It has to be said, however, it all smacks of the age old problem of money, money, money, and yet more money, as the authorities try to siphon off as much as possible from potential (and existing) dry stack operators. After all, dry stack is a logical means of storing boats to alleviate the berth shortage problem, and there is incredible and increasing demand for it. So, if money can be made by businesses, why not spread it around?

If boats are properly checked before going into the dry stack for any fuel vapours etc. inside the boat, and the fuel (gasoline etc.) supply is turned ‘off’ at the stopcock, and the same goes for any propane (or similar) that may be on board (which should be removed if any possible chance of fire exists), then there should be nothing on board that could possibly be considered an accelerant that can be easily ignited.

And, with the added safety of the battery isolator switch turned ‘off’, and all systems effectively ‘dead’, then surely it will be all but impossible for a fire to take hold.

In my 30 years of experience in the boating industry, which included running boat building, boat yard and marina operations, all the major boat yard fires that I have been aware of have been as a result of slack or non existent precautionary measures, even carelessness, where humans have been involved or engaged in some form of maintenance or other on a boat.

There are no humans doing anything other than actively storing or removing a boat to and from the dry stack in the case of a forklift operation, and even less so in the case of the more recent systems to come on stream, some of which are fully automated.

If I am wrong, then I freely put my hands up. If there are any examples of where a fire has taken hold despite the above mentioned precautionary measures having been taken, then I would sincerely like to have information on this – because it would indeed be a mystery and must surely have instigated the most intense investigation.

There is no smoke without fire, and there is no fire without incompetence on the part of an individual as the route cause in a dry stack. All we really have to do is have good housekeeping rules, and obey them.