The Moonraker Super 36 boat, moored at Suffolk marina in Oulton Broad, was destroyed by a fire possibly caused by a household dehumidifier.

Despite the efforts of the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Services, the Moonraker Super 36 was destroyed by the fire.

The blaze started on the boat, named Lotus Moon, at around 3.30pm on Tuesday 18th October.

The Suffolk Fire and Rescue Services were on the scene at the marina in Sea Lake road, Oulton Broad, near Lowerstoft.

Despite efforts to extinguish the fire they soon realised that managing it was their only chance to stop it from spreading to nearby craft.

One of the boats next to the Moonraker Super 36 was the  MTB 102, a motor boat torpedo that served in the Second World War.

A witness who did not wish to be named said of the accident: “The owner was not aboard (of the Lotus Moon) when the fire started, however when he returned and saw his vessel he was absolutely distraught.”.

Moonraker 36 on fire

Based on a design by Robert Tucker, the Moonraker 36 series of vessels was originally built between 1970 and 1972 by Buxton Marine Services in Brundall, Norfolk.

With a top speed of 35 knots, in 1971 the Moonraker 36 was one of the fastest diesel powered yachts in the world.

“The design would then go through at least 6 different built redesigns with the bulk of the vessels being built by the Lotus Cars owned subsidiary Moonraker Marine International and subsequently JCL Marinea company which Lotus owner Colin Chapman had acquired.

“During 1971 The Moonraker 36 enjoyed the kudos of being the fastest diesel powered yacht in the World with a top speed of 35 knots – a speed that Lotus improved upon by making the vessel lighter with slight hull redesigns and the reduction in weight with the introduction of newer bonding techniques.

“After the dissolution of the company, the moulds were sold to DC Marine who completed a total of 6 builds – renamed the Moonraker ‘Super’ 36 they enjoyed a completely updated interior and a pair of Perkins Diesel 175 hp engines – Lotus Moon was one of the very last built.”, explains East Coast Boating on their website.

The Suffolk Fire and Rescue Services believe the fire was caused by a household dehumidifier and have warned boaters not to leave appliances unattended.