Burn boats in Green Cove Springs marina

Like they said in "old elpaso" - shi..happens, but most was the "hurry up" and bypass some safety procedures. On 19th this month, 3 guys preparing twin gasoline engine power boat for towing 2 salvage boats from St.Augustine. It was getting late when they fill up the tanks. Then they found out that one of the tanks was leaking. They got large external tank, set up on back deck and begin transfering the fuel from the leaking boat. I was in my boat in next slip when I hear and felt explosion - the boat just blew up. I went out to see what happen and saw the boat on fire - wind was blowing toward my boat. Run inside and grab my dog - Lucky. Try to untied my boat and get out of the flame way, but had too many lines(6). It was too hot and I had to get out. From distance, I watch my life burn out. The fire trucks arrive and put water on burning boats. They fill up my boat and the boat sunk. I had only liability insurance. Lesson learn - do not park next to gasoline boat.
https://www.gofundme.com/green-cove-fund?ssid=821689776&pos=23 link to gofundme page if interested. Right now, I am in motel and waiting on a boat.

Really sorry for you, this must be really a shocking event.
At least you are safe and you went out of this without injury, thisnmay have been worse.

All my sympaties.

Hang on, their insurance should be paying for your losses.

Have you got their insurance details?

They had no insurance - this marina does not require to have any insurance. I am on my own as they had small business and were not doing well. The owner and his co-worker still in hospital from burns. Live goes on.

Agree with the hang on till sll the insurance dust settles...just because they don't have boat insurance, if they have other types of insurance it can be a target.

When a drunk stumbled into a highway at night and my truck mirror hit him causing $500 damage to my truck (window and mirror), my insurance said because it was to a pedestrian, tough AND .because he didn't have homeowners to go after. Not sure how it all really works, but talk to a3 lawyer before giving up...only takes time, no money till they tell you what is possible usually.

In addition to watching neighbor boats for dangers...make sure you can untie your boat in seconds or close.

Can't comment on the ops method of tying up a boat....it may have been fine and just overwhelmed by fire.

But many experienced boaters I know tie boats up poorly in my estimation......especially critical for fires and storms.

Just went trough hurricane. My boat did good because was tie down good. I expected another strong wind - not fire.

Oh that sucks, dude.

nodestination said:

I had only liability insurance. Lesson learn - do not park next to gasoline boat.
https://www.gofundme.com/green-cove-fund?ssid=821689776&pos=23 link to gofundme page if interested. Right now, I am in motel and waiting on a boat.

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I am very sorry that you lost your boat but am very glad that you and your dog were unharmed.

I disagree with the lessons learned. Folks park next to gasoline powered boats all the time with no issues. Plenty of diesel powered boats have started marina fires due to electrical problems.

It seems to me you are missing the biggest lesson of all, insure yourself against losses that you can't absorb. If your boat is your home, you should insure it as such. If you can afford to self-insure, i.e. you can pay cash to replace the boat, then insurance is not needed. However, if you can't afford to replace the loss, that is what insurance is for.

Now it is my turn to sound like an uncaring *******. Without a lot more information there is no way I would donate to help cover a loss that the owner didn't feel was worth insuring in the first place.

Boat fire

I sleep and shower with out a knife, even then with in arms reach. And at dock side have large hose ready both sides. But a sharp blade is always a friend.

That really bad experience of life, did you was living onboard?

Insurance are all time to expensive when you need to pay but when you need it you happy to have.

How people can work with boat and don't have insurance?
In my country you can't and glad in my marina you need to show insurance to come in.

Hugues

Sorry to hear about the loss. These days my biggest concern is a nearby boat in the marina catching fire, so I'm glad we have a lot of liveaboards and fire hoses on the main finger.

A marina that does not require proof of insurance is one to avoid. Also, any decent marina will prohibit any fuel handling or transfer in boat slips, restricting it to a fuel dock only.

Insequent said:

Sorry to hear about the loss. These days my biggest concern is a nearby boat in the marina catching fire, so I'm glad we have a lot of liveaboards and fire hoses on the main finger.

A marina that does not require proof of insurance is one to avoid. Also, any decent marina will prohibit any fuel handling or transfer in boat slips, restricting it to a fuel dock only.

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Brian, Green Cove Springs is full of working docks - not so much marinas.

It was probably one of those.

Nodestination, that's a horrible story. My sympathies concerning all that you've lost, and congrats that you saved your dog and yourself. What a fiasco.

Psneeld is right that you should consult an attorney, and I would add that you should ask around for a referral to someone who makes a specialty of admiralty (maritime) law. It is an arcane area of practice, and you may have to come up to Jacksonville to find someone with good experience.

If the other guy had at least the liability ( is cheap), I would be OK. There should be a law that require to have at least basic insurance. About the full coverage, I did give a tough, but have to balance my "check book". That is why I lived in cheap marina.
On positive side - the guy that caused my boat to burn is paying for the motel and is looking for a boat for me - salvage boat. I hope that my next boat will not need a lot of work - getting too old for that.

Best of luck, you seem to have an optimistic attitude all things considered.

Sorry but at least you and your dog survived.


We don't usually get to say what boats are docked near us and even the requirement for insurance doesn't always help because someone might let it lapse or fake it in the first place.


I would like to have laws that one must carry at least liability insurance to own and register a boat (just like with cars in some states) but I doubt it will ever happen.

Here in Kalifornia we have compulsory auto insurance, but they admit that 1/4 on all cars on the road are uninsured, (it's closer to 1/2.)

Timely post! Recently the empty stall aside our boat was taken by a equally older 33 foot twin engine gas powered boat. In sad condition. I will not attempt to describe the conditions visually existing save to add that the owner, with absolutely no concept of boating enough to ask. The owner inherited the boat in the current condition and moved it into a water moorage as land storage was too expensive. On occasion she would start the one engine that would start and it would sputter during the exercise.
The fear of this craft blowing up due to the lack of maintenance scared me to no end.

During this time and still, (the boat was sold to a couple of underfunded young who have cleaned the boat up, yet start the engines (yes, the other one now runs as poorly as the first) more frequently, has me considering applying for a new float location.

I carry liability insurance. As such I ask the forum: Is the concept of a publicly owned marina (City of Ketchikan) requiring boat owners renting moorage by the month,quartertly,annual basis, provide on a contract moorage basis, a copy or information of a current liability insurance policy to limit potential issues of safety unconstitutional or unfair?
Asked on the basis that conforming sanitary units are required and on record with the harbor department eliminating providing health Asked as access to many marina floats by non-boaters is provided by gated access, IE; limiting potential crime.

Understand, this is not about adding laws, powers, for the reason of having the desire to, more it is about common sense in limiting potential fiscal pain to innocent owners to a distructive action.
My liability coverage includes other public benefits were it enacted, pollution cost are covered, sunk recovery cost are included in addition to damage to other boats.

Yes, as a earlier poster indicated on mandatory insurance, up to 1/2 are driving without insurance proof, however in the matter of the monthly, quarterly, annual rental payment, providing current proof with payment would seemly cut down the issue of lack of insurance by users.

Comments? Dumb suggestion? For seen Legal issues?

Regards,
Al-Ketchikan 27' Marben Pocket Marine Fly Bridge Sedan

Many marinas are requiring "also insured" for longer term boats and proof of insurance even for overnight transients.

Proof of insurance is absolutely appropriate and better marinas require it. They even require them to be added as named additional insured as well. Every apartment complex I know of does this. Every condo association.

I also think if you feel a boat threatens your safety you should absolutely go to the manager of the facility and, if no response, notify them in writing.

Safety should be a priority and sometimes it has to be "legislated."

Wondering if an unsafe boat can be reported to the USCG even if it is in a slip at a marina?

BandB said:

Proof of insurance is absolutely appropriate and better marinas require it. They even require them to be added as named additional insured as well. Every apartment complex I know of does this. Every condo association.

I also think if you feel a boat threatens your safety you should absolutely go to the manager of the facility and, if no response, notify them in writing.

Safety should be a priority and sometimes it has to be "legislated."

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I sort of anticipated a response such as B&B and have no issue with the attitude of the content. In response to that anticipation let me add that in urban settings where moorage is quite expensive excludes many of the potential issues as I described. Not that incidents do happen and too a more excessive over all cost due to vessel(s) value.
In lesser pricey marinas reflected in rural and more in public mooring, cost of moorage is extremely less allowing lesser quality boats to share with those of us who maintain our craft more in line with the more pricey boat owners where cost is not really in the equation. Just a fact.
Hence, the question of adding insurance cost, even modest, will no doubt would or will raise objections in these instances.

Recently regarding a satellite issue. 'Mobility of craft' was raised with the city moving on craft that have laied dormit for a specifically established time prove mobility by engine. It cleared out a impressive number of dormit boats. That the city was able to accomplish this lead me to thinking as I have expressed on proof of liablilty insurance.

In our case, the annual cost of liability ($500,000.00) is $500.00

Regards,
Al

Al said:

Hence, the question of adding insurance cost, even modest, will no doubt would or will raise objections in these instances.

l

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I have no doubt about the objections, but the OP also objects to having lost his home and boat. I also would encourage him not to assume the responsible parties have no assets. Sometimes you'd be surprised.

I understand the OP probably chose not to have insurance for financial reasons. Sadly, the wealthy can generally afford losses but have insurance and often the poor who can't afford the loss, don't have insurance. In my mind, three parties are responsible for the OP's financial loss at this point, all to varying degrees-the boat that caused the damage, the OP, and the marina. The boat that caused the damage is doubly responsible since their actions led to the fire and they lacked liability insurance.

The Green Cove Spring marina is work yard marina. They will let you work on your boat even in a slip. That was the reason I stayed in that marina. Last year, when I was looking for a boat, I went to Deland marina and saw 32 feet power boat. When I learned that that boat have twin gas engine, I walk away. As I was walking away, the seller try to impress me and said the the engine are new and he will start them. He never turn the blower on or open engines covers to ventilate. I run as fast as I could. Did not even know that I can run that fast. If your "neighbor" is doing stupid way to start gas boat, run. Look for another slip.

My neighbor has a gas engine powered boat. However as the value of his boat is 10 times my own he is more concerned about being neighbor with a newbie like me than I am about him
It was funny the first time I was going out to see him standing on his deck with a pole in hand ready to push me if I dared coming to close

I am not saying that all gas power boat owners are not responsible persons. I watch that boat starting and going on a way many times without any problems. I saw him opening engines compartments every times and wait to ventilate the fumes, but with gasoline, there is no second chance. Unfortunately, their mistakes affect life's other people. To mine surprise, I was able to "revival" hard drive from my partially burned/water damage laptop. Even with insurance, some "stuff" just can not recover.

All Yacht Clubs and most marinas on the Ontario side of lake Ontario require 2 million in liability insurance. It is less on the US side, 300K I think, so we let this slide for our US visitors but they still must sign that they carry 300K when they are reciprocal visitors to our docks.
Our Manager is very diligent about getting proof of insurance, updated annually, at our club to the point of chaining a vessel after the second reminder.

Very sorry for the OP, and too late now, but agreed value coverage was almost nothing compared to my liability costs. One boat was just over $150 a year, the other $750 with cost relative levels of liability.

Lou_tribal said:

It was funny the first time I was going out to see him standing on his deck with a pole in hand ready to push me if I dared coming to close

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Sorry for the hijack, but why do people think it is okay to stab another person's boat with a pole? I have damage all over my boat from a neighbor who can't park his boat, and uses his boat hook liberally to counter the effects of wind, current, and lack of skill. Since we complained, he only goes out when we won't be there to help or see him doing it.
Just learning if I need to buy a few more now that I have a trawler.

mgrennie said:

Sorry for the hijack, but why do people think it is okay to stab another person's boat with a pole? I have damage all over my boat from a neighbor who can't park his boat, and uses his boat hook liberally to counter the effects of wind, current, and lack of skill. Since we complained, he only goes out when we won't be there to help or see him doing it.
Just learning if I need to buy a few more now that I have a trawler.

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While I fully trust my neighbor to be very careful and far more skilled than I am I also take great attention to put as many fender as possible around me to protect myself but also others.

mgrennie said:

Sorry for the hijack, but why do people think it is okay to stab another person's boat with a pole? I have damage all over my boat from a neighbor who can't park his boat, and uses his boat hook liberally to counter the effects of wind, current, and lack of skill. Since we complained, he only goes out when we won't be there to help or see him doing it.
Just learning if I need to buy a few more now that I have a trawler.

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The only thing worse than trying to use a pole is trying to use ones hand and arm. People get hurt that way. You're going to offset hundreds of horsepower and thousands of tons with your own strength? If a boat is about to hit us and we can't avoid it, then we'll just prepare for the collision but not going to use a pole or hands or feet or anything else to try to stop it.