Insurance question ?

[Mike Reidy]

If during a day of fishing you were to run onto a rockpile or submerged piece of something and discovered after removing your boat from the water that the bottom had been scratched rather extensively would this be covered? If so, would something like this cause your premium to rise if you made a claim? I have had insurance for over 10 years and have been fortunate to never need it however these scratches will drive me nuts.

Mike

[TritonBrent]

If you have State Farm the awnser is yes. Not sure about other insurances. I'm sure they all should cover it. That's why we pay for insurance.

[Dewayne]

All depends on your policy. With Sawyer and Cook I have had similar damage, it was covered, and my rates did not increase. Some of the real in-expensive insurance companies are great till you try to file a claim. It should be covered though as it is accident damage.

[bazs]

Mike,
I say yes it would be covered. My decision on turning in a claim would depend on the deductable you have. You can always get an estimate for repairs before turning it in. If your deductable was $500 and repair is $1000 is it worth the risk of and probable increase in your premium. you already have to fork over the $500 anyway. I would only claim if the damage was real expensive beyond my deductable. I have never had damage really worth the increase of my policy. I fix it and feel like it is cheaper in the longrun to pay for cosmetic stuff yourself.
And Dewayne, must b nice to keep the same rates after claims. Maybe your insurance agent sells policys like you play poker. Does'nt know how

Good luck Mike,
Zack Thompson

[Randy Walker]

Mike,
bazs makes a very good point about making a claim depending on how much damage there is and how much it will cost to repair.
If you carry comp/collision on your policy then you can make a claim on just about anything that would happen, your fault or not. You want shy away from making several small claims, this gives insurance carriers a reason to not only raise rates, but they can and will also non-renew your policy. I sell several lines of insurance including boat insurance with 4 different insurance companies and every single one of them will pay out for a claim that is made if you have the correct coverage in place. Keep in mind that claims may not only effect your rates with your current company, but if they do force you to find new insurance, the new company will start off by dinging you for the claims that you made with the prior company. Usually up to 3 years and sometimes 5 years - depending on what the claim was.

[Gary Dobyns]

I agree with everyone else. Please take your boat to Bragg's Marine in Anderson before you make a decision. Bob is awesome and VERY fair. His work is the best there is and then you can decide if a claim is worth it. I'll bet you a soda you will be surprised. Bob Bragg @ 530-244-2545

[gt5bass]

I agree with Gary. Bragg's did a great job wit me bote when I had a little run in wit a levy at the Delta and to top it off he is an authorized Ranger hull repair facility

[NaCl]

BassCat also authorized Bob Bragg to work on two of my boats in the past...under warranty! And, in both cases, he did an excellent job to where I couldn't even tell the work was done. In addition, BassCat uses a special proprietary resin on their boats which they sent to him and then they worked with him to make sure it was applied to their specs. When the work was done, they called me and told me how impressed they were with his knowledge and attention to detail.

One more thing about Bob. Honesty. Many years ago, I developed a crack in the hull of one of my boats. It was leaking very badly. I took it to Bob for evaluation and a repair estimate. Bob spent several hours working with the crack...he even opened up the floor to look for the cause. When he found a major structural failure, he closed up the boat and referred it back to the manufacturer. He never charged me a dime for all those hours of diagnostic work. This guy is not only good but he's also super honest!

Plus, if he can make a boat look like new after being owned by EITHER of those Garys, then he's a genius! LOL!

.....NaCl

[Mike Reidy]

Thanks to all of you for the great advise. I will be contacting Braggs for an estimate and repairs. I'll see whats best from that point. Good fishing and hope to see you on the water.

Mike

[Dewayne]

Maybe we should have a gave. I need some gas money to get to Washington. You guys are usually good for a couple tanks.

One of these days I will figure out how to play poker.