looks really bad,any word on people aboard,i hope no one got burnt,i was in a boat thet caught fire abour 25 years ago,it burnt to the waterline,i had minor burns on my legs and i jumped overboard as soon as it caught fire,the fire origionated in the engine compartment.

that suz, hope all are OK

I heard 3 people on board and all are OK. Just use your blower and open the hatches on start up.

Wow, what exactly would cause this.

What a shame such a nice had boat had to go down in flames. Lets be glad no one got hurt.

Gas fumes in the Bilge, This is why you should Religously open the hatch & use your bilge blowers. It Can happen to anyone, Even on an Outboard powered boat....

I think the insurance company will end up owning this boat...

Based on the size of the flames, I'd wonder about a sizeable fuel leak. If that was the case, opening the hatches and using the blower wouldn't have done much good.

It doesn't take that large of fuel leak in an enclosed bilge to bring it to an explosive level. That's why the first thing that should be done before starting is open the hatches and do the smell test. If you can smell raw fuel you have a potential problem... Gasoline vapors even in small amounts can have the explosive potential of a stick of dynamite...after it blows usually the fuel lines are severed causing more fuel to feed the fire... This is a very unfortunate thing but it was and is preventable...

my buddys think im crazy,but every time i put my boat in the water,i always open the hatch,turn on the blower and smell for gas fumes,then i start them and check for leaks,only takes a minute,and if nothing else,it gives me peace of mind.electrical fires can be almost as bad as a gas leak,but probibally less common.