“A Message From “Sparky”
By Ron Holmwall, VC Everett Yacht Club

Chapter 1
Don’t Panic

At the request of several of our members, I will recall one of the most traumatic events of Bev and My boating life, and what we learned from the experience. On a Monday evening in October, 2001, the phone rang, and Michael Asbury, a fellow tenant at our marina asked me if I was sitting down. He then proceeded to tell me our boat was ablaze and a total loss. We had just returned from a boat trip to Poulsbo, and couldn’t imagine what could have started the fire. We raced to the scene to find fire trucks, police, coast guard, the press, and half the marina gathered to watch the spectacular display.

Arriving at the marina, both Bev and I were devastated, speechless, and couldn’t think straight. With my mate in tears, trembling, I finally talked the fire captain into letting me go to the dock and look at the remains of our beautiful 34 Tolly. The fire also scorched the adjacent boathouse, damaging a few of the boats moored there.

The questions started immediately from the fire investigator, coast guard officers and fellow tenants as to how I thought it may have started, what I could have done wrong, what I would do about the other boats and boathouse damaged, what I am going to do with the black hull, am I covered for environmental damage, and every other question you could think of. Thank God for Michael. He immediately pulled me aside and told me not to answer any questions whatsoever. After all, I didn’t have any answers anyway. We however are tempted to start thinking out loud about how you could have caused this to happen. Don’t!!! Here is what I learned from this disastrous experience.

1.      At the Scene of the Accident, whether fire or sinking:

a.)    Call your insurance company immediately. Tell them what happened. Do not speculate on reasons.

b.)    Do not leave the scene of the accident until you have advice as to what to do from your insurer. It could mean the loss of your boat to salvagers.

c.)    Show responsibility for your boat, not for what happened. The Coast Guard can fine you up to $270,000 for environmental damage if you do not work to prevent contamination of the environment.

d.)    Ask for advice from your insurer how to transport your boat to dry-dock, get authorization for the expenses. Then call a local marine salvage company to take your boat out of the water ASAP.

2.      The Investigation Begins:

a.)    When the fire and/or insurance investigator comes to inspect your boat, be present, and do not speculate on what happened. Ask lots of questions about how it may have happened. Answer questions you can honestly. There may be several investigators, the US Coast Guard, your insurer, other boaters’ insurers, fire department, a marine surveyor hired by your insurer, etc. Don’t let anyone  inspect your boat without you being there and supervising. Don’t let anyone take anything off of the boat. Take notes of conversations, names, phone numbers, and business cards from anyone asking to investigate. Forward them to your insurance company immediately.

b.)    If you think your boat is totaled, you do not have to accept the insurer’s valuation if you think it doesn’t cover your costs. Make sure the surveyor has your receipts for all improvements made on the boat since you purchased it. It is the responsibility of your insurer to cover your losses to the maximum of your coverage. Salvage and moving costs could be another coverage.  (Check your insurance policy for this clause now, it’s important.) Most of us just don’t pay enough attention to the fine print until it’s too late.

c.)    If the boat is totaled, weight the benefits of buying it back from the insurer. Some insurers will take bids on disposal. You can have them pay you that amount, then salvage what you can, and dispose of it yourself.  

Chapter 2
What they Don’t Tell You 

Within a few days, I was contacted by the Seattle Fire Dept. They wanted access to the boat for their investigation. I met them at Bob’s Boat House, got a ladder and let them start. They were very professional, and not afraid to get dirty. It wasn’t very long before they found what they thought was the cause of the fire, but wouldn’t disclose it to me. They first checked the engine compartment, then any other flammable liquids aboard, (propane tanks, etc.). They asked questions about how I handled shut down procedures, what kind of fire protection I had, etc. I answered them honestly and to the best of my knowledge. They said they would go make their report, and I could check with the department for their results.

Next I received a call from Pemco Insurance. They said they had the results, and were sending their professional investigator to do a  follow up investigation. I, again met him there, answered questions and advised him that I didn’t have a clue what happened to cause the fire. He went through the boat, bottom to top. He was much more straightforward with the results of his research. He came up with the shore power connection from somewhere in the boat. It became abundantly clear that this was the culprit. Also the area around the shore power connection on the boat was completely burned away.

I was astonished at this finding. I had a certified shore power cord, Locked into the outlet. We had only a heat lamp bulb and a small de-humidifier on board drawing less than 10 amps total. His answer was shocking. He stated that the amount of power you are consuming has little to do with this connection if it is not checked regularly. The lugs in the female side of the plug become loose due to the twisting motion needed to lock it in place. Then the normal movement of the boat causes a spark to jump between the male and female lugs. This is just like an arc welder, and heats the connection inside the boat, since the outside plug is exposed to the weather. It won’t even cause the shore power breaker to trip until the wires are on fire and burned until they touch. By that time your boat is ablaze.

The amazing part of this is that he told me that this condition is very common, and responsible for hundreds of boat moorage fires every year. The other amazing thing, is that there is virtually no widely published protocol regarding checking the connection. If you read on the shore power connection on your boat, it states check regularly, but is etched in and no one knows what it really means. My insurer checked in to this, and found that even many Surveyors don’t check this connection properly when they inspect your boat to purchase or sell. Here’s what I found we should do to prevent this from happening:

1.      Twice a year take out the 4 screws holding the connection to the boat. Check the wires behind it. If they are crisp or brown, have a marine electrician change out the wires and  install a a new shore power connection.

2.      Every time you hook up to your boat or disconnect from shore power, check the male lugs on the boat. If there is any brown around the power or ground connection, do not re-connect before checking the connection.

3.      When you hook up to the boat, be sure to screw on the collar on tight. Also make sure you secure the cord with a couple wraps around the rail. This will prevent motion from affecting the connection.

4.      Buy a small tube of “di-electric grease” from any marine supply house. It is conductive. Apply a generous amount to the male lugs on the shore power connection, and in the female side of the cord. Also at the shore connection. This will prevent arcing inside.

5.      Occasionally when you dock, before leaving, hook up your boat to shore power. Turn on the  things you will be leaving on. Wait about 15 minutes, then have your mate go outside. Open the hatch that exposes the shore power connection in the boat. Have your mate disconnect the cord then place your hand on the wires behind the plug. If they are warm or hot, you may have a potential problem. Reduce the amount of amperage until the wires stay cool.

6.      If you are not going to check your boat on a weekly basis, do not ever leave a fan-operated heater running. The back of the heater can collect dust, plug up causing it to overheat.  Keep boat amperage under 8 amps during storage.

7.      Start a moorage watch with someone who is close to you in the marina. Swap keys and check each other’s boat regularly.  Keep emergency numbers posted in view so if anyone sees anything wrong they can reach you or your representative.

Following these steps will greatly reduce your risk of boat fires. We hope you never have to go through what we did.

Chapter 3
You are insured, you have it Coming 

Now that we know how to protect ourselves, it still may not be enough. What if the boat next to you causes yours to burn.  It may, like mine be a no fault incident, and you may have to depend upon your own insurer to cover you. Bev and I now know some very important rules to follow to assure that you don’t take too big of a hit. These are not my ideas, we can thank Michael and Jane Asbury, insurance investigators and adjustors with 50 plus years of experience for the following:

1.      Don’t trust your memory to keep track of all the items on your boat. Take a camera, if digital great, open drawers, take pictures of what is inside them, same with closets. Take interior pictures. Then go home and make a complete inventory of what you have on your boat. In columns list all items that are marine oriented only and items that may have other uses. This is important. Your homeowners’ policy will kick in and pay you back for these if you have them listed including date of purchase and original cost. They may deduct for depreciation.

2.      If you add anything to your boat after you purchase it, take pictures of it, keep all receipts including the nuts and bolts you bought to install it. Amazing how they add up later.

3.      Keep abreast of other boats of your vintage, brand and condition. If you see ads in magazines, cut them out occasionally.  Be aware of what your boat would sell for. Remember it will be your responsibility to prove the extent of your loss, not the insurance company’s You don’t have to accept their appraisal if you think it is unfair. You may get another, and lobby for adjustments.

4.      If you buy back your totaled boat, be sure to get a release of property from your insurer in writing. They are anxious to get rid of it as soon as possible. To avoid additional costs on your behalf, dispose of the salvage promptly as soon as you have permission by the authorities.

5.      Very Important! Check with both your boat insurer and your homeowner’s coverage about getting an umbrella policy. This low cost coverage takes over and acts as a supplement if the damages exceed your basic liability coverage. Every boater and homeowner should look into this. Also make sure you have a Mariner’s liability coverage taking care of environmental damage. Very important. 

Following all the above, you have hopefully learned from our unfortunate experience and avoided disaster. Good luck and happy boating. See you on the water in Sea Weedy Pie.

Ron and Bev Holmwall

E mail responses to rholmwall1@earthlink.net