johnnyboatman

have mine thorough state farm also hit something and cracked both gimble rings . they sent a adjuster down to the repair shop and he said he couldnt tell were it hit any thing it had a broke skag , it appears to have been over tourqed is what he said i asked him if he checked the torq. he said no need thats how it happend look at the cracks. i thought my ass, get a torq wrench
and prove they were over torqed, needless to say they had more
money so statefarm screwed me for 4g. the adjuster was paid by them, that means he works for them,.but i asked what if it sank they said they would pay for boat less broke gimbals the cause of it.

Tinkerer

LIBERTY MUTUAL-- I have had them for 28 years and have had two truck claims and 1 boat claim. The ONLY problem I had was that they didn't want to total the truck that my wife had run head on into another car. Front drivers wheel was under the drivers seat. Frame was bent and the transfer case was leaking. Told me to have it looked at. I said so I have it looked at and nothing is wrong and 6 months later it takes a dump. They said to have someone GOOD look at it. (I rephrased my question.) So lets say I am sittting on a boat ramp putting the plug in my boat and the transfer case takes a dump. The boat and truck run over me on the way to the lake. And WHO insures all those items? She said I see your point and totaled the truck. All we did is go out and buy a brand new one.

G-Force

I have the exact wording of the contract....I hope you smart guys can tell me what you think - I want to bounce my thinking off you guys:
[B]"We will not cover your insured property for loss:
1. Caused by wear and tear, marring, denting, scatching, deterioration, inherent defects, weathering, insects, vermin, mold, marine life, unseaworthiness, mechanical breakdown, faulty manufacture, corrrosion, rust, dampness of atmosphere, freezing or extremes of temperature."[B]

Okay...so if there was a hole in the bellows caused by wear and tear that is one issue - like Zoomnfun pointed out. Time, effects of deterioration and use contributed to the failure of the bellows...wear and tear.
Now...99.999999% of the damage to the boat revolves around the water that entered the boat as a result of the hole in the bellows.
Is the actual damage a result of wear and tear?
Or is it a different matter....damage caused not by wear and tear...but by immersion in water?
I'm biased so what do I know?

I keep trying to come up with an analogy that would show a clear distinction between the wear and tear issue and the water damage that was a result of the wear and tear item.
Anyone have any good ideas? When I present my letter to farmers I want to be well prepared and have a well thought out statement - I'm fairly certain I'm not the only person in the world to go up against them with this type of claim.
Thanks guys...

G-Force

No rack storage and no lifts allowed.
I go tomorrow and get the estimate...anyone want to take a guess at the total dollar amount?
1988 32' twin 454 w/alphas....sunk 3/4 of the way...water at least 12 inches deep in the cabin.

I'll post up tomorrow with the cost from my marina.

Tinkerer

So If your U joint in the gimbals blew up and tore the outdrive off and the boat sank - wouldn't that be considered mechanical failure? If this is correct what good is your insurance. The way that contract is written it doesnt cover much of anything. They have disclaimers for just about everthing.

Tinkerer

So if the boat is in a marina and the boat next to yours catches fire and due to the extreams of temperature your boat catches fire and burns down. YOUR NOT COVERED???

Intolerant1

Hey G, didnt your boat sink on a weekend that we had a literal flood? If memory serves, we had 5 or 6 inches of rain that weekend. I think that greatly contributed to your situation. Hole in bellows, bilge pump keeps up. Hole in bellows plus mother nature dumping tons of water in.....???

G-Force

I find your analogy correct and I couldn't agree with you more. Mechanically speaking, if you don't have a head on with a bridge and sink it while driving, it doesn't cover much of anything.
So...stupidity would be covered in that case.
I didn't get the policy so much to cover the loss of my boat as to cover people (and myself) in the case of an accident. I have/had $500,000.00 on the policy and a $1 million dollar umbrella policy on top of that. That was as high a limit as I could get.

G-Force

I'd put that under "dampness of atmosphere" if I were Farmer's lawyer.

G-Force

Wow...good one. I imagine Farmers would take issue with that and deny the claim.
You might be on to a new career as a claims adjuster my friend!