Boat Fire

[mrb2222]

Has anyone purchased a fiberglass boat that has been in a fire? I found a boat that had an engine room fire about 10 years ago. Supposedly mostly smoke damage and it has been repaired.

Should I skip it? I would get it surveyed but I need to know if I should even bother. What do I look for?

As always, any help is appreciated.

Mike

[Jeff_H]

It really depends on the boat and how well it was rebuilt. I followed the repairs to a local boat here in Annapolis that had a bad fire. The boat was better than new when put back together but it wasn''t cheap.

Jeff

[thebigs1]

In August 2001, I bought a 34'' C&C that had suffered a cabin fire. The boat had been out of the water for 3 years. When I first saw the boat I was totally disgusted and swore I wouldn''t pay a penny for the boat. My brother in law kept telling me it was all cosmetic and the boat was a great deal. I held my nose and bought the boat after I had it surveyed. The surveyor determined there was no structural damage to the boat or major systems and the damage was purely cosmetic.

I have put hundreds of hours into the boat this winter scrubbing, sanding, repainting, replacing woodwork and today it looks brand new. There is no sign of any fire including the horrible smell.

Get the boat surveyed!