Click for Comfort Click for Cross Click for Mulder Click for Nordhavn Click for Burger

Two 2018 Sunseeker 66 caught on fire

Discussion in 'Sunseeker Yacht' started by Scott Felstad, Jun 22, 2022.

  1. Scott Felstad

    Scott Felstad New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2020
    Messages:
    29
    Location:
    Jacksonville, Florida
    Have recently heard first hand of two 2018 Sunseeker 66 caught on fire. One totaled in NC and other recently sunk between the Bahamas and Miami. Nobody killed. Really concerning. Any thoughts or experiences out there fellow Captains?
  2. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2005
    Messages:
    14,432
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
    I have not heard of the one between Bahamas and Miami, so unless you know a boat name or other information I'd say it's heresay. The one in NC there was an underlying reason it caught fire, it was for sale for a while up there, and not very badly damaged, but I think it's the only one built with Cat's and someone was working on them and didn't put turbo blankets back on correctly. I have run a 2019 66' Sunseeker extensively for almost 3 years and there are no issues with their wiring or anything else that would cause a fire.
  3. Scott Felstad

    Scott Felstad New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2020
    Messages:
    29
    Location:
    Jacksonville, Florida
    A friend of mine bought that 2018 Sunseeker 66 in south Florida, he and a Captain took 8 days taking it back to Wilmington Beach to his slip. One week later two fisherman saw smoke from engine room at 7:00 a.m..The boat went to yard and it was considered totaled 2 months later. Same owner recently was flying to Miami to look at another 2018 being transported to Miami from the Bahamas and got a call that that 66 caught fire and burned t the waterline and sunk. Heard about this second mishap from him in NC yesterday.
  4. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 29, 2008
    Messages:
    8,118
    Location:
    Miami, FL
  5. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2005
    Messages:
    14,432
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
  6. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 29, 2008
    Messages:
    8,118
    Location:
    Miami, FL
    Or the ER under the galley :)

    I don’t recall the model of the other two or three boats that burned in the bahamas in the last couple of years. One at Compass Cay (towed ablaze out of the marina) and one at Valentines in HH
  7. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 29, 2008
    Messages:
    8,118
    Location:
    Miami, FL
  8. Liam

    Liam Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2010
    Messages:
    634
    Location:
    Malta
    May be your friend should top looking at Sunseekers or Manhattan 66s.... As apparently each one he looks at goes in flames.
  9. gr8trn

    gr8trn Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2012
    Messages:
    733
    Location:
    OR/CA
  10. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2005
    Messages:
    14,432
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
  11. mapism

    mapism Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2008
    Messages:
    2,111
    Location:
    Sardinia
    CJ, your comments to this thread were, in order of appearance:
    - one occurrence is hearsay;
    - another one is due to poor repairs;
    - one boat you ran did not burn and her wiring was ok;
    - in another occurrence the fire started from the galley;
    - lastly, the comment I'm now quoting.

    In Poole they must appreciate your efforts to dismiss even the possibility that any of these events were somehow related with the boat construction.
    I'm not saying this because I know that this is the case, mind.
    But I can't for the life of me understand why and on which basis you are doing all your best to rule out this idea.
    Pretty sure you didn't survey each and every S/skr that caught fire, all the way down to Aus, or did you?
  12. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2005
    Messages:
    14,432
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
    All I am saying in the last post, is the boat pictured that I quoted, is at least a 20 year old boat. If it was faulty wiring, it should have presented itself long before this. The Harbor Island occurance, they have crappy power there that surges and goes offline at least once a day if not multiple times, could that have been a major contributor, absolutely. The other one started in the galley. Until we see a NTSB report on the cause of the fire (or similar agency report) it's all heresay. I ran a 66' all over hell and back, and about 10,000 NM's in 2 years, and didn't see anything suspect with the way the vessel was wired. However, there is a larger number of occurences than what I would find to be normal.
  13. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 29, 2008
    Messages:
    8,118
    Location:
    Miami, FL
    Speaking of fires this is one of our neighbors in the yard this week.

    Attached Files:

  14. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2004
    Messages:
    12,647
    Location:
    Satsuma, FL
    Bertie has been on the hill for 16 days now.
    New shaft did come in today.

    Surrounded by questionable boats.
    Nervous as a pole cat in a rocking chair factory.

    Our Bertie was 44 years old this summer.
    It would really piss me off if a another boat fried my boat, but yet, newer junk is stacked up all around me.
    Chills down my spine.
  15. Liam

    Liam Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2010
    Messages:
    634
    Location:
    Malta
    That is the Azimut 70 which caught fire in Aventura in end August or Early September.

    A Sunseeker 75 Yacht from 2005 caught fire here in Malta in 31 July.
    http://www.poweryachtblog.com/2022/08/out-news-sunseeker-yacht-burned-and.html
    Speaking to a survey locally who is reviewing the incident, they are thinking it started from the Invertor.

    I think when yachts are beyond 2/3 years old (especially of a certain size) it comes down to who is working on them.

    Saying all this, I have seen old type battery chargers fitted to 2009 or older Sunseekers.
    With a weak battery, these are known to go a bit Awol and cause a fire for example.
  16. motoryachtlover

    motoryachtlover Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2007
    Messages:
    645
    Location:
    smithfield, VA
    I tend to agree with Liam regarding the fires are most likely attributable to modifications done after the sale. I am woefully ignorant of somewhat complex electrical systems but I don’t have confidence in the average yard or marine electrician to get these inverters wired up correctly. Seems like I am constantly hearing about improperly wired inverters presenting problems. When I find a legit expert in the field I stick with them because I am stuck having to trust their expertise as I don’t have the knowledge to supervise their work.
  17. Kubcat

    Kubcat New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2013
    Messages:
    13
    Location:
    Botany Bay Sydney Australia
    Liam likes this.
  18. gr8trn

    gr8trn Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2012
    Messages:
    733
    Location:
    OR/CA
    Unplug the Dyson, I guess.

    Is this a thing with homes on land, battery powered vacuum cleaner fires?
    Kubcat likes this.
  19. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 29, 2008
    Messages:
    8,118
    Location:
    Miami, FL
    The number of things we keep connected incl small chargers and converters has drastically increased over the last ten years. Right now I can count over 30 devices being charged on board incl IPods, IPads, Tv remotes, electric tools, vacuum, UPS for entertainment systems, etc.
    Kubcat likes this.
  20. Kubcat

    Kubcat New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2013
    Messages:
    13
    Location:
    Botany Bay Sydney Australia

    First thing I did is unplug the Dyson.

    I have been looking at fires on boats and it seems that battery operated devices, phones, headsets, tablets, vacuum cleaners etc are a significant risk.

    When devices burn, it is usually a small event that eventually stops but what catches on fire around it is the problem.

    Boats tend to have less space than homes and lots of flammable surfaces. Think of a small device burning on a granite benchtop, not a lot will happen as the fire and smoke will stop soon. Now imagine if there was a curtain or something flammable nearby. Once that catches on fire it becomes much harder to extinguish. The curtain will be usually be much closer on a boat than a house.

    So on my boat, we only buy quality battery operated gadgets, use the factory charger and cable, only charge when we are close by (and awake) and are very conscious of what is around the device we are charging.

    From my limited research boat fires are still mostly from the galley or the engine room. Devices are down the list but increasing.