An early morning blaze that destroyed a ski boat and threatened a nearby Papamoa home is thought to have been caused by an electrical fault.

A Rota Close family woke around 4.30am today to the smell of their 6.2metre ski boat burning on the driveway outside their property.

An electrical fault destroyed the ski boat parked in a Papamoa driveway.

The boat - a 20.5ft United States imported Wellcraft bow rider ski boat powered by a 357 Chevrolet V8 engine – was engulfed by flames by the time Mount Maunganui firefighters arrived at the scene.

Mount Fire Service station officer Terry Mills says the flames were threatening the nearby house.

'It was going quite well when we got there, but it was close to the house. We managed to keep it away from the house, put the boat out.

'The boat is a write-off.”

A scene guard was placed around the boat in the driveway before fire safety investigators returned to the property this morning.

Fire safety officer John Rewi thinks the cause is electrical, and recommends all boat owners install an electrical cut-out switch.

Owner Todd Dunham says the fire has destroyed Waitangi Day plans to go skiing in the boat tomorrow.