Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

[Nandy]

Everyone is ok... I went boating today to Mountain Island lake. Took the kids with me. We went to the sand bar and had a good day. In my way back to the ramp I decided to take one more spin around the island just to cruise a bit. My step brother has always warn me about "last somethings..." as I head to the bridge no wake zone I saw this nice Chris Craft getting off the no wake zone... Before I could count to '10 Mississippi" that boat was in top of us. I had shift to neutral to stop the motor thinking he saw us but then when I realized he was trimmed to high to see us. I tried to back away from him but his was in a course straight to us... He hit our bow and he still didn't knew he hit a boat...
He did not have any damage other than the rubber from my rubrail in his gelcoat. Later on I was able to scratch it out with my nail. I was not that lucky. My bow is pretty much torn... Bow light came off the screws but stayed connected by the cables. He stopped and you could tell he was in shock. He was a true gentleman. He asked us to follow him to his house in the lake and we could do any calls we needed there. He was just testing that boat, he has not bought it yet... Dang! He called the owner and made sure the insurance is in effect. I have no insurance for he boat, I will change that coming Monday... We exchanged info and I called the NCWRC. They say that unless someone is hurt or there was over 2k in damages I did not have to report it. The officer gave me his number and told me to call him later if I found out the damages was over 2k.
I think this is a very bad way to end the day or try a boat... I was not mad... Somehow I was very sorry this happened... But I replay it in my mind (believe me I had 100 times in my mind so far) and I dont think I could have avoid it other that if i had decided to just go to the ramp... Let's say my season ended the same day it started...
Anyway, I need to take it to some place for an estimate. If anyone from the NC gang can tell me where to take it that will be great as I have no idea right now... Here are some photos...

 

[22E6441]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

Glad nobody got hurt.

That's some nasty damage, I think.....

Boats just add a new dimension to everything.....explain to a non-boater that sometimes you can't see directly in front of you......

 

[Nandy]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

Second round..

 

[superpop]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

Any insurance company will declare that a total loss due to the value of the boat and what it is going to cost to fix it. The owner of the Chris Craft is probably liable since he hit you while you were stopped and he was under way. Either way I would expect a check for the value of the hull, take that money and go buy a new one. I would not try and repair something that serious. I don't think you would ever get a good strong joint at such an important structural part of the front of the boat.

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

Man, them Chris Crafts are some solid boats if he didn't feel that. I'd wonder if there isn't any hidden damage on his boat. As for yours, an insurance company will right it off as a total loss as was stated. It's a shame, looks like you a very nice boat there. It's probably repairable...but tough call.

Glad everyone is okay..it could have been much worse obviously.


Ian

 

[truckermatt]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

i agree with SUPERPOP, the boat would be considered totaled. But you also state that you have no insurance.... and i think it would be hard to file a claim now....

Good luck either way.

 

[danfrompgh]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

WOW !! Thank your lucky stars no one was hurt, another 2 feet and his incompetance becomes a tragedy.
For those of us who are not insurance savy, since only the Chris Craft was insured does his insurance cover your loss ?
I'll stop argueing with the admiral about being over insured now.
You and your family are very lucky to be alive.

 

[cpubud]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

very glad to here that the only damage was to the boat, it can be replaced.

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

WOW !! Thank your lucky stars no one was hurt, another 2 feet and his incompetance becomes a tragedy.
For those of us who are not insurance savy, since only the Chris Craft was insured does his insurance cover your loss ?
I'll stop argueing with the admiral about being over insured now.
You and your family are very lucky to be alive.

I did one season without insurance, and everytime I came to a busy dock I would sweat buckets for fear of drifting into someone else's boat. I am now fully and completely insured. Heck, most outboard boats can be insure for very little money under your homeowners plan. Thank your wife next time you hug her.

Ian

 

[ziggy]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

man, what a bummer. and i thought my season started poorly when my boat engine died 1st time out and i had to get towed in... that's way a way worse 1st day. sorry man...

was the impact on starboard bow? between 0*-112.5*?

 

[Nandy]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

His general heading was from my starboard to my port side. I stopped while he was doing an arch away from me. Then he changed course in a arch towards me. That is when I hit reverse from the neutral position but I was not able to move away from he enough. I shivers at the thought of the out coming had I not hit reverse... Maybe I should had gun it... That's the question playing in my head over and over... I do think reverse was the right answer, prove is we are alive and the boat is still floating...

 

[5150abf]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

Glad everyone is alright.

I think you did exactly what you needed to do, a different action may have had a different outcome but the one you got is okay, a boat can be replaced, a wife or kid not so much.

Hopefully the insurance works out and you will want to keep that number, I'm pretty sure you surpased 2K.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

he hit you, you were stopped, or basically stopped. he should pay. unsafe operation for the conditions. no wake zone.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

It's clear that he was at fault- he should buy you another comparable boat or write a check for enough to cover same. Not being insured is not the issue. Liability is.

 

[Nandy]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

Oh! He is paying for it, we established that yesterday... He had passed the no wake zone under the bridge. Then is when he gun it as much people do... As we were getting details down in his own dock he told me " I just can't believe I did not see you with that big thing" while he points to my blue bimini...
I agree, unsafe operation. The NCWRC already told me that if he is getting involved he will be writing some tickets. I really don't wish that. Hopefully the insurance company will play fair...

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

WOW, Sorry to see that but I am glad nobody was hurt. I think the insurance company (His) will total it. I also agree you are over the 2k mark to have it repaired.

 

[jkust]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

That guy has no business at the wheel of a boat much less a CC. I would think you would be the most careful testdriving something because you are not used to it and because it does not belong to you. He should thank his lucky stars nobody was killed. To hit a boat in broad daylight in clear conditions to me is criminal. Putitng my kids in that much danger, I don't think I would have been so nice to him.

 

[Nandy]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

I'm a bit uneasy about the insurance deal. When they see how old the boat is I'm sure they will only want to give me some ridiculous amount. I want to be back in the water in a similar hull... Where this guy lives houses start at 500k. His is waterfront with his own dock. This guy has some money. I hope he is willing to go and bat for me with the insurance or cover any difference out of his pocket. I'm not going to try to take advantage, but I want back what he broke.
Found 3 places to take the boat to. I made a lot of calls, seems fiberglass work in boats is not a popular job. Will let you guys know.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

If you mean by "this guy," the guy who hit you, his financial status isn't going to help you in regard to an insurance settlement on your boat. First, it is the boat's owner who holds the policy, not the guy who was testing it. Second, the insurance company is going to offer you whatever they can demonstrate your boat to be worth and not a dime more. In fact, they will probably try to pay you less than what your boat is fairly worth.

If there were personal injury involved, I would agree that the driver would be in a precarious position. That would open up the possibility of an attorney taking on a contingency lawsuit for you, but since ther were no injuries (which is where the money is), I don't see that happening.

I think your best bet is to try to get the driver to cover whatever the insurance company won't, for the repair of your boat. If he has enough money to make the cost involved insignificant in terms of his own life, he might follow through. That said, I would be careful about committing myself to a repair bill, without getting paid before the work starts.

One other thing that comes to mind is, "what was the boat's owner thinking when he let someone take the boat for a test drive, unaccompanied?" There is no way that I would do that!

Sorry to see those photos, Nandy. As we used to say in the 60s, major bummer, dude!

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: Official 1st Trip, now need boat bodywork...

A lot of people jumping to conclusions about who is at fault without enough information IMO. With some of the more recent information, I just don't think it's as cut and dried as some here do. Initially, he was coming from your starboard side so doesn't that make him the stand-on boat and you the give-way boat? His arcing turns and your stopping in the general path muddy it up a bit but that's what would concern me. He could change his story slightly and find someone to argue his point- you came to a stop in his general path when he had the right of way. I'm not saying it's right, but that's the part that would concern me.

It's easy to play Monday morning quarterback but I've been in this situation before and when I can't be sure of eye contact, I motor hard to the right to try to steer away and remain the give way boat as much as possible. I wouldn't want to stop and lose all manueverability while his bow is up and his vision obscured. It might be because of my motorcyle background, but I always have one finger on the horn button too, just because of these kind of situations. Just my 2c.

Glad to hear no one was hurt. Everything else can be replaced.