Danvers boaters, marina face millions in damage
DANVERS -- Somehow, Joe Branzetti can still smile, even as he stands among the remnants of his boat-brokering business at the Liberty Marina, located next to the factory destroyed last month by a massive chemical explosion.
"I'm not saying I'm worse off than the people who got their houses whacked," Branzetti said yesterday. "But for me it's a triple whammy: I'm out of work, I lost inventory, and I lost my boat."
Branzetti and others with businesses or boats at the 240-vessel marina are just this week being allowed to view the damage to their waterborne dreams. Many were shocked at what they saw: shattered windows on the boats and hunks of wood, pieces of Plexiglass, nails, shingles, and other debris scattered on the ground, particularly near the heavily damaged main building. Branzetti, insurance specialists, and the marina owner believe that the explosion caused at least $2 million in damage to boats and possibly $2 million more to the marina buildings.
"I don't think people realize the extent of boat damage," said Stephen P. Charette, a marine surveyor assessing the vessels for insurance companies. "It's devastating to a lot of people. The damage has been catastrophic."
Among the dozens of boats surveyed so far, about 40 vessels are damaged. But much of the damage is not immediately visible, Charette and others said. The insurance specialists are discovering very few signs of fire damage and are not seeing punctures to the hulls from flying debris. Instead, the recreational vessels, which had values ranging from $20,000 to $500,000 before the explosion, were damaged from within.
"The insides of the boat are literally sucked outward," said Jonathan K. Klopman, a marine surveyor from Marblehead. "Every locker is blown open. Windows are sucked out. Boat hatches are blown out. It's really unusual stuff."
Fire Chief James Tutko of Danvers said the boats are casualties of an air blast that flew through the Danversport neighborhood about 3 a.m. on Nov. 22 after the initial detonation of the building that housed makers of ink and industrial paint. He said firefighters were able to quickly bring the fire under control, and the geography of the boatyard, lying slightly lower than the foundation of the destroyed building, helped shield the boats from debris and heat damage.
State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said the investigation is making progress, but the search for the cause has not ended. Town Manager Wayne Marquis of Danvers said nine houses in the neighborhood will be knocked down. He said that 23 families are back in their homes and that another 45 families are still waiting to return. It could be months before some do return, Marquis added.
Costs are expected to rise at the marina. The marina's main building and a large shed must be demolished, but about a dozen boats are still inside and must be inspected, said marina owner Jim Cheever.
Boat owner Frank Larson of Atkinson, N.H., said some owners are discovering they are underinsured. Part of the reason, he said, is that owners make capital improvements but don't think to contact their insurance companies, even though premiums are inexpensive, he said.
"You know why? Because when the boat's out of the water, there's very little liability," he said. "Nothing really can happen to the boat, unless you have something stupid like this happen."
John R. Ellement of the Globe staff contributed to this report. 
