Owner’s anguish over boat fire

A CATAMARAN owner who “lost it all” when his houseboat caught fire and sank, says the destruction could have been prevented had he been allowed to moor his vessel at shore.

Boat owner Darren Lawless’s 65-foot catamaran, valued at $300,000, caught fire and couldn’t be saved on Tuesday in a mysterious blaze that has left him homeless.

Mr Lawless, who had the vessel anchored offshore at Middleton at the time of the overnight fire, said he knew his catamaran was in need of repairs after noticing faulty lighting during a recent sailing trip.

He said the blaze broke out while he was asleep but he managed to wake up and get to shore by dingy. He was treated at the Royal Hospital Hobart for minor burns.

In January Mr Lawless overstayed the time allowed to dock a boat at a public jetty, while he said he sought repair advice, and helped transport items from a bushfire-threatened property for a friend.

He was ordered by Marine and Safety Tasmania on January 29 to remove the vessel from the Kettering public jetty for 90 days after it was kept there longer than permitted.

Under Marine and Safety Jetties by-laws “a person must not carry out repairs or maintenance to a vessel on a state jetty for a period in excess of three days without prior written approval of the authority”.

Mr Lawless said he pleaded with MAST in the lead-up to the boat fire to allow the boat to return to the jetty to have repairs completed, but he said he was told to put his concerns in writing.

“I’ve got nothing left now, I’ve lost everything,” he said.

A MAST spokesman declined comment went contacted by the Mercury.

The burnt-out catamaran.