Sank my boat....

[njmr2fan]

Wow, tough to look at that damage. Whole story would have been much worse if there was an injury. Glad you're all ok. We ran up and down the Savannah River once and all of a sudden my depth meter was screaming that we were in 36" water then 30" then 24". Scared me when I looked over the edge and could clearly see all the rocks. Your photos brought back the same sick feeling I had. Hope it all works out with insurance. I'll be interested in hearing how your treated and who you're insured with.

 

[Evil Sports]

Just saw this, Im a long time user of the river "below" the dam and boy do I take chances down here especially flying up the Westfield river. I guess Im lucky. Where on the river did you do this??

 

[subysti]

@Evil Sports i was worried also. He did this north of the shallows. I've gone up there many times before but now that the river is so low I wouldn't try it. I know that there were places it was down to 3' when the river was up so I'm guess now it's down to 1' or less in places.

 

[Evil Sports]

It must be beyond shallow where he was running, I know my boat is a little lighter but "on Plain" Im not pulling more than 1 foot. I fly up the Westfield and its so shallow my ass is puckered the whole time Im running but we never had an issue. The way back down running on the trolling motor I have had to get everyone out and push it. That shows me on plain it takes less water that the 14-16 inches it specs

 

[msavold]

Numbers I've seen are "about 8" draft on plane".
Also, my understanding is that the depth gauge reads depth below hull (+/-) so 2' is a true 2' of clearance (i.e., not from the water line). Of course, I've also been in instances where I could see the bottom and the gauge was reading 25' depth... [sigh]

 

[Englewoodcowboy]

Glad you are all right and be ready to push for a totaled boat. If they fight you on it (it can be repaired) but you are talking all new wiring etc. Once electrical harnesses go under water with voltage they are pretty much done as they may appear to be OK now but they will rot from the inside out and cause you nothing but problems. I don't foresee them trying to repair it always comes down to the estimated repair vs. price of the boat etc. you just need to make sure it is right and safe. That is one major issue on any river is the fact that things are often sent downstream after any rain and the bottoms always changing. I would imagine you did not hit dirt, it looks like you hit a rock or something equally as hard, perhaps an old engine block etc. Engine blocks have been used for many years as anchors for markers etc. and that can and will move...

 

[morgro269]

Well I've waited all this time to hear back from the insurance company. They received the boat surveyors report that basically said he doesn't know if the fiberglass can be repaired and be safe again and that I need to have a fiberglass shop check it out and send them a report. They also said that they were unable to inspect the jets and motors for damage. If the surveyor would've called ahead (instead of just showing up) like we requested, we would not be in this situation. Does anyone know of a good fiber glass place in CT?

 

[Murf'n'surf]

At this point you might want to have your dealer look into your motors. That might add up to a "total" loss. They might have a good fiberglass guy to take a look at the hull.

 

[subysti]

I'd just call Brian at G&R marine. I bet they could give you all the info you need.

 

[Majorsmackdown]

Sorry about your damage - that sucks !! Just last year I had a new car - 3 weeks old - totalled when I got rear ended. Took the good hands a couple months and I probably spent 20 hours on the phone with them before they settled without screwing me to death. Don't let them cheat you - they're in the business of denying claims (or at least short changing their customers).

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Simply put the damage would void the hull warranty from the factory and on that note they usually agree to total it. If not you can use that argument with them and once they know you are aware of it they will reconsider and total it. That was the reason they totaled my ski when it was flipped over on the interstate a year ago.
I t had no engine or mechanical damage just hull damage and nothing close to your level of destruction.

 

[morgro269]

Good to know @Cobra Jet Steering LLC ! I will use that approach if necessary...

 

[Big Shasta]

Any update on this. What is the Ins company saying, standing by repair it over a total loss? Have the engines been looked at yet, wondering if they've been sitting all this time with water in them.

 

[Peelz]

gah!!!

JUST READ THE POST. first, I threw up in my mouth a little. then I read it was a 2015. and I'm crying a little now.

I wish you good luck, and glad you were at least all home safe.

 

[morgro269]

Still waiting. G&R are working with CT Boat Works (fiberglass shop) to put together a price to repair and submit it to the insurance company. The motors have been gone through and given a clean bill of health. They changed the oil three times, the air filters and ran the motors for awhile and said they are perfectly fine. I am not going to approach the warranty issues with the insurance company until the prices are in. G&R is also writing a letter to the insurance company stating that although everything appears fine now, something could come up in the future and that if they don't want to total the boat then they need to be on the hook for it.

 

[Sonyavdz]

Glad you are all safe and hope it all works out with the insurance company

 

[Big Shasta]

Still waiting. G&R are working with CT Boat Works (fiberglass shop) to put together a price to repair and submit it to the insurance company. The motors have been gone through and given a clean bill of health. They changed the oil three times, the air filters and ran the motors for awhile and said they are perfectly fine. I am not going to approach the warranty issues with the insurance company until the prices are in. G&R is also writing a letter to the insurance company stating that although everything appears fine now, something could come up in the future and that if they don't want to total the boat then they need to be on the hook for it.

Ugh, I hate that they just flushed out the engines and are calling it good. How long did they sit with water in them?

I feel for you man. Too late to get an extended warranty on those engines?

 

[morgro269]

Quick update... I brought it to a different place. Metan Marine (http://www.metanmarine.com/index.html). G&R is great dealership. I didn't go anywhere else because of anything they did. If I stayed with them, they would've pulled the motors and sent it over to CT Boat works for the fiberglass repair. CT Boat Works didn't seem to know what they are doing and wouldn't warranty the repair. The estimate from G&R (which included the glass repair at CTBoat Works) was roughly 20k. G&R's portion was about $1800. Metans' estimate is roughly 40k and that is only the fiberglass repair. They've put more effort into getting it priced out correctly in a week than Boat Works did in a month. They have a Yamaha engineer from the factory they are working with. They've got the blueprints to get it back to the correct specifications. The hull is actually 4 pieces (not just 2 halves as boatworks thought). The engine well is adhered to the hull with Methacrylate and there is no way to get it out without destroying it. They are going to have to make a mold a build a new engine well from scratch. That is part of the huge price difference. Metan also provides a 10 year warranty. Anyway, my quick update has gotten long...

 

[Leojay]

Just another reason to invest $40.00 in this priceless sure fire device to alert you when you are taking on water. Yes we have a scupper, yes we have bilge pumps, but this unfortunate event is proof that the sooner you know your taking on water the better. Here is the video I made of this device I installed in my Yamaha. I hope this helps some folks

 

[David D]

There is a video posted on winterizing and they guys there pointed out that the bilge pump cycles every 2 minutes. Is that accurate? If so, that seems like a long time between cycles if you're in one of those situations where you're taking on water quickly. Personally, I'm not going to worry about it ... but depending on what your boating environment is like, you may want to consider something like @Leojay -- or one of the other recommendations you'll find on the forum.