Fiberglass damage suggestions

[sysinu]

Hey all,

I am wondering if anyone has some advice for me around some damage I had done to my boat by another boat.

I slip at a nearby lake and the boat next to me had somewhat crummy dock lines. Their lines have broken before, and I replaced one of their primary lines with my 5/8" braided nylon line (the really good stuff) and told the marina that I found their boat rubbing against mine and replaced one of the lines - alerting the marina at the time (verbally) that the rear docklines on their boat seemed insufficient as well.

... well fast forward a month and their rear dock lines snapped during a wind event (unlikely that it was wind, more likely it was someone waking inside the wakeless area) and their boat snapped loose on the aft and bashed into my port aft overnight.

Mostly gelcoat, but I had a look down there today and I can see a clear fracture in the fiberglass where they were impacting the tower's base.

Looking for advice on two parts:
1- how do most feel that insurance handles this sort of thing. I talked to the owner of the other boat and it sounded like they wanted to try and make this a "no fault claim" which is bogus as my boat didn't cause the damage (though there is damage to their boat).

2- what do you all think of the stress fracture? Is it a season ender?

 

[sysinu]

Additional pictures:

stbd side drain got broken off:

the main gelcoat damage to my port aft:

Some light dock rash after my fenders were ripped off (I had 4 fenders, the big 6" taylor made ones):

My re-attached fender tender, you can see the screw was ripped out:

 

[sysinu]

Oh... and THANK GOD I had my cover on. The cover took a huge amount of the damage:

 

[sysinu]

Not a "season ender" and not significant damage. Surface sanding and touch up fiberglass, little paint and gelcoat. Depending on your deductible, it is most likely not worth filing a claim. Looks less than $500 damage for any decent fiberglass shop.

Thank you for this feedback. There is some damage to the tower as well. Do you think it's just gelcoat for the tower? That is where their boat was slamming into mine and their boat is pretty heavy. You can see the tower anchor bolt has all of the plastic pretty much ripped free.

What I'm worried about is if I took her out that the stress fracture would get worse. If it's just cracked gelcoat then I agree, fully. I don't really know how to determine if it's not just cracked gelcoat or if it's fractured fiberglass. I buried my trailer so I need to unbury it and pull my boat out of the water but the last thing I want to do is tow it down the canyon and have the tower shake causing the problem worse.

 

[sysinu]

for reference, this is his boat's damage:

Note, the fenders that I have in these photo's are after losing all of mine and scrounging anything I could get access to.

 

[Scottintexas]

were you able to look at the tower attachment from the inside, I don't know about it being a season ender as my back grab handle has significant spider cracking but doesn't seem to be a structural issue.

I would think with Swatski's bimini experience I'd want to know for sure before I pull anybody,

I'd see if the interior where the tower mounts is cracked and decide from their (but remember my experience level is in the newbie zone)

 

[sysinu]

were you able to look at the tower attachment from the inside, I don't know about it being a season ender as my back grab handle has significant spider cracking but doesn't seem to be a structural issue.

I would think with Swatski's bimini experience I'd want to know for sure before I pull anybody,

I'd see if the interior where the tower mounts is cracked and decide from their (but remember my experience level is in the newbie zone)

Thank you for this. I will have a look at the inside, I think it's carpeted, though. We shall see.

 

[mraz72]

you had your fenders stolen while docked? Your neighbor is an idiot?

sounds like the marina needs to step up its game.

Sorry about the undeserved headache, if it were me I would call my insurance company and figure out if it is worth a claim.

 

[sysinu]

you had your fenders stolen while docked? Your neighbor is an idiot?

sounds like the marina needs to step up its game.

Sorry about the undeserved headache, if it were me I would call my insurance company and figure out if it is worth a claim.

My fenders probably weren't stolen. I got pinned into the dock and my ropes were pulled through my fenders. I found one of my fenders and the fender was clearly ripped off of my boat. Thank god I also recently tightened my pop-out cleats.

Yes, my marina needs to step up its game. I have a 0$ deductible and this is 100% his boat's fault - but I'll see what the price is after I pull the boat ... I just don't want to transport it and have the tower shake in transfer causing worse damage.

 

[swatski]

@sysinu Ouch, that hurts to watch, sorry this happened to you.

I see the knob broken holding your tower leg, but this is a very different situation and no comparison to the collapse of my tower (also totally different design) - looks like your knob/bolt plastic handle is broken, but not the bolt/threaded part. Not to mention, your tower appears to be well designed.
(I'm going to leave it at that here)

The gelcoat/fiberglass and rub-rail damage does appear extensive, unfortunately. This is NOT a $500 damage, IMO. I wouldn't be surprised to see an estimate in the 2-5k range. And not to alarm you, but I would worry most about potential structural damage inside the FRP gunwale, those things can crack like a eggshell - depending on how much rubbing and pressure was exerted. Not necessarily season ending, hopefully all surface damage (no softness to touch), but I would run it by a reputable fiberglass shop before making any decisions.

--

 

[mraz72]

I was just thinking this week I would like redundancy in my dock line setup. I only have a single line going to the front and rear cleats as well as a swing line. If either the front or rear lines broke/untied, my boat would be hurting

 

[zipper]

@sysinu Ouch, that hurts to watch, sorry this happened to you.

I see the knob broken holding your tower leg, but this is a very different situation and no comparison to the collapse of my tower (also totally different design) - looks like your knob/bolt plastic handle is broken, but not the bolt/threaded part. Not to mention, your tower appears to be well designed.
(I'm going to leave it at that here)

The gelcoat/fiberglass and rub-rail damage does appear extensive, unfortunately. This is NOT a $500 damage, IMO. I wouldn't be surprised to see an estimate in the 2-5k range. And not to alarm you, but I would worry most about potential structural damage inside the FRP gunwale, those things can crack like a eggshell - depending on how much rubbing and pressure was exerted. Not necessarily season ending, hopefully all surface damage (no softness to touch), but I would run it by a reputable fiberglass shop before making any decisions.

--

Replacing the damaged cover alone is over $500, Looks like a lot of damage if not structural then cosmetic. I cannot believe by looking at the damage on his boat, that your hull repairs would only total $500, from what can be seen in the pictures.

 

[Mjones]

As a claims professional, there is no doubt that I would report this to his carrier. Let them deny it 1st and then report it to your carrier and have them pursue it as needed. You are liable for the care, custody and control of your boat. One can not argue "no fault" if you failed to secure your boat properly. Side note, no fault only applies to medical. Cover750 plus repairs 750, total claim is about 1500 to 2000. Just my thoughts.

 

[swatski]

This is not a simple one color/dock rush/nail/screw little booboo. The whole area/side is scratched and the damage goes across a color line. And if there is any softness in that gunwale - we are talking thousands more $ for structural repairs (I so hope it is not the case!). And don't forget the OEM graphic stickers, rub rail, hull fittings, tower knob, and bunch of bs like that at OEM prices - that all adds up very quickly. I think $2k is optimistic, I don't care where in the US you will have it done.

--

 

[seadude]

I hope the marina can assign you another slip away from that wood-grained POS after this mess!

 

[fireflymedic]

I've heard good fences make for good nabors but maybe in the boating world it's good dock lines and fenders make for good nabors. Hate this for you though that much damage that in know way is your fault is gut renching.

 

[zipper]

@ClemsonTiger I see you changed your original post #16, I agree with you that more information was added later. I looked up the price of that cover $700. I have been lucky enough not to need any hull repairs, so I do not know what the hourly rate for gelcoat hull repairs is in Vermont or Utah is, but I am sure is is more than Florida. $500 looked too cheap, but I do agree your revised assessment is more like it, and he should file a claim.

 

[sysinu]

@sysinu Ouch, that hurts to watch, sorry this happened to you.

I see the knob broken holding your tower leg, but this is a very different situation and no comparison to the collapse of my tower (also totally different design) - looks like your knob/bolt plastic handle is broken, but not the bolt/threaded part. Not to mention, your tower appears to be well designed.
(I'm going to leave it at that here)

The gelcoat/fiberglass and rub-rail damage does appear extensive, unfortunately. This is NOT a $500 damage, IMO. I wouldn't be surprised to see an estimate in the 2-5k range. And not to alarm you, but I would worry most about potential structural damage inside the FRP gunwale, those things can crack like a eggshell - depending on how much rubbing and pressure was exerted. Not necessarily season ending, hopefully all surface damage (no softness to touch), but I would run it by a reputable fiberglass shop before making any decisions.

--

I am sorry to hear about what happened to your tower at the Bimini adventure. I agree the older style Roswell towers are nice in that they are built like a tank - but the fact they are welded together tubed steel doesn't make them very serviceable ;-).

I agree with you on the structural concern. That is my primary concern. Seeing what appears to be stress fractures by looking at the spider cracks in the gelcoat above and below my tower mountpoint is really concerning to me. I don't see anything from inside the boat around the fiberglass that makes me worry though (not really sure what to look for) and while I didn't push super hard on it, pressing in on where the tower mount is did not appear to show much in the way of "give".

I will probably get 2-3 bids, I'm no way prepared to do this so I really appreciate your feedback.

I was just thinking this week I would like redundancy in my dock line setup. I only have a single line going to the front and rear cleats as well as a swing line. If either the front or rear lines broke/untied, my boat would be hurting

I should take a photo of how I'm moored. I have 5 lines. One from my bow eye to the center dock cleat (to port) in front of the boat, then my stbd bow to a stbd forward dock cleat, then a swing line to forward and aft dock cleats from my center cleat and finally a stbd aft line to the edge of the dock (tied around a dock post) to my aft stbd cleat. This with 2 Tailor Made Big B fenders and a 8" tailor made buoy fender dock side. I did also have another Big B (these are like 8" diameter) forward port side, I was worried his bow was going to come free again. All of my fenders got destroyed (I would get pinned against the dock and my dockline ripped out the middle of the fender when the fender got stuck low and then his boat would heave down on my portside).

I am trying to get surveillance video of this so folks can see what it looked like. My neighbor's boat is pretty heavy from the looks of it. I have no idea how my starboard side didn't get decimated after losing my fenders... I currently attribute that to my bow eye dock line and my midship aft spring line.

I hope the marina can assign you another slip away from that wood-grained POS after this mess!

Yeah, I was very fussy when I found out where I was slipped initially. I made a big stink about it and got the "next year you can have an end slip" response.

I've heard good fences make for good nabors but maybe in the boating world it's good dock lines and fenders make for good nabors. Hate this for you though that much damage that in know way is your fault is gut renching.

Aside from going through a lot of scotch, I don't know how I'm coping with this. Fuel for the fire is that his bow had snapped their docklines before and I told the marina about it and that I had graciously used one of my dock lines to stem any damage (I was there when the first line snapped thankfully and the only thing that happened was their boat bumped my flag holder).

@ClemsonTiger I see you changed your original post #16, I agree with you that more information was added later. I looked up the price of that cover $700. I have been lucky enough not to need any hull repairs, so I do not know what the hourly rate for gelcoat hull repairs is in Vermont or Utah is, but I am sure is is more than Florida. $500 looked too cheap, but I do agree your revised assessment is more like it, and he should file a claim.

I plan to file a claim. I need to google how all of this works. I have his registration from the marina and have made contact with the other boat's owner. I am waiting to get a picture of his insurance card :-\... I really want all of this to be over with so I don't fester on it.

 

[sysinu]

As a claims professional, there is no doubt that I would report this to his carrier. Let them deny it 1st and then report it to your carrier and have them pursue it as needed. You are liable for the care, custody and control of your boat. One can not argue "no fault" if you failed to secure your boat properly. Side note, no fault only applies to medical. Cover750 plus repairs 750, total claim is about 1500 to 2000. Just my thoughts.

Thank you for this information and I will try my damnedest to not exploit your profession on our pleasure site (that sounds dirty when I re-read it... leaving it as is for smiles). I have a 0$ deductible through my insurance provider for everything up to replacement of the boat... I'm wondering, though, your post mentions submitting a report to his carrier - is it possible that when (hopefully very soon) I get a copy of the other boat's owners insurance card that I would interact only with his insurance leaving my insurance provider to be none the wiser? Or should I just submit it to my insurance and have them go after the other owner's insurance provider?

If nothing else, thank you for this information again - google is my friend and after a couple glasses of scotch I will start asking the indexed interwebs these questions.

 

[druppert]

I recently crashed my boat into a steel walking bridge as I was swept away with the current before I started the engine (idiot) and this was the damage. I think it was purely cosmetic but with my OCD I might as well have been the titanic hitting the iceberg. Anyway, it cost me $450 to repair this. I'd take an "after" shot but there's literally nothing to see. Even if you were looking for the spot in person you wouldn't be able to find it.