wrote:
Interesting that fire and explosion are so common, and that faulty DC
wiring (typically low voltage) is a frequent cause of boat fires:


Not surprising when you consider that published engineering
standards for boats are not followed by many builders, and
the published standards are a *minimum*.

(more below)


BOATU.S. LIST OF TOP INSURANCE CLAIMS

While you may never expect to file an insurance claim on your boat,
knowing why and how damages occur can help you reduce your chances.
The January 2006 issue of Seaworthy, the damage avoidance newsletter
from BoatU.S. Marine Insurance, reviewed five years of its own claim
files to find the most common causes for insurance claims. Both the
individual number of claims, as well as insurance claim dollar amounts,
were factored in to compile the list.

#9: Theft of equipment: Make time-consuming "work" for a thief, and
they will likely go elsewhere. The theft of outdrives can be prevented
by adding hefty locking nuts; the same goes for outboards and trailers.
If they can be removed, expensive electronics should be stored under
lock and key - and at home in winter. Well-lighted storage or marina
facilities with security measures are the best deterrence.


A long time ago, Philip Bolger wrote that one of the biggest
disadvantages of the outboard motor was that it's attractive
to thieves in a time when it's considered barbaric to do
anything cruel to a thief.

I guess deterrence of thieves can be considered to be like
regular maintenance, and needs to be carried out with boat,
car, house, person. But it would be much nicer if theivery
were more strongly discouraged by our society.



#7: Lightning: Since there isn't anything you can do to prevent a
lightning strike, the best measure to mitigate damage is to ensure your
boat has a proper bonding system that will direct the strike to ground.


Ah, yes there is something you can do to prevent a lightning
strike! Park your boat next to a sailboat with a taller mast
than yours!


#6: Grounding: What you do after you've hit bottom - such as attempting
to power through - often causes more damage than the initial impact.
It's best to stop, carefully evaluate the situation, wait for the tide
or call for help if you need a gentle pull. Also, knowing the exact
depth beneath your depthsounder's transducer and its exact position
relative to the bottom or your boat or running gear is very important.


In other words, be an intelligent & capable boater.


#5: Collisions: Collisions with docks or pilings are common but
collisions with other boats are more serious. Inattention, blind spots
and too much speed most often are the culprit. Out on the water,
misunderstandings of the rules of the road are most often cited, but
know that it takes two skippers to be in one bad spot at the same time.


See above.

In a society where over-eating has become one of our biggest
health problems, do you really think they're going to make
much headway telling folks they should be patient, learn
good seamanship, and watch where they're going? The thing
that makes me mad is that I am subsidizing the stupidity &
carelessness of others with my insurance payments.


#4: Wind and weather: Sloppy weather happens everywhere. Minimizing
windage, tying up securely, guarding against chafe and staying
protected help reduce storm damage.


Chafe is a more serious problem than most boaters realize. A
dock line under strain that rubs against metal or wood can
be sliced thru like warm butter. Actually there is some
study of failed docklines that suggests internal heat from
strain may be a big factor in dock line failure too.


#3: Fire and explosion: The number one reason for boat fires is DC
wiring faults, with the most common fault being chafed wires, usually
as the result of poor support or insecure attachment. AC shorepower
cord inlets are another prime area as wear and corrosion cause
resistance, which creates a lot of heat. Corroded, overheated exhaust
manifolds and fuel leaks bring up the bottom of the list.


I'm surprised that AC heaters aren't specifically mentioned
here. I know of several boats that have burned because of them.

But the wiring on many boats is appallingly bad.


#2: Sinking: Lesser fittings like hoses and clamps only last a few
years and often fail long before the beefy seacock they are attached
to. Outdrive bellows over five years old are on borrowed time and
rainwater improperly drained into the bilge by clogged scuppers kills
your battery and bilge pump.


Most boats sink at the dock, and leaf-clogged scuppers are a
main culprit... sounds funny but it's true. In fact I know
of a sailboat which was "sunk" on the trailer, carefully
tarped over & tilted back for self-draining, until leaves
clogged the drain. Filled up with water, bent the trailer,
and eventually caused a trailer support to punch thru the
hull... whereupon the water drained out, leaving a horrid
mess inside the boat.


#1: Striking submerged objects: Nationwide, striking a submerged object
is the most common incident that leads to filing a claim. The amount
of floating debris increases after major storms or extreme tides so be
extra vigilant after these events. Unfortunately, striking an object
sometimes leads to a sunken boat claim; check the bilge immediately
after a strike and frequently thereafter.


Makes me wonder what people are thinking when they buy a
speedboat with exposed props & shafts. Different priorities,
I guess.

Some friends of ours had two express cruisers, the first one
about 35' and the second about 45'. Clearly they were not
poor, but they banged their props into stuff often enough
that they gave up boating as too expensive.


If you live in a hurricane prone state, hurricane damage also ranks
high when you factor the dollar amount of each individual claim -
hurricanes cause significant salvage and repair bills. Before the 2006
season starts, have a hurricane plan in place that spells out every
precaution. You can go to http://www.BoatUS.com/hurricanes to get
started with a free hurricane preparation worksheet


If you haul your boat for a hurricane (the wisest move),
give yourself plenty of time to get to the yard & secure the
boat before the storms arrival. Make sure that it's parked
well above any possible surge, and make sure that it will
drain well. Although we've spent 2 hurricanes aboard, both
were Cat 2 or less and we were in perfectly sheltered
spots... if you want to stay aboard your boat at an exposed
dock or worse, anchored out, my suggestion is to pack a
revolver with one bullet.

I guess if people didn't do so many stupid things, the world
would be quite a different place.

Fair Skies
Doug King