Have you made a boat insurance claim? Read...

I took my Malibu in for a new driver's side dash (warranty) last week and was about to go pick the boat up when I received a disturbing phone call from the service manager. Completely unbeknownst to me, I somehow managed to damage my underwater gear to the tune of $3600. The boat does not rattle, vibrate, or drive poorly in any way, shape, or form, but upon normal inspection by the dealer, I was informed that they were recommending a new prop shaft, strut, and rudder (as mine were damaged), and some accompanying glass repairs from some stress cracks in the thru-bolt area. I was also told that if I didn't get these repairs, there was a good chance that I could have transmission problems down the road, which would obviously be much more expensive.

Now, as I said, I had no knowledge of this "accident." Yes, I've hit a couple of things here and there and dinged the prop, but to have damaged the prop shaft and rudder was a shock. The dealer did say that their service tech tested the prop shaft with a micrometer and it was out of the tolerance range.

Anyways, the questions are these:

---What would be a conservative estimate on the glass repair for some minor damage on the bottom of the boat and whatever other glass work would have to be done in replacing the prop, strut, and prop shaft?

---If I make an insurance claim and have the repairs done, will my boat insurance go up? To what extent?

Thanks for the help.

You might want to get a second opinion. I would think that if the strut was bent and the shaft and rudder were not true you would have a noticable shake. I am not saying that your dealer is trying to screw you but I would be sure and protect yourself and make them show you what was wrong.

David:
Yes your ins would likely cover the loss as it's a submerged object. Yes they will make you pay the deductible. Yes they will remove any loss free persistancy discounts. They may or may not cancel, I cant say because I dont know if you have had prior claim history, or which carrier it is. Do NOT authorize repairs until an adjuster looks at it if your going to submit a claim. Make certain the dealer isnt trying to drum up some repair work they cann bill for in a slow season and the damage is from a submerged object.

Rick

I'm wityh Jon on this one, it should have been noticeable when driving , but I remember you saying you could see a slight bend in the shaft and it was "sticky" at one point thru a manual rotation of the shaft. If you can why don't you see if you cna pick it up drop it in the water drive it around for a few mintues and see if you can tell any noticeable difference between now and the last time you drove it.

i second the second opinion.

They did in fact show me what was wrong - I saw a couple of the spider cracks at the mount, and turned the prop to feel the rough spot on the shaft. The prop has some dings in it. The rudder has the slightest bend on the bottom 3 inches of it - if you didn't examine it closely, you'd never know it was there. That's what was pointed out to me.

What you just said is exactly what I said to the dealer - if all this stuff is wrong, why doesn't the boat perform poorly? I don't get it. I did question the dealer extensively about this and was given a pretty good explanation about the damage and what it could lead to, but seriously, I got down under the boat and asked them what was wrong because I couldn't tell before they started pointing things out to me.

the problem is, where do I get a second opinion? Another boat dealer's shop? The nearest Malibu dealer is 4-5 hours away I think.

The carrier is State Farm and I've never made an auto or boat claim before - I've been with them for 14 years. The adjustor has looked at the boat, but he isn't a marine guy, he's an auto guy, so he didn't have a good idea what to even look at. I think they are prepared to pay the claim, it's just a matter of when.

I can count 3 marine shops on Hwy 105 ajust off the top of my head.....anyone should be able to do the work. I know your dealer outsources most of their larger repairs to other shops around town. Find out who they outsource too. I know the fiberglass people they use along with their engine and transmission guy

I know their fiberglass people and their propeller people, but they are doing the rudder, prop shaft, and strut in house.

Call Palmer Marine? ( I know it's palmer something)...they are down south by hobby airport. they should be able to give you some sort of estimate over the phone....they do all the major transmission and engine repair for the dealer.

I managed to park my boat at a metal dock for about 5 hours on Labor Day weekend last year. Upon my return I noticed that I had several scratches on my gel coat. ( I had only had the boat for 2 months and it was my first boat) I told my insurance agent that my dock line came loose and that's how the damage happened. They paid for all of the damage ($2800, less my $250 deductible) My premium didn't go up at all, and I also had a hit and run claim on my Jeep in July. I also have State Farm Insurance. I don't know if I just got lucky or if that is the way that my agent conducts business. Never the less I love State Farm and you should just talk to your agent before they give the dealership any money. Good Luck!

Thanks for the input Juan.

sounds to me like your dealer needs some insurance funded business...

Get somebody you trust to check it out, the more we claim these things the more our inusrance will go up.

I would be concerned with how the service tech tested the prop shaft with a micrometer. This would only tell you the diameter of the shaft not if it was out of alignment or bent. If the diameter is not within tolerance chances are it never was unless you are measuring a point that is riding within another surface such as the strut its self but you would need to take the shaft out to check this area. The only true way to check the shaft for a bend would be to remove it from the boat and check it with a dial indicator while it was on v-blocks or a calibrated roller bed.

State Farm Ins rules.

David, you said you don't remember an accident, but it takes a pretty big force to bend the strut and rudder. A couple of years ago, some young riders / drivers were out in my boat and ran over the rope; the wakecord type. That kind of rope is about as strong as a steel cable.

Anyway, it wrapped tight enough, and pulled from the side of the boat and bent the strut and rudder. We also didn't notice for a while. The only thing different was the steering was a little tight. When it first happened, we didn't discover any damage, and later it was a total mystery, but we knew we never hit anything. Could anything like that have happened?

BTW, the strut and rudder was $1500, and my insurance did not go up.

last summer i changed the hubs on my trailer...and someone (not me!!) didn't have the wheels blocked on the trailer when we let it down - the jack gave way...and the driveway pad was sloped - the trailer took off and went right into the side of my 02 dodge 1500...put a hole in the side of the truck and left some big dents in the box. dumb, i know... anyway, i have all my stuff under state farm - they were great to deal with. it cost me (them)$2,500 to get fixed...and neither my boat or my truck premium went up. i don't file too many claims - so the lady said it shouldn't affect my policy...and if it did, it would have only been about $3 a month difference.

Ryan what was the boat damage from that?

nothing really...messed up the hitch a tad - but it tore up my truck! if i remember correctly, she gave me the option of filing that claim using the truck or the boat - i sold that boat...but i think the deductible was lower on the boat than my truck - and since no one other than myself caused that accident, it wasn't a real pain to deal with -

I once had a $2K claim on my Sea Doo PWC with State Farm. No price increases as a result.

I had a $4000 claim on my jetski 3 years ago with farmers. premium never went up. the ski was less than a year old.

It will also depend on the state you live in. Here in good ole NC, there are minimum rate laws and if you make a claim, they are required to raise your rates (albeit for a short time).

We have Liberty and they have a policy that if you have not had any claims in 5 yrs, your first one is free (no re rate). When my wife totaled her car, we asked about this and they told us it was against the law in NC, that they had to raise our rates.

Hmmmm, well bro, perhaps now is a good time to tell you that me and your wife are having an affair. Its also a good time to tell you that last time I was in town visiting, we took your boat out when you were asleep and we sorta were busy with other things and we wrecked it on a submerged log. Sorry bro. Anyway, its probably legit since we hit that som' bitch something fierce! Wooooo Weee!!

Anyhow, good luck with the insurance and sorry about the wife thing. We broke it off and are just seeing each other once a month now.

Laters,

Holbywan

Thanks for the serious reply Chris!

In other news, I'm getting the boat from the dealer tomorrow and taking it for a second opinion at another shop.

I bent the shaft and strut once and never figured out for sure how I did it. I once had a prop strike as I was turning the boat around on the ramp. I never noticed any difference in performance. My dealer pointed it out later.

when my shaft was bent it was VERY noticeable. I dont even see how your dealer could figure that out unless they did it!!

Mine was $4,000 for shaft, rudder, prop, fiberglass damage. I will see this spring if my insurance premium goes up, wish me luck!

Thanks again for the input everyone.

I'm getting a second opinion today.