What are causes of boat fires?

Fire-rated number five among the triggers of losses for BoatUS Maritime Insurers between 2008 and 2012. Most of these fires start at a few very particular positions onboard, all of which originate in the engine compartment, where fuel and the ignition source are incredibly likely to come together. Maintaining the boat well, particularly concerning electrical and energy systems, is the best way to avoid fires on board. There are, though, five unique places that contribute to much of the fires we see in our claims files. If every boater paid attention to these five items, we might avoid a third or more of all the fires on board the ship.

Sources off-boat (26 percent )

More than a fifth of the time, our insured ship burns as everything else goes up in flames—the marina, the shipping facility, the home, the workshop, the stable, the neighbor's house. In more than 70% of these instances, the marina is the one that flames. A high percentage of those fires begin on someone else's ships. This ensures that a boat owner has to avoid fires on board, maintain his or her boat secure, and keep passengers, vessels, and property surrounding him safe.

Electrical motor (20 percent )

Wiring harnesses and starts to trigger a disproportionate amount of fires on ships older than 25 years old. If you have an antique boat and the pieces are original, try repairing them. Many of these older vessels had very basic wiring harnesses. Still, if the maker is no longer in operation or the component is no longer usable, a competent electrical mechanic will bring one together for you.

Some DC electrical control source (15 percent )

Although loose battery links, chapped battery cables, and old battery switches may all-cause fire on board, operator negligence is the most prevalent cause of the battery-related fire: reversing the battery cables or linking them in series when they should have been in parallel, or vice versa. If you detach your batteries for some reason, first take a snapshot of your phone setup, label the battery cables, then mark the positive lug with the red fingernail polish to make sure you prevent a surprising encounter when you reconnect them.

Electrical AC (12 percent )

Bringing air conditioning, microwave ovens, electric heaters, and other AC equipment onboard allows life at the dock more secure and comfortable, it still significantly raises the chance of burning. Most AC electrical fires start anywhere between the marina pedestal and the shore power inlet on the yacht. BoatUS has long suggested that only marine power cords with proper attachments be used and removed at the first indication of wear on the cable or piercing on the plug blades. But the review of our fire claims found another high-risk region on ships older than ten years old: the back of the shore power inlet where the ship's wiring attaches to the terminals. Replacing the shore power inlet on older vessels, whether it is original, or at least taking it out and checking the connections, could well save your boat.

Generators (9 percent )

Any disruption of cooling water can lead to overheating and then to fire. In this situation, the overheating triggered the blockage of the intake of raw water. Some exhaust fires are triggered by impeller loss due to age or debris in the stream. If your engine is overheating, inspect the engine compartment before starting again. Adjust the propeller any single year after being stranded or running in incredibly polluted seas.

Batteries (8 percent )

In older outboards, the voltage regulator is by far the most frequent source of the fire. The failure rate rises with age after ten years, so if your outboard is 15 years or older, changing the regulator may well save you from getting a bad day on the water.

Don't Make Assumptions When Dealing With Insurance Companies.

One common mistake for consumers is to make assumptions as to whether their property has been damaged. Boat owners are well-advised to contact an experienced property attorney and let experts decide how a vessel was damaged. Often boat owners volunteer information to the insurance company or third-parties. Later, the property owner realizes that they did not correctly appreciate the information they provided. You should get a free consultation from a property damage attorney if there is a question of whether your suffered property damage or whether your home insurance policy covers the damage.

YOU CAN OBTAIN A HIGHLY SKILLED LAWYER

At Dick Law Firm, PLLC, we are committed to fighting for the total compensation you deserve. When you retain our services, we fight to protect your rights as a policyholder.

Hiring a highly-skilled property insurance attorney will help by:

Significantly increases the value of your claim
Learning all of the ins and outs of your claims
Helping you navigate the claims process and negotiations
Validating the cause and extent of the damage
Informing you of all possible avenues for recovery
Notifying you of all relevant insurance laws

If you have suffered fire damage to your boat, you can count on us to do everything possible to rectify the situation. We aim to resolve a claim as efficiently and effectively as possible.