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Bumped another boat. Now what?

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Prospective, Aug 6, 2018.

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  1. Prospective

    Prospective Senior Member

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    13 years of boating. Lots of scratches on my boats but never touched someone else.... until this past week. Backing into a stern tie with only a single pyling between me and the 43' Azimut next to me. Super windy. Lost the stern and my port rear corner bumped his hull. Felt like crap as I take pride in my boat handling.

    Once I got into the slip I inspected for damage and could just make out a slight dimple, maybe 3 inches long where I made contact. No scratches to paint and owner wasn't on board.

    Saw the owner the next day and told him about it. Was hoping he'd let it slide as there is no scratch and skin is not broken. In fact I bet he would have never noticed it. But, while nice about it, he definitely wanted it repaired.

    So I'm wondering how expensive a fix this could wind up being. The boat it painted a light blue. So it's not gel coat. I gave him my info and he said he'd talk to his yard. Hoping I don't get soaked by a crazy high repair bill. I can just imagine his yard telling him they'll have to repaint the whole boat for a 3" inch dimple that needs to be faired out...
  2. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Did you contact your insurance company? If not, you need to now and they would be the ones to require estimates and approve the repair cost.
  3. Prospective

    Prospective Senior Member

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    Thanks Oldboater, yes I did. At least there's no deductible in this case so I'm covered. But I'm sure it won't be healthy for my rates. Wondering if the repair cost is moderate if it wouldn't be better to pay directly?
  4. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    You need your insurer for more than just paying, you need them to make the deal, be responsible, see that the other party is happy. They know more about handling an accident than you. Paying it directly, you can think it's agreed or fixed and then the other person isn't happy or wants more and you're in a jam. That's why I'd suggest using the insurer.

    Will it impact your rates more than the cost? I don't know. It's always possible. Far more likely to do so based on multiple claims rather than just one though. Something like this gets costly because of hauling and yard storage and painting in a shed and environmental issues. Do you know what kind of paint he has? That plays a role in how easy it is to repair. Alexseal is easier than Awlgrip. It will be interesting to see the estimate.
  5. Prospective

    Prospective Senior Member

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    Very good advice. I agree that the benefits of involving the insurance company outweigh the drawbacks. I don't know how Azimuts are painted. I know Awlgrip repair is a challenge. I was racing on a 33ft sailboat the was speared by bow pulpit of another boat. Some minor fiberglass damage. But they had to repaint the entire boat for some crazy number because it was a awlgrip metallic color and the painter said a repair would never match. Insurance company shelled out a ton of money.
  6. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Are you sure it's painted?
  7. Prospective

    Prospective Senior Member

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    I asked and he said it was. I'm not sure I could tell.
  8. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    It’s most likely awlcraft 2000. Awlcraft 2000 is easily repairable usually.
  9. Prospective

    Prospective Senior Member

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    That would certainly be nice. If it were gelcoat I can't imagine it being more than a few hundred bucks. The paint will be the wild card.
  10. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    The wild card will be the damage , if any, to the coring beneath the "skin" If that's been damaged, it may have to be opened and repaired.

    I'm surprised also that you immediately attribute some kind of fraud to an invoice you haven't seen. Remember you hit him. Someone hits me, I expect it gets repaired properly. If you have to paint the whole side that's not his fault. Metallics are hard to spot paint. Just saying
  11. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Not sure what you call a few hundred, but you can't haul, prep and put in a shed for what I'd call a few hundred.
  12. Prospective

    Prospective Senior Member

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    Huh.. didn't think I said that. I believe I wrote, and I'll quote "Hoping I don't get soaked by a crazy high repair bill. I can just imagine his yard telling him they'll have to repaint the whole boat for a 3" inch dimple that needs to be faired out..."

    The implication here is that a painted boat can be very expensive to fix. And later I referenced a first hand experience I had being hit on a friends boat where minimal actual damage resulted in a full repaint. But thanks for thinking the worst of me.

    Yes, I hit him. I take responsibility. He should have it fixed properly. Just saying...

    Edit to add: If my primary concern were fraud then I would have kept my mouth shut and not said a word to the guy. Instead I checked his boat over very carefully despite the dock hands saying there was no damage. And when I finally saw it in the right light I was sure to talk to the owner before he left and provide him all of my contact info.
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2018
  13. Prospective

    Prospective Senior Member

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    I think this would depend on the yard. As I said, "if this were gel coat" it's a repair that could be done in the water dockside.
  14. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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  15. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Can't be done in the water anywhere I'm aware of. Environmental issues preclude that in most cases.
  16. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    If it s a small spot it can be touched up in the water with a small sprayer or even rolled and tipped. Or it can be done the next time the boat is hauled out...

    No need to make a big production out of it. I ve been on the receiving end of scratches whether in boats or cars, no big deal.

    This reminds me of some folks whose boats we damaged during Irma and pushed hard to get full repainted and more on boats with 20
    year old Awlgrip. Or not taking action to prevent further damage after the storm hoping damages would reach totaling levels.

    We all pay for this non sense
  17. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Yes it can be done in the water. You can spray up to a pint of paint with no protective measures (tenting the boat etc.) as far as the EPA is concerned. However, many yards paint entire boats in the water, just put a boom around the boat and tent the boat with floating scaffolding etc. The large yard on the dania cutoff canal sprays many boats this way.

    I know one new yacht manufacturer that is currently respraying an entire hull side because a 2' square area peeled off, and it's metallic and the only way for it to match on a yacht that was launched 6 months ago.
  18. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    I'm still on my theme: Liability has been established,. Some here seem "stressed" by an unseen estimate. Let's review what Prospective gets. If its so minor maybe it can be buffed out? A "dimple" means the core has been compressed.
  19. bayoubud

    bayoubud Senior Member

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    New River Ft. Lauderdale, Bradford and others all the time.
  20. Prospective

    Prospective Senior Member

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    No argument on liability and no, it can't be buffed out. The dimple is probably about 1/16" deep but will need to be ground out and faired but I would be very surprised if any other repair will be needed. And I'll be glad to report back when/if I receive info on a claim. My only stress is associated with a possible increase in insurance premiums. But Oldboater gave sound advice on the merits of going through insurance so we'll just have to see.

    But as Pascal has made reference to, I think it's reasonable to be concerned about someone taking advantage of the situation. I've seen yards that will gladly pad repair bills so that owners can get more work done than what should be justified. I've seen this with lighting strikes, hurricane damage, and other insurance claims. The yard thinks they are doing the "customer" a favor and they are certainly doing themselves a favor. When they hear insurance claim they think bottomless pockets all too often. Meanwhile insurance rates are getting jacked up. Not saying this will happen here but I don't think contemplating it now is unreasonable.