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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Electrical fire

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seatest
Deckhand

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USA
1 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/21/2020 : 16:09:30

Went to my boat Monday and turned the electrical switch on in preparation to go out. For some reason battery wouldn't go into number one position, eventually I forced switch in into #2 battery. Soon I saw smoke from the battery compartment, and there was a small fire where I had left some plastic baggie. Put the fire out, but it was still smoking, removed the batteries thinking that would stop the electrical fire, was very hot and smokey, smoke continued, but for me to follow the wires back through other compartments, they were packed under everything I had stowed in the rear berth, had to call the fire dept. as the smoke was getting heavy. Apparently some solvents and sea foam I had stowed combusted. I still have no idea why this happened, the only thing unusual in the last year is the battery charge meters on the panel stopped working. Minimum charring in the quarter berth but the smoke and damage to the wiring system make it hard to keep this boat. Lesson learned: do not stow any combustibles anywhere near electrical lines.

seatest
Catalina 25 tall rig (sails are new but are standard rig size)
1986

Roamer
Deckhand

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USA
21 Posts

Response Posted - 10/21/2020 : 16:50:53

Glad to hear that you're ok and the boat's still afloat. Sounds like it's repairable, if you're the handyman type.

fadeaway: 1984 TR/FK Trad

Lee Panza
Captain

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USA
465 Posts

Response Posted - 10/21/2020 : 17:51:08

I'm glad to hear that your fire was relatively small. I believe I've read that electrical fires are the single greatest cause of catastrophic boat losses, so count your blessings.

But the lesson learned is not the right one.

Catalina 25s are, almost entirely by now, second-hand boats (or third- or fourth- or more). And I'd expect that few people would go through the entire new-to-them boat to check the electrical system in detail. But there are a relatively small number of things an owner should check carefully, if nothing else. Wiring MUST be properly protected by fuses or at least circuit breakers (many people insist on the former).

Fuses don't protect electrical equipment, they protect the wires delivering the power to the electrical equipment (integral fuses are a different matter). There should be a primary fuse close to the positive terminal of the battery (or batteries), to protect the large-capacity wires from there to the distribution panel, and then individual fuses to protect the wiring branches leading to the various components. Between the battery and the panel the wires should not be able to get hot enough to ignite any combustible material before the fuse melts - that's what it's for. Likewise the branch circuits, which are smaller capacity wires, are protected by smaller capacity fuses.

If nothing else, one of the most important things a boat owner should check is that there is a properly sized fuse close to the battery and that the wires from the battery to the distribution panel are properly sized for the maximum load that can be run through the panel.

There are lots of reference works on this, and there are some good ones intended for people with relatively minimal technical skills. This is one of those things - like sufficient PFDs and an adequate anchor & rode - that every boat owner has a responsibility to check.

So you concluded that "...the smoke and damage to the wiring system make it hard to keep this boat." I'm hoping, instead, that you'll take this as a wake-up call: with some relatively minimal self-education (you'll find a lot of help right here) and some basic learn-as-you-go skills you could get that boat back in shape to enjoy again. And you'll discover in the process a tremendous sense of satisfaction that many people never get to realize.

The trouble with a destination - any destination, really - is that it interrupts The Journey.

Lee Panza
SR/SK #2134
San Francisco Bay
(Brisbane, CA)

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 10/22/2020 : 07:31:03

I've occasionally thought about attaching and running all positive wires separately from all negatives through the boat, rather than typically in pairs... but I haven't completely rewired any of my boats. They're all in constant motion (or vibration) at the dock, on the mooring, under way, on a trailer,... wires rubbing against each other and (hopefully not) other stuff...

I experienced (on somebody else's boat) smoke coming from the galley and sail locker some 5 miles off a Pacific beach and 10 miles from port--not a comfortable feeling! It was just a red-black pair that had chafed on a wire-tie over the years, fortunately with nothing else combustible against them (until you realize that fiberglass is combustible).

I'm one of the strong proponents of fuses over circuit breakers in a marine environment. Too many things can go wrong with a circuit breaker--a fuse is pretty much fool-proof, and can be easily sized correctly for the specific load on a circuit.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 10/22/2020 07:36:53

SKS
Navigator

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USA
161 Posts

Response Posted - 10/22/2020 : 20:03:45

I'm amazed I didn't have a fire myself ! Here is an electrical connection to my diesel engine starter.

"Lady E" 1986 Catalina 25: Fin Keel, Standard Rig, Inboard M12 Diesel, Sail No. 5339
Sailing out of Norwalk Cove Marina, Connecticut

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5231 Posts

Response Posted - 10/26/2020 : 19:35:27

Steven,
I cannot see your photos for some reason but I assume that the starter cable is somewhat undersized for a 50-60Amp circuit.

More generally, most DIY �electricians� who do work on their boats drastically underestimate the proper wire gauge that�s required to carry the high currents needed for typical 12VDC devices.

Many of us think about wattage requirements for house current. You can run a 100 Watt light fixture using 20ft of #16 or #18 AWG wire without a problem. At 12V, you need 10X the current to deliver 100 Watts. This requires much thicker (and more costly) #10 AWG to run 8.3A 20 ft both ways, or 40 ft.

With our boats, we can conceivably load the electrical panel to over 30A. Turn on every light, radio, chart plotter and pump, then plug in an inverter and you can draw a lot of current.

If your fuse does not blow in the battery to panel feed, you can start a fire right at the companionway. This could potentially be fatal to anybody in the head or sleeping in the vee berth or quarterberth by blocking egress.

We (as captain and owners) have an obligation to ourselves, our families and our crew to make sure that this can never happen.

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1736 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2020 : 17:13:43

I agree with Lee -- all our boats are long in the tooth and "used" so checking systems such as electrical is critical to safe and happy sailing. So glad you caught it and can now review, fix or upgrade your system for safety.

Peter Bigelow
C-25 TR/FK #2092 Limerick
Rowayton, Ct
Port Captain: Rowayton/Norwalk/Darien CT

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