Fire at marina in DC

My guess is some type of electric heater un-attended ,battery charger burnout, battery short and explosion,
Might have been cheaper to be put on the hard and winterized
 
IMG_3969.JPG
Photo from the recovery op attached. This boat and what may have been a Sea Ray 350 burned up.

At least two other boats sank in unrelated incidents this past week prompting the Marina to send out the below notice:

"If your boat was left in the marina over the winter it is essential that you come and check on your boat. We have been scrambling to keep no more than a dozen boats afloat. What we are finding is that the seacocks/thru hull valves have not been closed or winterized. With the extended cold we have had these valves and water filters freeze up and crack, then the warm up last week caused them to thaw and start spewing water into the bilges. We have had two boats sink from this problem and are working on keeping numerous other boats afloat. Our resources to do this are stretched to the limit and we need your help to control this situation. Please come check on your boat."
 
I hope the 350 Sundancer doesn't belong to one of our members here, Ryan (WDCboater)

So this was our boat. I've been waiting to post any response until we had a better understanding of what happened. I thought I'd post a quick update and some words of advice on boat insurance.

First off, we have been told the investigators determined the fire started on the Ranger Tug. We have not received the full report yet, but we have been told our SR was not the cause of the fire. At the time our boat was winterized and shrink wrapped.

Since the fire did not originate on our boat the insurance company said we don't have any third party liability. Both our insurance company and the Ranger Tug's insurance company each hired third party marine fire forensic investigators. The boats were removed by a salvage company, wrapped up and shipped to a lab where both investigators were able to view them at the same time. This process took about three months.

We had an agreed upon value insurance policy, so the insurance company pays us the entire amount. They immediately paid off the bank and the balance is coming to us. We also had coverage for personal items onboard, which thankfully wasn't alot since the boat was winterized. *Note: the insurance company does not consider things like EPIRBS, life rafts, binoculars personal effects. They are part of the agreed upon value of the boat.

Our insurance company handled everything from dealing with the marina, other boats, salvage company, etc. All we had to do was sign some paperwork.

Big tip: know your insurance policy and liability coverage. If you boat starts the fire you're responsible for the neighboring boats and this is where liability coverage is important. Also know if your policy coverage hazardous materials spills (ie: fuel, oil, etc)

Another thing, I don't want to say who our insurance company or insurance broker is, but ask your broker lots of questions. Our broker has been terrible, but the insurance company has been great. Know who actually insures your boat. That is who you'll have to deal with.

We're thankful it wasn't a fault on our boat, which really had us concerned for safety reasons.
 
Ryan,

I'm really glad no one got hurt. Boats burn fast. Good advice on understanding insurance policies. Are you going to buy another boat?
 
So this was our boat. I've been waiting to post any response until we had a better understanding of what happened. I thought I'd post a quick update and some words of advice on boat insurance.

First off, we have been told the investigators determined the fire started on the Ranger Tug. We have not received the full report yet, but we have been told our SR was not the cause of the fire. At the time our boat was winterized and shrink wrapped.

Since the fire did not originate on our boat the insurance company said we don't have any third party liability. Both our insurance company and the Ranger Tug's insurance company each hired third party marine fire forensic investigators. The boats were removed by a salvage company, wrapped up and shipped to a lab where both investigators were able to view them at the same time. This process took about three months.

We had an agreed upon value insurance policy, so the insurance company pays us the entire amount. They immediately paid off the bank and the balance is coming to us. We also had coverage for personal items onboard, which thankfully wasn't alot since the boat was winterized. *Note: the insurance company does not consider things like EPIRBS, life rafts, binoculars personal effects. They are part of the agreed upon value of the boat.

Our insurance company handled everything from dealing with the marina, other boats, salvage company, etc. All we had to do was sign some paperwork.

Big tip: know your insurance policy and liability coverage. If you boat starts the fire you're responsible for the neighboring boats and this is where liability coverage is important. Also know if your policy coverage hazardous materials spills (ie: fuel, oil, etc)

Another thing, I don't want to say who our insurance company or insurance broker is, but ask your broker lots of questions. Our broker has been terrible, but the insurance company has been great. Know who actually insures your boat. That is who you'll have to deal with.

We're thankful it wasn't a fault on our boat, which really had us concerned for safety reasons.

I don't agree that you are automatically liable if you are boat causes the fire. To be liable you have to be negligent. There are many potential causes of a boat fire where the owner would not be at fault.
 
I don't agree that you are automatically liable if you are boat causes the fire. To be liable you have to be negligent. There are many potential causes of a boat fire where the owner would not be at fault.

Jim,

I'm sure you are right but isn't it up to the insurance companies and fire investigators to assign blame? I would think in most cases that involved collateral damage....one insurance company would get stuck unless it was a lightning strike (aka Act of God) that hit multiple boats at the same time.

In Ryan's case the Ranger Tug allegedly had a space heater that caught fire and the fire spread from there. I wouldn't expect Ryan to pay a dime and the burden of costs would be covered by the Ranger Tug and the Marina's insurance policy.
 
I don't agree that you are automatically liable if you are boat causes the fire. To be liable you have to be negligent. There are many potential causes of a boat fire where the owner would not be at fault.

It can be accidental, but your insurance is still responsible when the marina wants their money, other damaged boats need to be repaired. This was made very clear to us by our insurance company.
 
Ryan,

I'm really glad no one got hurt. Boats burn fast. Good advice on understanding insurance policies. Are you going to buy another boat?

Definitely. (On both no one getting hurt and boats burning fast)
We aren’t racing to get a new one, but we may in a couple of years. We definitely love boating.
 
It can be accidental, but your insurance is still responsible when the marina wants their money, other damaged boats need to be repaired. This was made very clear to us by our insurance company.

Your insurance only covers damage to third party property if you are negligent. If you leave an unattended space heater running and it causes the fire you will most likely be found negligent and your insurance company will be on the hook up to the policy limit. If a fire breaks out on your boat and the cause is undetermined you will most likely be found to be not negligent and your insurance does not pay. Similarly, if your boat is well maintained and your OEM battery charger with no history of problems suddenly malfunctions and starts a fire you will most likely not be found negligent.
 

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