The thread on the Everett marina fire contained some opinions on what to do. Just about 12 years ago our marina burned. I have a sequence of pictures taken by a the next door neighbor to the marina... She was working in the house and noticed smoke coming from a boat in the marina she went to get her camera and starting taking pictures. going from left to right and top to bottom this all happened in about 20 minutes. The fire department is about a mile away from the marina
What a marina fire looks like
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kthoennes
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I don't want to be insensitive at all, hope no one was hurt, and the insurance companies replaced every one of those boats for the owners - but looking at those photos my first thought was, that's the only way I'm ever going to completely eliminate the never-ending to-do list on my boat.
There was just one fatality, a cat on a live aboard. Insurance was a whole subject by itself. We learned a lot about insurance policies and companies in the months following the fire. With a few exceptions I don't think anyone was made completely whole. The cost of clean up was over a million by itself. Trying to determine each boat owners liability in that alone was impossible. With the exception of 2 boats every boat burned to the waterline and sank
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Bay Pelican
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Ka
I assume from your comment that the boats which did not originate the fire where considered liable for the cleanup. Was this of the marina or of their own boats.
Have you seen any explanation of this cleanup liability.
I assume from your comment that the boats which did not originate the fire where considered liable for the cleanup. Was this of the marina or of their own boats.
Have you seen any explanation of this cleanup liability.
psneeld
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Cant be sure, but pollution responsibility is from the source...so even if a boat next to you rams you or burns you till you sink...you still are responsible for pollution generated by your boat.
Whether you an collect from the source of the problem....is the huge dollar question.
Whether you an collect from the source of the problem....is the huge dollar question.
The issue with the clean up was trying to determine the percentage that each boat owner and the marina was responsible for.After the insurance companies couldn't agree and litigation was going to drag on. The CG used funds that were designated for environmental clean up... Individual owners were responsible for the mandated recovery and disposal of the sunken hulks. This is were understanding your insurance policy is crucial. Some boat owners were responsible for the disposal costs some were on the hook for the cost to raise the hull
markpierce
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Were those covered berths? One good reason to avoid same.
78puget-trawler
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Expensive covered moorage isn't much good in rain country without a lid.
dhays
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I believe that was Gig Harbor. The Gig Harbor Marina was a huge fire with a lot of loss. The rebuilt covered moorage had panels in the roof that will melt out with heat. Supposedly keeping the fire from spreading along the underside of the structure.
These guys are right, it was the Harborview marina in Gig Harbor.
The marina was covered with a metal roof that trapped all the gasses underneath the roof which is the reason the fire spread so quickly.
One thing the pictures don't show was the number of propane tanks that exploded during the fire.
nodestination
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When my boat burn and sunk, my liability insurance cover environment protection and rise/storage the boat. If some can not afford a $150 a year for liability insurance, that should not own a boat or not be allow into marina docking.
psneeld
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Did the salvage come out of hull reimbusement or was it paid separately?
Most yacht policies I believe have separate environmental cleanup line items and salvage is separate too or is just paid first and you get the rest to replace your boat.
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This risk worries me because there are a couple boats near me that aren't kept in the best condition and there are some pretty stupid owners as well. I often see people smoking on the fuel (gasoline) dock and nobody stops them. There's a new guy two or three slips down from me with a pretty crappy boat. It sometimes smells like gasoline if he's been out and the other day I saw him down in his engine compartment working on his engine while smoking a cigarette.
I suppose I could say something to him, but I don't have any authority over him. You can't fix stupid.
I suppose I could say something to him, but I don't have any authority over him. You can't fix stupid.
I would absolutely say something about is and quite vocal. You can't fix stupid, but you can get rid of him. He's endangering YOUR boat.
psneeld
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My marina has asked people to not return the next year because of repeated safety violations or just bad behavior....and when egregious, tossed immediately.
The initial complaints usually came from the core slipholders because of the "neighborhood watch" concept, then being a little more under the microscope, the offenders were observed by marina staff.
The initial complaints usually came from the core slipholders because of the "neighborhood watch" concept, then being a little more under the microscope, the offenders were observed by marina staff.
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TONTOROSS
Senior Member
Help me here fellas -- After reading all the posts, I went down the dock and started looking at power-cords, stuff stored in plane view, etc. I saw two small boats with, what looked like "small house electrical cord for their power supply." One boat (small) with a hard enclosure for the cockpit, not only has the small electrical cord, also, one can see a large gas fuel container & propane bottle inside. Are the small cords ok, or is there a problem there? The fuel can is a no-brain'er to me, it should be outside someplace. I called the Harbor Master yesterday, he seamed concerned, however, as of 2030 hrs last night, nothing was done. I'll call again today.
The problem with small gauge electrical cords is that they are normally plugged into standard 30 amp shorepower. If there is an over current condition the cord can get hot enough to start a fire or catch fire itself with out tripping the breaker....
Comodave
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I like having my boat docked behind my house, no other boats to worry about.
nodestination
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I had only liability and cover lifting boat out of water, tow to lift and storage. The boat damage was paid by that boat owner who started the fire.
It is not the monetary damage that hurt the most, but the sociological damage. I got paranoid to the point, that I remove inboard ac unit and installed portable one - no water circulation. I take my boat for a ride every few weeks and after I dock and shut down the engines, I shut down the thru hull valves.
I doubt I have the power to get rid of another tenant. I could report the one who I saw smoking and working on his boat but not the ones smoking on the fuel dock. There are signs but people ignore them. The dockhands are mostly young kids hoping for a tip, not career employees concerned about the marina. Ideally, they would turn off the pumps if someone was smoking but they don't and they are unlikely to.
Like I said, you can't fix stupid.
dhays
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Well, shutting the thru hulls every time is good practice. I do it all the time on my sailboat. I don't do it on my North Pacific simply because it is less convenient. It still would be good practice however and maybe I will start doing it. There are the engine and genset thru hulls that are below waterline.
Ideally, we would have a way to monitor water flow through a thruhull and compare it to the flow leaving the device (engine, AC unit, etc. and then shut down the device and close the thruhull automatically.
This would allow us to feel comfortable running an AC unit without being on the boat and would give us advance warning of a problem with the engine's cooling system.
I have never seen an electrically operated thruhull though.
This would allow us to feel comfortable running an AC unit without being on the boat and would give us advance warning of a problem with the engine's cooling system.
I have never seen an electrically operated thruhull though.
psneeld
Guru
A high water switch to a relay cutting power off to pumps or devices thar accelerate flooding is one option.
They might even be set up with electrically controlled seacocks for the truly cautious (paranoid).
Here is an electric seacock....
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp...path=-1|51|2243585|2234261|2234262&id=2589738
They might even be set up with electrically controlled seacocks for the truly cautious (paranoid).
Here is an electric seacock....
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp...path=-1|51|2243585|2234261|2234262&id=2589738
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Deja Vu all over again
Just posted this thread yesterday, about the marina fire that happened 12 years ago. Our current boat is moored at the replaced marina. I got a call last night that the boat tied up next to ours was on fire. Fortunately the fire was a battery fire and contained within the hull...The fire response was impressive 2 boats that had fire fighting capabilities, and a I'm told a number of fire fighters. These boats aren't undercover so the fire prevention improvements to the marina weren't tested...
Just posted this thread yesterday, about the marina fire that happened 12 years ago. Our current boat is moored at the replaced marina. I got a call last night that the boat tied up next to ours was on fire. Fortunately the fire was a battery fire and contained within the hull...The fire response was impressive 2 boats that had fire fighting capabilities, and a I'm told a number of fire fighters. These boats aren't undercover so the fire prevention improvements to the marina weren't tested...
dhays
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Wow, glad it turned out the way it did. Maybe we have what appears to be a lot of marina fires because most boats are in the water year round with almost all of them plugged into shore power full time. I believe that most of the marina fires are electric in origin in some way.
Just a bit more than I was prepared to pay. A bilge switch to shut down the AC pump is a bit more realistic but depending on where the leak is it might or might not save the boat.
dhays
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I agree, spendy item. I think it would be nice to have a power seacock that would open on key on and then close on key off. I would also love to have powered valves for my fuel transfer lines as well.
psneeld
Guru
I only pointed out the electric through hull as many boaters have no idea what is and isnt available out there.
I too would not worry about the sea cocks and hoses as they are a high priority maintenance item to me.
The relay was suggested to me by a superb marine engineer and I have it on my work list.
I too would not worry about the sea cocks and hoses as they are a high priority maintenance item to me.
The relay was suggested to me by a superb marine engineer and I have it on my work list.
