Fisho
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2018
- Messages
- 75
- Fluid Motion Model
- C-24 C SE
- Hull Identification Number
- USFMLT2106F
- Vessel Name
- KHUNYAI
- MMSI Number
- 503076010
I thought others might be interested in a scary experience regarding a small fire on my 2012 21EC today. My wife and I love our tug. An amazing boat. Absolutely no complaints. What happened could have happened to anyone. We slept out last night at anchor and returned to our mooring after breakfast. It was a nice sunny day. We live on the East Coast of Australia so we are in mid summer. We packed up the boat with my wife cleaning the galley and putting things away. She had left and I was doing some final cleaning and taking things to our boat shed. I smelt some smoke and was not too worried because we are in bush fire season and there is a fire under control about 100kms way. However I was a little concerned since the smoke was acrid, not like a bush fire. Anyway on returning to the boat I saw smoke billowing out of the door and windows of the cabin. I rushed in and a tea towel my wife had left in the sink was smouldering with a small fire but giving off heavy acrid smoke. I quickly turned on the tap, put out the fire and threw the smouldering towel into the water. The small round bowl shaped SS sink was too hot to touch and badly stained with melted acrylic. After investigation the fire was caused by the suns rays being concentrated into almost a pin point by the round sink - just like a magnifying glass. It was a warm day but not very hot. About 27 degrees Celsius. Anyway the sun’s position was perfect to concentrate the rays with the door open and start the fire. The lessons are first not to leave any combustible items in the sink on sunny days and second use cotton not synthetic tea towels. In the end no harm was done except it may take some time for the acrid smell to go away. But is was a scary moment that could have been serious if I had not come back to the boat.