Terrible Memorial Day Weekend - Need Advice

[chrisk]

So there I was, minding my own business at the local sand bar, when a drunken idiot decided it was a good idea to get behind the wheel of his friend's boat. He was so drunk he proceeded to back the boat out, slam down the throttle, and plow into the back of my boat at about 20 mph. I had 4 people sitting in my boat, 3 of which were sitting on the ski locker in the back with their legs in the boat, thank God. The worst part of it was that the guy's 5 month pregnant girlfriend was sitting on the starboard gunwale right where the boats collided... she flew about 10 feet into 2 feet of water.

Because of the pregnant lady we called 911 immediately and got put through to a conservation officer. It was going to take the officer an hour and a half to get a boat and get to us so I just decided to tow the other boat across the river to a marina and meet the officer. The driver, needless to say, failed a field sobriety test with flying colors. He was arrested on two count of being under the influence and one of reckless driving.

The boat is pretty messed up, cracks, scrapes, and chips everywhere. The worst damage is a 3x3 inch scrape off the port stern corner of the cap, a 3 inch crack on the port side, and the rear tow eyelet got hit so hard it's pushed inward and there's no a "wave" in my transom's fiberglass.

Anybody on here have anything like this happen before? The other boat owner has Progressive Insurance. Anybody know of anywhere good I can take it for repairs in the Northern Illinois area?

http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz345/chriskuecker/c36465b7.jpg

http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz345/chriskuecker/fab8549b.jpg

[chrisk]

Here's his boat:

http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz345/chriskuecker/4bbcc6a7.jpg

[Hematoma]

Wow! that blows, how does insurance work on water? Hope it's nothing like parking lots. Thats why I never chill were people are getting drunk. Good luck with the getting everything resolved.

[Salty87]

sounds incredible that no one was badly hurt...including the drunk. lucky mob rule didn't deliver swift justice.

i've never joined the raftup or sand bar. i like to be far away from that scene. there's a jacka$$ in every crowd...stupidity relative to the size of the gathering.

good luck with the insurance claim. a good shop should be able to make the damage disappear.

[CornRickey]

I was in a car accident with two other vehicles. I was the only one not at fault. The person who hit me had Progressive. I decided to work with the insurance without using my company (no deductable). That was the worst mistake I have made. Progressive was the worst company to deal with. They finally agread to a repair, I had it done and a couple weeks later I got a collections notice from the collision shop because they didn't pay it. The other insurance company called me right after this for a statement. I told them my story and they couldn't believe it. I also told them I wasn't going to any statements till my bill was taken care of. They actually payed the balance of the bill to get my statment then went after Progressive after. My lesson learned - pay the deductible, get it fixed then sue them for the deductible and any other issues (medical bills).

Being in the medical profession I would highly recommend the soon to be mother to not settle anything till after the pregnancy and seek legal councel.

[wotan2525]

Do you have insurance? I would make them deal with it. Do not deal with his insurance company directly as it is their job to get out of these things. You pay your insurance company to represent you in these cases.

Any quality boat repair shop can make that good as new. His insurance will pay. The only thing that sucks is you're going to be out of the water for at least 2 weeks (possibly more at this time of the year.)

The only saving grace is that the damage was only fiberglass. That can be repaired. Very lucky that nobody was injured.

[kvand347]

Man I feel terrible for you. Luckily no one was seriously hurt. I have no idea how you didn't end up in jail with a battery charge against you! You are a much better man than me because I would not have been able to hold it in.

I'd talk to your insurance company and let them deal with it.

On a side not, your teak looks beautiful!

[Blackntan90]

That really sucks- sorry to hear about that. Alot of good advice on here.Really surprised you did not kill the guy right there!!

[wiatowski]

Sucks to hear... As my dad always says..."Things can be repaired or replace... people can't." glad to hear there were no injuries..... your stingers got broke... Right?! ;)

[chrisk]

Thanks for the advice guys, and yes, it is really awesome that no one got hurt. It could have been so much worse.

[csuggs]

..... your stingers got broke... Right?! ;)

There's a new angle . . . . makes one think.

[wiatowski]

There's a new angle . . . . makes one think.

I was just kidding lol... sorry if I offended, I would never be like that.
On the another note, lets here it for the older supras! That's just a scratch compared to his boat.

[foxriverat]

When I was shopping for boat insurance. I called the guys at Munson ski and inboard and asked them if they ever had a problem with progressive paying claims. They said no. So I went with them. I would call a reputable shop and ask them what you should do. If you call your insurance first. Like I did once. (Liberty Mutual) Thinking they should do all the leg work. Thats what I pay them for. They said bring it where you want. Pay your deductable. And then we will go after other company for your money. Well I did the leg work myself calling his insurance. Getting his adjuster to come out. Pay the claim. No deductable out of my pocket. A good shop knows how to work with the insurance companys. And are not going to start the job untill the work is agreed upon.

[chrisk]

Thanks guys

foxriverat, do you know of any shops up near you that can do fiberglass work like this?

[foxriverat]

I have used munson ski. But they are up in fox lake. Most reputable shops or Dealers are going to send it out to their glass guy anyway for the fiberglass work. I would call around and tell them the guy has progressive insurance. And are they good at working with them to have it repaired ASAP. This way. If they have worked with progressive before. They most likely know the adjuster. And its easier for them to get things done.

[Okie Boarder]

When our Bayliner was totalled, I worked with my insurance. They took care of me then dealt with the other person's insurance to get it settled. As has already been said, that is the way to go. This is where you are going to find out how good your insurance is and also how good Progressive is with marine. Definitely a very repairable bit of damage you go there.

[jet]

Even though it hurts, thats not that bad. Very fixable and really just cosmetic. Sorry brotha'.

[chrisk]

I am worried, though, that it's not just cosmetic. The rear tow eye was hit so hard that the rear lift ring it's connected to is leaning about a half inch aft compared to where it used to be (instead of sitting flush it's leaning backwards). I'm worried there is some major structural damage because around the rear tow ring I can see a bit of a "wave" in the fiberglass. It still drives fine, and I don't think there's any leaks yet...

I'll keep you guys updated on my insurance experience.. at this point I don't mind if it drags out a little bit because I'd rather have my boat gone sometime after the 4th than during it.

[haugy]

I'm sorry, but I can't be of any assistance........................................ ..unless you post more pics of the blonde. :D


Really though, that does suck man. I'm glad nobody got hurt. I'm pretty sure that the poor driver might have drowned, or come close to it if he had endangered my family because of his drunk ass.

If it makes you feel any better, my old Comp was hit by a boat going half-throttle, and it barely made a mark like yours. Boat was fine. Check behind the lifting eye (in the boat). If it's cracked, get it fixed right. If not, and you just want to be sure, put some epoxy back there to seal it up. Don't put it on the bolts though.

As for the other owner's insurance, good luck. Progressive I've heard is decent for the owner of the insurance policy, but a real PITA to deal with on the other side. I hope your insurance agent is good, have him do everything, and hound his ass if he doesn't. You pay them to do this. If you have a full policy of cars, home, boat, etc you have some power in your hands.

[csuggs]

Chris -

I wish I could find a pic to show you . . . but my 86 has the same tow-eye and lifting ring that yours has on it. The gel-coat on mine is also a little "wavy" in that area if you look at it just right - kind of like there was an imperfection in the mold (which would not surprise me any). Where the wavy spot is there's a wooden reinforcement you can see on the inside of the transom. Did your transom not look like that before. Also, the lifting eyes on the older Supras never were straight and true due to a lack of close tolerances in manufacturing at the time.

After looking at your pics a second time just now, the "bulge" around your transom ring looks exactly like mine.

Clint

[chrisk]

The wave wasn't there before, at least not as pronounced, after wet sanding and detailing the whole thing last fall I know every damn curve on her : )

Also, the lift ring is considerably off axis, you can see the dirt/rubber ring where it used to be sitting flush on the fiberglass.

Haugy... you're lucky I'm a nice guy.

http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz345/chriskuecker/80477642.jpg

[Okie Boarder]

chris...very nice! So, ummmm, what were we talking about again?

[DAFF]

I don't think anyone would notice the damage at all..... Other than the curves on the rear platform.

Looks to me the rub rail took the brunt of the hit. As for the lift ring it could of been bent in the impact.... All in all an EZ fix, but never should of happened in the first place.

[Okie Boarder]

Rear end damage! Looks fine to me.

Yeah...looks fine to me. I do see what you're saying about curves in the rear...but I think those make the boat look better, not worse.

[chrisk]

Just writing in an update on this situation...

I finally got a check from Progressive. I ended up dealing with the idiot's insurance instead of mine. Basically what I did was went and got an estimate on my own from the repair guy that I am going to have do the work, then I showed that estimate to the Progressive Agent I had to deal with. The Agent came and looked at my boat on two separate occasions to take pictures and whatnot and the second time I even had to pull the rear seat and gas tank for her. Anyway, she ended up writing me a check for the original estimate I had done.

Thinking about it now, I wish I had kept the original estimate to myself. The fact that she wrote me a check for that exact amount tells me that she actually thought the damages were worse and so she just wrote me a check for the estimate I had. Perhaps I could have gotten a few more hundred out of it, but, at least I'll be getting it fixed and not paying for it, other than gas money to tow it two and from the repair.

Overall the process was smooth, but I think if the damages had been bad enough to take the boat out of commission, I would have been steaming mad. Since I could still use the boat all summer and wasn't planning on repairs till the end of the season, I had plenty of patience.

NOW, my question is, do you think there's some work I could do on my own in order to cut my repair bill down to save myself money? Maybe install the new rubrail on my own? I'm going to do new rear vents on my own... any other thoughts after looking at the pics?

[dusty2221]

You should be allowed a supplement. If the repair shop dives into the work and finds more damage that wasn't accounted for they can work directly with the insurance company to have that cost made up. Typically the adjuster will end up going back out and having the shop show them the unaccounted for damage/cost. Pretty common stuff.

[chrisk]

Yeah I forgot to add that, it was discussed. The adjuster basically told me that if there are any surprises that come up to have the repair guy contact her directly and they'll sort it out.

[TitanTn]

Sorry Chris. It sucks to have to deal with this because someone else was an idiot. You might as the repair guy if there's something you can do yourself to at least attempt to cover your transportation costs. It's not looking like there's much except for maybe the rub rail.

[chrisk]

Well, it's been 51 weeks since this happened, and I finally get to post some completed pictures. Some "technical difficulties" led to the guy having the boat A LOT longer than he had planned on, but he got it done right and I'm thankful for that. I'll have her in my driveway tonight to take some better pictures, but in the meantime here are some that he sent me.

http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz345/chriskuecker/2013-05-17133014_zps15ffa49b.jpg (http://s842.photobucket.com/user/chriskuecker/media/2013-05-17133014_zps15ffa49b.jpg.html)

http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz345/chriskuecker/2013-05-17133025_zps4f62b492.jpg (http://s842.photobucket.com/user/chriskuecker/media/2013-05-17133025_zps4f62b492.jpg.html)

http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz345/chriskuecker/2013-05-17133448_zpsb66329bf.jpg (http://s842.photobucket.com/user/chriskuecker/media/2013-05-17133448_zpsb66329bf.jpg.html)

Haugy, if you read this, you can see why I'm interested in your striping thread.

[haugy]

Wow, it looks great now. Glad to see you got it back in time for lake season.

Yeah, I hear ya on the stripes man. I've got the lady making up samples this week hopefully.

[chrisk]

Wow, it looks great now. Glad to see you got it back in time for lake season.

Yeah, I hear ya on the stripes man. I've got the lady making up samples this week hopefully.

Yeah, from the pictures I'm most impressed with the rubrail restoration. The whole reason I took it all the way to St. Louis was I had seen a few examples of this guy's work first-hand so I trusted him to get it done right. Glad I went to the extra trouble. I think in a normal year I would have ended up being very very upset that it has taken this long, but this year is different. The spring has been unusually chilly, when it finally got warm enough the river I'm normally on flooded, and I bought a house. So not much extra time anyway. Very excited to get back out and try Memorial Day all over again though!