To claim, or not to claim.

[Bobby Lex]

Admitting fault or not admitting fault, or what actually constitutes fault is a red herring based on the circumstances of the OP's claim. Fault is only relevant when the accident involves two or more parties (i.e.: was the accident his fault or your fault?).

When a loss involves a single player, fault is irrelevant (except in the somewhat rare situation of an insurance company denying your claim based on you intentionally causing the damage).

"Never admit fault" has nothing to do with the OP's situation.

Bob

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

... But you’ve been paying for insurance. Use it. If they dump you they’re doing you a favor. It’s like sticking with an abusive spouse because you’re afraid you won’t find another. Time to make better decisions.

I like this.



I have self-insured at times. I didn't lose any sleep.

[Mike Crothers]

I had several claims with BoatUS and the adjuster has been fair and I only asked for what was reasonable. I have not been dropped but like everything in life the price does go up each year.



Not telling anyone what to do but for me I report every incident to BoatUS I have and latter decide if I will file a claim. In the heat of the moment it is easy to not see all of the hidden costs that may come up so I err on the side of caution.



Good luck with your repairs however you manage them.



If you are looking at insurance companies to consider I recommend talking to the boat yards to get there opinion on which companies are fair to work with. Cheap insurance is not always the best insurance. I had one yard tell me flat out they wouldn't accept any repairs where one particular insurance company was involved.

[Bill_Giles]

My experience is from the UK but it might be transferable. Our boat had a grounding which cost about £12,000 to repair. The insurers paid up without issue. About 10 years later small cracks in the hull and structure were noted around the keel area. Our then (new) insurer determined that the previous repair had been poorly carried out. The repairer said that we had accepted it and it had lasted ten years so tough. The old insurer said much the same. But the new insurer did pay about one third of of the £15,000 repair bill.

Lessons learned:
Don’t trust repairers
Don’t trust insurance companies
Any repairs appear to be the responsibility of the repairer and if you accept ‘poor’ repairs then that is down to you.

For the second repairs we employed a new surveyor to monitor the quality of the repairs and to sign off the work. So if anything goes wrong we can take him to court as well as the repairer.

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by sailingharry

First, I'm surprised we don't have a whole sub forum dedicated to insurance! It seems to come up frequently, and when I searched I found questions all over the site.

We have a 24-year-old boat in very good condition. We have been insured with BoatUS since we bought it in 2019, so 3 years ago. In addition I have a decade with BoatUS on my previous boat. We've never had a claim.

Yesterday, coming out of Old Montreal in 6 to 7 knots of current, the engine died. 100% my fault, but nonetheless it died. With no headway, we slid into the concrete bulkhead at 6 to 7 knots. Fortunately, our arch took over 90% of the impact and damage.

A smattering of small change damage, such as an older stack pack sail cover and bimini top, a GPS antenna, and a solar panel.



While the boat is well into the BoatUS depreciation debacle, the arch can be documented as only 8 years old. I have discussed with the arch builder, Klacko out of Ontario Canada, and he has ball parked 12 to 15k. I assume another 5k for a yard to remove and reinstall, including all the mounted gear.

I think that even after our high deductible, this probably qualifies as a claim worth filing. But that's not the question.

My concern is the attitudes and practices I've heard mentioned here. If I file a claim, and they pay $5 or $10k -- and then turn around and cancel my policy, that's not a good outcome!

Does anyone here have experience with BoatUS, specifically, using a claim that was the result of policyholder negligence as reason for non-renewal?

On a related note, we are on an extended cruise and will not be home to Maryland until early October. We have stabilized the damage and can continue our cruise. I am concerned about the inability to have an appraisal or any estimates done until then. If I document the incident now, does time lose its urgency?

I've been with BoatUS insurance for about 18 yrs. Had 2 losses, Sandy and after a Nor' eastern in Oct20 (NJ). Each about 5K. My sailboat is an 83. Never had a problem and never cancelled. Last claim, my deductible was partially waived under their no claim, no deductible program. I think you get credit for every year of no claim. The good part was, as part of the 2nd claim, they hired a marine damage appraiser who was also a surveyor. Although it wasn't a full blown survey, he noted this was the cleanest 1983 Dickerson he has seen in years and well maintained. I think that helped keep my coverage . I would file at that amount. Meet the damage appraiser and if he concurs the vessel is well maintained, have him note it in the report.

[CaptainMike60]

I was coming up from Mexico to San Francisco when I got caught in a storm. It tore off all of the teak from my 5 foot bow sprint. After getting an estimate for 7K (custom job), the same storm ripped my mainsail in half. Not a good trip. I decided to go through insurance for the bow sprint and decided to throw in the main sail. When asked what year the sail was I had no idea, it came with the boat. They paid for half the price of the sail! And the icing on the cake is that my insurance didn't go up a dime! And the next several years I check my policy and it show no accidents, good sailor. I guess acts of nature don't count against your policy.......

Captain Mike

[TabbyCat]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

Sorry to get off topic, but HUH? Forgetting to do something IS negligence. Shifting to the wrong gear, failure to inspect rig, failure to remove all dock lines, failure to shorten sail, all negligence. I’m at a loss to think of anything that’s not negligence, aside from act of god and intentional. Can you provide an example?

Here is an easy way to determine what is and isn't covered by most policies:

Sudden, accidental, and unforeseeable (including stupid mistakes like running into things) = Covered

Forseeable, and/or gradual and preventable (example: allowing your rigging to get all rusty) = negligent , and therefore Not Covered

[svfinlandia]

Originally Posted by Gary Matthesen

I have to say, I had a total loss of my 35 foot Cheoy Lee in Hurricane Sandy. boat US at the time treated me well. I received my $35k hull value, they covered the yard cut up and disposal fee and I never even got a bill for the crane that lifted me off the seawall.
They continued to carry me, I didnt notice much of an increase. Now as Geico I continue to be insured for a 1987 boat after a big claim 10 years ago.
We shall see...

I have been with BoatUS and carrying BoatUS (now Geico) insurance now for 14 years on my 1983 motorsailer. I have had two fairly major claims, the second with Geico, and I have no complaints. They were very easy to deal with and paid the full amount of my claim less deductible.
Yes, I have seen increases every year in my premiums but not an appreciable amount even after the clams.
In the 14 years that I have been with them premiums have just about doubled which seems about the norm for insurance these days.
Your mileage may very, but so far I am not unhappy with Geico.

Al, S/V Finlandia

[BuoyCall]

Getting several calls from clients who have geico and arent getting renewed. I think they jumped in the boating pool, took all the risks they could, now weeding out the ones they dont want to renew like catamarans and alot others. I'm sure there was a method to their business plan.

[MHTinkler]

A word of caution about insurance claims. I had an issue with my house. Roof damage (large hail, steel roof) from a violent thunder storm. Insurance replaced most of roof. 2 years later - same thing - but less severe damage. Insurance repaired but sent an adjuster to do a whole house inspection. This resulted in them "finding" deficiencies in a 60 year old house that were used as reason to cancel my coverage. State Farm if I remember correctly.
At any rate, contacted my auto insurer (Safeco) and they were happy to pick me up for the house and property as well.
So think carefully about the cost and feasibility of DIY repairs before jumping into an insurance quagmire you have no control over.
Cheers

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by sailingharry

First, I'm surprised we don't have a whole sub forum dedicated to insurance! It seems to come up frequently, and when I searched I found questions all over the site.

We have a 24-year-old boat in very good condition. We have been insured with BoatUS since we bought it in 2019, so 3 years ago. In addition I have a decade with BoatUS on my previous boat. We've never had a claim.

Yesterday, coming out of Old Montreal in 6 to 7 knots of current, the engine died. 100% my fault, but nonetheless it died. With no headway, we slid into the concrete bulkhead at 6 to 7 knots. Fortunately, our arch took over 90% of the impact and damage.

A smattering of small change damage, such as an older stack pack sail cover and bimini top, a GPS antenna, and a solar panel.

While the boat is well into the BoatUS depreciation debacle, the arch can be documented as only 8 years old. I have discussed with the arch builder, Klacko out of Ontario Canada, and he has ball parked 12 to 15k. I assume another 5k for a yard to remove and reinstall, including all the mounted gear.

I think that even after our high deductible, this probably qualifies as a claim worth filing. But that's not the question.

My concern is the attitudes and practices I've heard mentioned here. If I file a claim, and they pay $5 or $10k -- and then turn around and cancel my policy, that's not a good outcome!

Does anyone here have experience with BoatUS, specifically, using a claim that was the result of policyholder negligence as reason for non-renewal?

On a related note, we are on an extended cruise and will not be home to Maryland until early October. We have stabilized the damage and can continue our cruise. I am concerned about the inability to have an appraisal or any estimates done until then. If I document the incident now, does time lose its urgency?

5k is a small claim...same happened to me, the accelerator cable snapped and I hit another yacht stern on....the insurance paid the 6k claim and offered to repair any damage on my boat...

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

It’s not BoatUS, it’s GEICO. Apparently you are already aware of GEICOs depreciation policy, and it sounds like you’ve heard of their “claim and get dumped” policy. Why anyone would insure with GEICO is beyond me


But you’ve been paying for insurance. Use it. If they dump you they’re doing you a favor. It’s like sticking with an abusive spouse because you’re afraid you won’t find another. Time to make better decisions.

Well said