Can Anyone Help Me Regarding My Sunseeker Engine Room Fire?

[radar]

Can Anyone Help Me Regarding My Engine Room Fire?

In 2010 I had massive engine room fire caused by two wires rubbing together which chaffed and caused the cables to arc on the 12V live feed to the generator!!! - massive engine room fire!. This is a Sunseeker Manhattan 66 which at 4years old was not an old boat. PLEASE may I ask do you know anyone who has had any "electrical" issues or "12v Live Feed" issues on their boat - am I the only one who has had this kind of electrical fire on a Sunseeker?.

 

[Portofino]

Sorry to hear about this .
Bit more info - presume it was insured and put " right"?
Fire extinguisher system ? -what sort of set up ?

 

[radar]

Yes to all - Auto Fire Extinguisher Failed as cables burnt - really trying to find out if I am the only Sunseeker that had this problem

 

[Portofino]

12v feed inside the Geny from a starter battery ? Or the 12v wires from the battery to the Geny = install issues .
What axe ave you got to grind if insurance has " mopped up" the mess?

 

[jfm]

Yes to all - Auto Fire Extinguisher Failed as cables burnt - really trying to find out if I am the only Sunseeker that had this problem

I'm struggling with that part. Can you explain more? The auto fire ext usually has a mechanical release, ie a mechanical bulb breaks with the heat, and this sets off the gas. It does not normally need an electrical signal to operate

More generally, sorry to hear all this. Exactly which wire chafed? Was there anti chafe sheathing on the cable as well as its normal insulation?

 

[mm1]

Now if you had a Sealine I think you might get a very good response ! But a Sunseeker !!

 

[vandy]

Radar, from an electrician prospective, you must have had very poor circuit protection for such unfortunate sequence of events -

 

[sarabande]

PM sent

 

[DougH]

I'm struggling with that part. Can you explain more? The auto fire ext usually has a mechanical release, ie a mechanical bulb breaks with the heat, and this sets off the gas. It does not normally need an electrical signal to operate

More generally, sorry to hear all this. Exactly which wire chafed? Was there anti chafe sheathing on the cable as well as its normal insulation?

That's correct, and in my experience of Sunseeker they tend to put a very comprehensive and over sized system in all their boats.

Maybe you should find out when the fire system was last serviced, as not keeping the servicing of the system up to date will invalidate any insurance claim.

 

[ontheplane]

If there is a legal problem, from my limited experience, jfm will be yer man for that

 

[jfm]

If there is a legal problem, from my limited experience, jfm will be yer man for that

Wooah!. This thread is a bit crummy. A new poster Radar says he has an engine room fire, and says the fire ext failed to go off because wires burnt through, and doesn't comment on a very sensible question about circuit protection. That lot just doesn't stack up if you know anything about boats. It's not fair to bash sunseeker based on an analysis from a new poster who has posted such a half cocked muddled full-of-holes story as this one and then doesn't answer any replies. Frankly on the evidence of this thread alone you'd be perfectly free to conclude this is a case of operator incompetence and nose out of joint because sunseeker didn't wipe his bottom for him

Now, if Radar wants to fill in all the gaps properly, that's fine and I'll eat my words

But if what we have here is a new poster just borrowing the UK's biggest boat forum to bash sunseeker based on ramblings not hard facts then the tables ought to be a bit more balanced. I'm not a sunseeker customer but as a detail-focussed boat customer I would say that the builder (out of the major brands in this size bracket) that fits the best fire extinguishers and fire alarm/management systems generally is Sunseeker, by a wide margin. See also DougH's first sentence above. For example I compared MYAG's Y80 Sunseeker with my first Sq78 when both were at LIBS 2011 and his was way better on this score. (On my second Sq78 I corrected things and specified the gear that MYAG got as standard on his Y80!)

 

[petem]

Wooah!. This thread is a bit crummy. A new poster Radar says he has an engine room fire, and says the fire ext failed to go off because wires burnt through, and doesn't comment on a very sensible question about circuit protection. That lot just doesn't stack up if you know anything about boats. It's not fair to bash sunseeker based on an analysis from a new poster who has posted such a half cocked muddled full-of-holes story as this one and then doesn't answer any replies. Frankly on the evidence of this thread alone you'd be perfectly free to conclude this is a case of operator incompetence and nose out of joint because sunseeker didn't wipe his bottom for him

Now, if Radar wants to fill in all the gaps properly, that's fine and I'll eat my words

But if what we have here is a new poster just borrowing the UK's biggest boat forum to bash sunseeker based on ramblings not hard facts then the tables ought to be a bit more balanced. I'm not a sunseeker customer but as a detail-focussed boat customer I would say that the builder (out of the major brands in this size bracket) that fits the best fire extinguishers and fire alarm/management systems generally is Sunseeker, by a wide margin. See also DougH's first sentence above. For example I compared MYAG's Y80 Sunseeker with my first Sq78 when both were at LIBS 2011 and his was way better on this score. (On my second Sq78 I corrected things and specified the gear that MYAG got as standard on his Y80!)

Around 10 years ago there did seem to be a spate of SS fires, which even you noticed JFM. Since then we've seen reports of additional ones every year or so. Then of course there were a few fires at the SS yard in the last couple of years. And anyway JFM, they might have great fire alarm and management systems but what is equally important I'd suggest is the quality of the wiring to prevent the fire in the first place (I have no idea if SS are any better or worse on this front). It may also be the case that aftermarket bodging has led to some of these fires and therefore not down to SS.

As you point out JFM, the OP needs to come back and provide more detail.

 

[jfm]

Yep all agreed Pete. Upon a statistical analysis, stripping out aftermarket bodging and arson or whatever, and adjusting for built-fleet size, one builder or another might or might not have a statistically significant higher number of fires than others. I don't know and I'm happy to see that analysis or debate it. But what possible axe-grinder Radar has posted here isn't that. So I felt like balancing the books Pete . The floor is wide open to Radar to respond

 

[petem]

Yep all agreed Pete. Upon a statistical analysis, stripping out aftermarket bodging and arson or whatever, and adjusting for built-fleet size, one builder or another might or might not have a statistically significant higher number of fires than others. I don't know and I'm happy to see that analysis or debate it. But what possible axe-grinder Radar has posted here isn't that. So I felt like balancing the books Pete . The floor is wide open to Radar to respond

Spot on and I absolutely agree that casual observations rather than proper stasticial analysis may be tarnishing Sunseekers name unfairly. And it's certainly not unheard of for Fairline, Princess and Sealine boats to have caught fire.

 

[jfm]

Spot on and I absolutely agree that casual observations rather than proper stasticial analysis may be tarnishing Sunseekers name unfairly. And it's certainly not unheard of for Fairline, Princess and Sealine boats to have caught fire.

Actually Pete, if you put 1. Fairline fire, 2. Princess boat fire, and 3. Sunseeker fire into google images you get 1. just the Chichester Fairline phantom, 2. just the Antibes Princess 67 and, 3, erk, a page full of raging fireball Sunseekers . I think it's just that the Sunseeker guys all smoke pipes and are a bit careless with their matches

 

[Portofino]

I think my posts 2 and 4 - like JFM ,s are an attempt to gain some usable info
Radiar we need some clarity please ?
My Sunseeker seems well protected in the engine room + all cables protected ,fuse boxes and breakers all well laid out and labelled .
Of course the Geny is a part like most components bought off the self unpacked and installed .
They do rattle at start up like any internal combustion engine - so I can kinda see some potential for chafing of wires but only inside -maybe ?
I was only working on mine the other day and accidentally caught / arced a long handled screwdriver across the starter motor terminals -sparks flew .But in normal use there is not a bloke poking a screwdriver about .( changing anodes) -loose starter wires will arc -I have seen it
Fire = heat = lack of water cooling ,thing not shutting down -poor maintenance ?
Who knows ?
I,am with JFM on this -Radar need to explain

 

[MapisM]

This thread is a bit crummy.

+1.
Fwiw, just the last question of the OP was enough to give me such impression from the very beginning.
Ready to swallow my comment anyway, if radar will update us all with a proper factual reply.

 

[MarieK]

This is second time posting on this topic for RADAR http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...n-Sunseekers&p=4785183&highlight=#post4785183

 

[sunquest]

Is this the burnt out Sunseeker at EBM ?