. My canvas (dodger and bimini were ruined having the windows all melt as well as burning some of the canvas. Just like your boat, the side facing the fire was badly scotched. But here is a kicker--under the toe rail, there was considerable damage that I had not seen. Because the aluminum rail stuck out from the hull it trapped the heat under the rail. Another surprise for me--the far side of the cockpit had damage to the fiberglass. I had only looked on the side of the boat closest to the heat. I was quite impressed with the surveyor who had been selected by my insurance firm. My boat was repaired much to my satisfaction--like new. My only problem was with the insurance company and the agency. The fire was on a Saturday and I couldn't reach the agency until Monday. Meanwhile the sailboat next to me that was totaled had a BoatUS surveyor there Sunday morning. Also my insurance company refused to pay for some items even thought the surveyor said to get them fixed or repaired (including the dodger and bimini). The insurance company would not pay for the canvas saying it was over five years old--that was it useful life. I called Sunbrella company and they said useful life here in the northwest was at least ten years and then some since we see the sun so little. There were a couple of other items that I forget that they didn't want to pay for saying it was wear and tear. I keep my boat in great shape and was able to fight them on these points. I do not like marine insurance companies for the most part since this occurance. Long story made short--I refused to sign anything and even spoke to the state consumer and insurance depts. Five years later, the insurance agency finally called me and asked what did I want so that I would sign the papers. I added just the things YOUR surveyor said to have fixed. They sent me a check finally. However by that time I had already switched my insurance to BoatUS and actually got a better price. I though that a marine insurance agency here in the northwest would have been the best, but that was not the facts. I guess the moral of the story is not to sign anything until you are happy with the results. I do wish you well on repairing your boat. It was a low time in my boating life when my boat got burned. Les
Mike, About ten years ago the same problem happened to me. A power boat two slips down wind of us caught fire (electrical heater) and burned to the water line--a boat between the power boat and me also caught fire and burned almost to the water line. Our boat (Hunter 35.5) sustained considerable damage. Here are some things to look for. My canvas (dodger and bimini were ruined having the windows all melt as well as burning some of the canvas. Just like your boat, the side facing the fire was badly scotched. But here is a kicker--under the toe rail, there was considerable damage that I had not seen. Because the aluminum rail stuck out from the hull it trapped the heat under the rail. Another surprise for me--the far side of the cockpit had damage to the fiberglass. I had only looked on the side of the boat closest to the heat. I was quite impressed with the surveyor who had been selected by my insurance firm. My boat was repaired much to my satisfaction--like new. My only problem was with the insurance company and the agency. The fire was on a Saturday and I couldn't reach the agency until Monday. Meanwhile the sailboat next to me that was totaled had a BoatUS surveyor there Sunday morning. Also my insurance company refused to pay for some items even thought the surveyor said to get them fixed or repaired (including the dodger and bimini). The insurance company would not pay for the canvas saying it was over five years old--that was it useful life. I called Sunbrella company and they said useful life here in the northwest was at least ten years and then some since we see the sun so little. There were a couple of other items that I forget that they didn't want to pay for saying it was wear and tear. I keep my boat in great shape and was able to fight them on these points. I do not like marine insurance companies for the most part since this occurance. Long story made short--I refused to sign anything and even spoke to the state consumer and insurance depts. Five years later, the insurance agency finally called me and asked what did I want so that I would sign the papers. I added just the things YOUR surveyor said to have fixed. They sent me a check finally. However by that time I had already switched my insurance to BoatUS and actually got a better price. I though that a marine insurance agency here in the northwest would have been the best, but that was not the facts. I guess the moral of the story is not to sign anything until you are happy with the results. I do wish you well on repairing your boat. It was a low time in my boating life when my boat got burned. Les
Hope You Are Insured!
So, if you are, let them take care of it. It sound like too much that I would undertake and get it done properly! Boat yards love this type of work because it is long-term and makes them some money. But get EVERYTHING in writing!
So, if you are, let them take care of it. It sound like too much that I would undertake and get it done properly! Boat yards love this type of work because it is long-term and makes them some money. But get EVERYTHING in writing!
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