Catamaran catches fire while delusional captain tries to save her.

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CommunicationItchy66@reddit

I kind of understand it, for some of us our boat is a second home (or in some cases our primary residence). It's really hard to sit there and let the memories, time, and investment just burn away. That being said, you won't see inside my burning house with a 1 litre fire extinguisher trying to save my TV.

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SensitiveTax9432@reddit

I built my boat by hand. Took me 5 years. I’m not worried about it sinking but a fire like that and I’m swimming. Dinghy would be a bonus.

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DanielBG@reddit (OP)

I understand cap was invested. At that point you just gotta yield and let insurance take over. He was fighting like a man who lapsed on his insurance payments.

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Brandgeek@reddit

He could be in shock. I can’t imagine what that’s like to stand on deck and watch your boat burn. I’d probably wait until the last second to abandon ship too. Hard to say what anyone would do in this situation, but I think the internet has been way too hard on the cap.

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Island_girl28@reddit

Absolutely!

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laumbr@reddit

Unfortunately a lot of boats are uninsured. Several reasons but often because they venture into an area not covered or been in an area too long.

Might be the case here?

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SadAppCraSheR@reddit

Oh man fiber glass and poli lex San or acrilices burning is horble even one breath of that black smoke might kill you. and that's a or was a nice catamaran sailboat I be delusional to

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ozamia@reddit

It's really very simple. If there's a fire and it's either past the size of a small camp fire, or all fire extinguishers are exhausted and no other means are available, then you jump ship. Immediately. No boat can be saved. Large ships, yes, but no boats, ever.

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hew3@reddit

This is exactly right.

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Phobos420@reddit

An emergency pump you could deploy as a fire hose would be neat.

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MainEnAcier@reddit

Can't he tried just to reverse the boat ? ( In order to avoid giving air to the fire ?

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Island_girl28@reddit

Wow! That is Expensive! $$$

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fckafrdjohnson@reddit

Guy in the dinghy didn't help at all being so worked up, that boat is gonna be floating for another half hour. And I guess he forgot you can just jump in the water and swim over to him so he doesn't "risk his life" getting near it.

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ibemuffdivin@reddit

More money than sense.

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mantistobogganmd10@reddit

Not saying this is the case here, but if you are going to torch a boat for insurance, getting videoed delusionally trying to extinguish the fire is a good move

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JustNotThatIntoThis@reddit

I understand a lot of firearms are lost this way...

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reddits_in_hidden@reddit

First of all lower your voice

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hilomania@reddit

Funny, but sadly enough that does not seem the case here. I'm looking at a man losing his home...

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Skipper_Carlos@reddit

Calling him delusional says more about OP than captain. I bet OP is the guy that when there is first smoke instead of trying to extinguish it he is going to pack his things…

At this point it was not worth it to save it but there are other factors to count, shock, emotions, insurance etc.

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ObviousTastee@reddit

DONT GIVE UP THE SHIP!

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Early_Material_9317@reddit

Absolutely wrong attitude. A captain needs to be able to make immediate judgements when it comes to life threatening situations. That means grabbing the extinguisher straight away and putting out the fire before it spreads, but it also means recognizing immediately that once the fire was well beyond being extinguished it is time to abandon ship. The rescue boat was spot on, the gas cylinder could have blown any second, or the mast could have come down on top of someones head, or the wind could have shifted blowing the toxic smoke towards the captain and the rescuers, or any number of other unforseeable incidents could have occured.

Everyone needed to immediately evacuate and get as far away as possible as quickly as possible.

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Skipper_Carlos@reddit

Easy to say sitting in front of your computer and watching it from few perspectives. I bet he can’t see that the flames spread to the back already.

Sure he miscalculated at this point but calling someone in that situation delusional is just not right.

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Early_Material_9317@reddit

Also to add, I am sitting in the saloon of my Dufour 455 right now, starting to think I might get the gas lines serviced soon...😳

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Skipper_Carlos@reddit

Nowadays it is rarely gas, more likely charging batteries or powerbanks. Just last season my guests melted two of those when I exquisitely told them not to charge those unattended and in the sun. Now those are just banned on my boat.

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Early_Material_9317@reddit

Delusional:

Characterized by or holding false beliefs or judgements about external reality that are held despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, typically as a symptom of a mental condition

The false belief: That a fire on a FRP boat that has already spread to the entire saloon may be extinguished by small hand held fire extinguishers.

The mental condition: Severe stress and possibly emotional shock.

I'd say that delusional is a fairly accurate descriptor, but I do appreciate that I have never been in that captain's position, nor do I ever wish to be.

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Brandgeek@reddit

There’s a reason everyone knows, “the captain goes down with the ship”

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Historical_Beat_8648@reddit

Question. If a boat sinks at anchor, is the owner on the hook to recover the vessel?

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DanielBG@reddit (OP)

I wonder how much of that boat was even left to recover. Flotsam and jetsam at that point.

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dfsw@reddit

keel will be down there and wont burn, probably any structure that was under the waterline to begin with. It's gonna be a mess.

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DanielBG@reddit (OP)

That's interesting, I didn't think cats had lead keels. I know there are two Yanmar engine blocks on the sea floor as well.

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dfsw@reddit

Depends on what country you are in but the answer is going to be 99.99% you are responsible for the cleanup both wreckage and environmental.

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Ilostmytractor@reddit

Of course, that mess is still your property. Depending on the jurisdiction, you can be on the hook for environmental damage as well.

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Early_Material_9317@reddit

This is one of the biggest components of your boat insurance. Salvage and enviromental cleanup costs can often exceed the cost of the boat itself.

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Historical_Beat_8648@reddit

And that's why insurance for boats is expensive. Thanks for the answer.

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Disastrous-Angle-591@reddit

"on the hook" ... ISWYDT

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joesquatchnow@reddit

Open the seacocks but no guarantee

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bobber18@reddit

This is why my boat has a diesel engine and not gasoline.

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Ryansfishn@reddit

These do have diesel engines. 🤦‍♂️

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banramarama2@reddit

That cat would have twin diesels?

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DanielBG@reddit (OP)

Yes

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DanielBG@reddit (OP)

Could it be electric or propane was the primary accelerant? Leopard 45s are equipped with dual Yanmars typically.

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pernicious_bone@reddit

Where is this that there’s no fire fighting boat or anything coming? I see land.

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ErieSpirit@reddit

I believe this one was in St. Croix USVI. As someone that has circumnavigated I can tell you that it would be rare for on the water fire fighting to be available in most harbors I have been in. Frankly you are lucky if there is even Search and Rescue capability nearby.

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redluchador@reddit

I was an EMT in various ambulance companies for years and then an RN so ive seen people disregard their life to the extent that I'm, I'm quite casual about it these days. The last guy I dealt with that was having a heart attack.A few weeks ago told me he couldn't die because he had a pacemaker, and I just about yawned and looked at my watch. All this is to say, I would have said, pretty much the same thing that the guy in the video tells the skipper, only I would have just been fairly casual about it.

One hit of that black smoke and the skipper running around would have dropped to his knees, gagging, and then who is going to go on board to get him? 1 of the dudes filming, and then what happens? If they get hit with a a bunch of black smoke?

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jeffrife@reddit

Had to take a rocket back to police once because I didn't have a fire extinguisher on an albacore. There was no motor!

"What if you see a boat on fire and need to respond"

"I'll sail around and pick up those overboard, but sure as hell not sailing up to a boat on fire to try to put it out"

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DanielBG@reddit (OP)

I think it's a fair citation in general. There is propane, oil, candles, etc. to consider.

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Wompie@reddit

Dude on the rescue boat is panicking way too much.

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winter_chicken@reddit

You're an imbecile. That guy nearly got himself and other killed trying to save a doomed vessel.

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Wompie@reddit

No he did not. It's a relatively early stage fire and not exploding.

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arbitrageME@reddit

I think he was afraid of a propane explosion. And he made sense -- once the boat was beyond saving, why even bother?

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dfsw@reddit

Propane Tanks, Diesel storage, Scuba tanks or even worse O2 tanks for Nitrox filling, lots of things on a boat that can go boom very suddenly and largely

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Brandgeek@reddit

Yea but it’s not his call it’s the captains call. If captain doesn’t want to be saved then just leave him.

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DanielBG@reddit (OP)

One strong wind shift and you are getting massive black smoke inhalation. Also any compressed tanks like propane/oxygen can rip through flesh with ease. He was right to press the urgency.

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Early_Material_9317@reddit

Spot on comment, I would have left sooner after realising the captain had a death wish. Fire on an FRP boat is no joke. What you don't get from the video alone is how blazing hot the radiant heat from a fire like this can be even from a huge distance. Everyone in the video was in extreme danger.

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Hour_Tour@reddit

That's a good point about the radiating heat. It's got a surprisingly huge range.

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proscriptus@reddit

Can we talk about how much right the rescuer did? Clear, authoritative and commanding, an then did not pointlessly put himself in danger.

Giving clear and direct instructions is one of the most valuable things you can do in an emergency, great stuff.

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Ivebeenfurthereven@reddit

Reading about the bystander effect is pretty sobering. That's exactly how you prevent it.

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strangersadvice@reddit

He was not calm in the face of adversity. I would not want him on my boat… even if he was right in the end.

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NewButterscotch6650@reddit

I don't want him near any emergency situation! If it's already difficult to remain calm in those, imagine having that guy stressfully shouting non stop! Not that he was wrong, but if he delivered the message calmly, insted of adding panic to the situation, the person being rescued might have reacted a bit differently.

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Brandgeek@reddit

I agree. Rescuer put himself at risk and then added stress to the situation. Good on him for trying to help but if that help isn’t wanted then just get out of there, he was doing too much imo.

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bajjiblitzzz@reddit

HAHA good vibes only or no life right?

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donotdisturb86@reddit

A sobering reminder of how dangerous a fire on a boat is.

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Ivebeenfurthereven@reddit

I fear fire at sea far more than sinking.

Check your CO and smoke detectors, please. Needless deaths happen every year.

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mwax321@reddit

Leopard 48 from the looks of it. Million dollar boat

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DanielBG@reddit (OP)

I thought it was a Leopard 45 but it has the tall mast so 🤷

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mwax321@reddit

Highly modified whatever it is. What the heck are those lifelines... gross

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Pretend_College_8446@reddit

Yeah it’s a bit weird. Definitely started as a L48 looks very modified. Hard trampolines added and odd railings where lifelines were. Which also makes me question how/if it was insured. Wondering if it was used as a party charter boat or something. Definitely leaves me wanting to know more. I hope captain is doing all right

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mwax321@reddit

Most catamarans that look all heavily modified are because they sank, bought salvage price from insurance, and then put back together. I can see all the crossbeam supports he mounted for this "trampoline deck" that don't look all that well engineered. Looks like cut up boom pieces and you can see the dissimilar metal corrosion on that crossbeam when they peak under the boat (or some really bad welds, can't tell).

It probably was flipped too. That would explain the gross stanchion/lifelines. They just welded their own. Probably a guy running charters off it.

I bet they didnt replace any of the wires or hoses. Just let them dry out and plugged in some lifepo4 and started chartering.

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Hour_Tour@reddit

Underwater is what they are

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chicken_noodle_salad@reddit

Those boats have so many fire extinguishers on them. How did he end up with a bucket?

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WeDoItForFunUK@reddit

Nearly got people hurt along with him. Just get out already.

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CeleryTypical@reddit

It breaks my heart, what was the cause of the fire? For all those people that say: let insurance take over..... I think you never claim anything from insurance and how hard they make not to pay anything....

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me_too_999@reddit

Once the fire is more than 3 feet around, it's beyond anything a handheld extinguisher will stop.

Remember, you are standing on solidified oil. As soon as it gets hot, it turns back into the petroleum products it was made from.

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laumbr@reddit

Solidified oil? The boats are usually made from a wooden core and fiber glass.

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Federal_Cobbler6647@reddit

Wood has not be used in sandwitch constructions for long time in factory production. They are all corecell foams.

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briankanderson@reddit

Looks to be a Leopard 45? If so, I believe they are balsa core in this vintage.

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me_too_999@reddit

Still mostly plastic. The balsa core has an added feature of acting like a candle wick when it burns.

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salty-walt@reddit

Modern production line cats still use balsa coreing. Built to a price and balsa is cheap

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snusmumrikan@reddit

The fibreglass is mostly plastic binding resin.

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ratafria@reddit

The only option he had was before the video starts.

I don't think he could even have sank it intentionally fast enough.

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arbitrageME@reddit

when it's on fire like that, the insurance company just bought itself a brand new submarine.

and why was everyone awkwardly trying to climb down a line or whatever they were doing? When he made the decision to go, why not just jump and swim for it?

And it was hilarious that it was on fire up to the point it got submerged. Every part of it was on fire as long as it saw sky

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repOrion@reddit

That’s what happens to GRP boats. When they say it burned down to the water line … that’s EXACTLY what happens.

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ratafria@reddit

What I would like to know is if this would have had a better outcome if he had sank it intentionally (before the video starts).

Like cutting the cooling outlet and turning on the motor full gas neutral.

Ripping off the toilet inlets and outlets.

My guess is it still would take a solid hour to sink, so a pretty similar outcome. And it's still unsalvageable and an environmental issue...

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CanBoatKingston@reddit

These boats are designed to be extremely difficult to sink. Even when fully swamped they still have some floatation from the hull & deck core foam. And, once you do get it to partly sink, it's still a total loss.

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Early_Material_9317@reddit

There is absolutely no way you could flood it in time, I was on a catamaran that hit a submerged log on an overnight passage that put a hole in the hull the size of a dinner plate and we had ample time still to jamb a bunch of cushions in the hole before filled up. Catamarans also have byoancy compartments that keep their hulls afloat for exactly this reason.

A fire breaks out like this, you have about 30 seconds to extinguish it, otherwise its a guaranteed total hull loss.

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_Starter@reddit

The "delusional" in the caption pains me more than anything in the video.

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Brandgeek@reddit

These were his last moments on board his vessel. If the captain wants to go down with the ship then let him.

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dfsw@reddit

It's the right of a captain to go down with their vessel, give them the option but no need to argue with them and put yourself in danger.

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BicycleOfLife@reddit

Just a question. Why do boats not have some sort of fire suppression system. You really wouldn’t even need it to be automatic, you run up hit the button and it shuts off the electrical and fills everything with some sort of foam as well as internally could have a sprinkler system going along hard to reach places. Enough to put out a fire but not enough to overwhelm the bilge. Better to have some wet stuff rather than a burning pile of floating garbage.

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dfsw@reddit

Some do, some boats it comes standard on like in the engine room of an Amel. They are costly and are often not included and no one really expects a fire so it's not worth upgrading to them.

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Early_Material_9317@reddit

Short answer, they do. This one didn't.

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Self-Will-Run-Amok@reddit

Bigger boats use a CO2 suppression system for the engine room which displaces the oxygen and puts the fire out. They also have hi-fog systems throughout which disperse water in a high pressure mist creating a smothering and cooling effect without flooding the vessel or destabilizing it.

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Trolltrollrolllol@reddit

They do, pop open a thru-hull

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_okbrb@reddit

Because after maintenance the boat owner’s budget is pretty well spent and what you’re describing would be a lot more additional to inspect and maintain than what they’ve already got

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bplipschitz@reddit

Tow it beyond the environment

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dfsw@reddit

It towed itself under the environment

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RobinsonCruiseOh@reddit

Wouldn't a hose be the best option? May be the fire took out the electronics and pumps I suppose

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dfsw@reddit

automatically deployed extinguishers are your best bet if you arent there to watch a fire start.

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Hour_Tour@reddit

Getting off would be the best option, a separate fire rescue boat would have to have rocked up before the start of this video for any chance of recovery.

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