My Boat was Hit!

[96Pirate]

I got a call this morning from the guy that parks next to me at my boat storage place saying he hit my boat with his trailer. I went and looked at it this evening but it is hard to see the damage. Here are some pics (some pretty crappy due to the flash at night time. I will add some more tomorrow morning. He has already offered $2k to make it go away. My biggest concern is not knowing how hard he actually hit and if there is any fiberglass damage behind the rub rail. There is definitely the cover that will be replaced and looks like some gelcoat cracks. I was going to detail it Friday to see what the gelcoat looks like. The boat had to of moved a bit because I always park with the jack wheel running parallel to the board and now it is almost perpendicular. What do you guys think? Crappy day. Thanks in advance for any help.

Cover


Gelcoat


Gelcoat and Cover


Jack


Top indent on the rear corner of his trailer (I will get a better picture tomorrow)

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Better pics will allow better advice. Sorry to hear you had this mishap but thank God for honest people.

One test you can do in person is to push on the damaged area with all of your weight to see if the spider cracks show movement.

 

[1rjclark]

That sucks! let the pros take a look at it.I hope its not to bad

 

[scot71]

Sorry to hear about this. Hopefully it's not to serious.

 

[Andy S]

That sucks at least the guy was honest enough to let you know. From the pictures you posted, $2000 seems like a more than generous offer but better pictures will tell a better story. After you have better pictures, take them to a boat repair shop and see if they will give you a non-binding estimate to repair, this will give you an idea if $2000 grand is sufficient. Also, the tear in your cover should cost you about $50 or less for someone to fix.

In 2013 I had 2 damaged spots on my boat repaired that seemed to be deeper and longer than what your current pictures show and in the process I had the hull color changed from grey to burgundy. For the fiberglass repair it cost $475 labor plus $150 materials and the hull color change was $1450 labor plus $250 materials, total cost $2325.

Good luck!

 

[jcyamaharider]

Ouch sorry to see this. I agree with everyone above, take it to the professionals and see what they have to say.

 

[Britboater]

That sucks, full marks for the guys honesty, but 2k can run out pretty quick with a professional repair.
Somebody mentioned repairing the cover, but that's going to be a weak spot if repaired, wouldn't a new replacement be better.
As for glass/gel damage, from experience you need to take back an area a lot larger than you see to remove any further spider cracking.
On an up note, the rub rail can take some impact, so fingers crossed the damage will be minimal.

 

[96Pirate]

Here are some more pics from this morning. With the glare these are the best I could get. The gelcoat is damaged in an oval pattern (roughly 12" tall and 18" wide) above and below the rub rail. I could not get a good picture of the white section but it looks the same as the black section. I will call it crystally looking. Based on what you see here...how significant? Should I be worried about fiberglass damage? How much does this area flex? @Glassman Help please! Thanks

Area in circled in red is part of the black area damaged.


Close up of the above picture

Rub rail at the impact point (doesn't look that bad considering the gelcoat damage)


Here you can see his trailer tire treads in the bottom center of pic. Came in at almost a 45 degree angle. He hit just in front of the center cleat.

 

[96Pirate]

I agree with everyone on the guys honesty. That goes along way. Although I would have figured it out based on the tread marks and the dent in his trailer being the perfect height. But I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I will be calling around for quotes but still want to get this out there for some other opinions. Hoping @Glassman or any other gel/glass guys on here know of any good guys up this way. I just don't want this thing hitting me 3...4 years down the road and having more serious issues. Thanks again!

 

[biglar155]

Well that sucks.

Nice of the guy to be honest but just because he's offering doesn't mean you're ever actually going to see the money.

As much as I hate getting insurance companies and such involved, I REALLY hate these "good old boy" deals. If things go south you can really get stuck.

Is the guy someone you know? Or just someone you've seen around? Do you really CARE if he thinks you're a prick for reporting the damage? How much is a smile and wave instead of a frown from him worth to you?

 

[Ronnie]

I'm no expert on fiber glass repair but that doesn't look bad at all too me. I'm sure I've caused more damage to my boat just pulling up to docks or onto the trailer. From that perspective I would get two or three quotes, select the shop I'm most comfortable with and collect the cash from the guy that hit my boat before bringing it in for repair. Another alternative to calling the insurance company up is to take the full $2K offered and keep the difference, although I'm not advocating this since Karma has always been a B too me. The tear in the cover should be easy to mend by a good shop for $50 or less.

 

[scot71]

My only question is. How or why would you come in at an angle like that and not be more mindful of your surroundings. Without seeing the big picture, I don't understand why he was basically backing straight into your boat.

 

[jcyamaharider]

My only question is. How or why would you come in at an angle like that and not be more mindful of your surroundings. Without seeing the big picture, I don't understand why he was basically backing straight into your boat.

My guess.... the wife was blabbing in his ear causing a distraction and aggravation then once he did hit the boat she is still yelling at him now.

 

[Wayloncle]

My guess.... the wife was blabbing in his ear causing a distraction and aggravation then once he did hit the boat she is still yelling at him now.

Or she was directing him back....I tried to watch my wife spot me back to hook up my camper one time...I stopped watching her when she pointed up to the sky and said "it needs to go up".

 

[Skysurfer2010]

My only question is. How or why would you come in at an angle like that and not be more mindful of your surroundings. Without seeing the big picture, I don't understand why he was basically backing straight into your boat.

Because accidents happen?

A few weekends ago I lightly hit a parked car when I packed out of a parking spot at night. It was dark, the car was black, and as I looked behind me it was in my blind spot. When it came into view I slammed on my brakes but I lightly tapped it. I did the right thing. When the owner came out I apologized, said I'd take care of it, called the cops for a police report, and gave them the option of insurance to be involved. He chose to have me pay for it privately and after he got a quote I paid the auto body shop. This was my first "accident" and I felt like shit (still do) but accidents happen and I did the right thing.

The guy who did this is doing the right thing and taking responsibility. It sucks for the inconvenience but that's life. Do the right thing. Get it fixed, let him pay for the repair, be honest and don't over charge him, and move on with life.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

It doesn't look that bad from the pictures but you need to push on it to see if the glass board is shattered all of the way through. Tap it and a known good area lightly with a hammer or mallet and listen for a difference. Again, this looks just to be gelcoat damage and nothing more.

 

[scokill]

I would take the $2K in a heartbeat....based on my experience with very significant damage.

 

[96Pirate]

Hey guys! I just want to be clear that I am not trying to make a dime off this guy. I just want it fixed right and only worry about what will happen 5 years down the road from now because of this. I always get concerned when someone else touches my stuff because things in the past have never been done up to my expectations. I hope it didn't come across that I was trying to take advantage of this situation.

So besides that I did manage to take it to a shop. Should have an estimate early next week but they thought there would be fiberglass damage. Another guy I saw was booked until Mar/Apr but he would still give me an estimate as well. Also found some cracks up by the windshield that were not there. Which leads me to the question...How far away from impact can gelcoat be damaged? I am pulling the cover Sunday and will look at the other side.

I came home and removed the plywood wall in the head compartment and it sure looks like a crack. Right at the impact point. Other pictures added are of the dent in his trailer.

I'm no glass guy but sure looks like a crack.

One of the strongest parts of the wall on the trailer and crinkled it pretty good.




Anyone have superstitions? I found this on the floor in the same area of impact. Unlucky tails!!!!!

 

[scokill]

Of course don't settle for anything less than getting it fixed right and get a couple of estimates. Still doesn't look that bad. I wouldn't worry 5 years down the line...it will either be fixed or not. Nothing structural.

A lot of folks were around when I hit my stump. About $6K in damage...hull structure, fiberglass, gelcoat. It was fixed and I don't give it second thought.

 

[itsdgm]

That's such a bummer @96Pirate. If there is a silver lining, at least it's during the cold months and not peak season. So hopefully you'll be up and running next season without any down time.