Motor falls off boat and onto highway

mr.vrooman · Aug 11, 2011

Title says it all.
Brand new Yamaha 20hp short shaft. not even through the first oil change...and i never did find it. insurance wont cover it.

Has this ever happened to anyone?? I cant believe it.. sold nearly everything I owned to buy the thing, and its gone like that.

I am in total shock,feel sick about it, and feel pretty stupid.
Has anyone heard of one being found?

tractoman · Aug 11, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

Sorry for the loss. I have a buddy that found an outboard along a bumpy dirt road on his way home from a lake one time.

erwinner · Aug 11, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

I put the factory supplied bolts through the transom on my new 15hp Merc and make sure the clamps are tight on it as well but I feel sick reading your post.
You got the title all registered with the state right? Maybe you can file some paperwork that will catch the S/N if someone else tries to register it? Good luck.

mr.vrooman · Aug 11, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

Well the background of this story is more than just the motor fallling off.

First headed out on a fishing trip 8 hours north...we get about 2 hours from home and the axle on my boat trailer snaps off....not a huge deal, no damage to the boat or motor (which is in the down position), a buddy brings me out my flatdeck trailer, and we are on our way again.

We get up north, caught lots of fish and had a great time, then loaded back up on the flat deck to come home.

When we arrive at home, the motor is gone, hadnt stopped in 3 hours either so it was no where to be found.

Since the boat was on the flat deck, it had to be in the upright position because it would have dragged on the highway....

I wish I took the motor off the transom!!!! It seems so obvious now.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Listen to the owners manual....always tow with the motor in the down position...or you will be out $4000

mr.vrooman · Aug 11, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

I filed a police report and gave them the serial number. if it is turned in i will get notified..but chances of that are not very good

roscoe · Aug 11, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

Sorry.

Now go buy yourself a nice used 2 stroke for $650.

fishrdan · Aug 11, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

Fell off,,, or someone lifted it off....

I have an outboard motor lock bar on my outboard. It's a cheap old $400-500 7.5HP Force, but you never know who is going to try and steal something. Heck, I even paddle lock my trolling motor to the boat when I'm on the road. It would only take a couple minutes at a gas station and either could be gone.

BRICH1260 · Aug 12, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

Why wouldn`t insurance cover it ?, assuming you had purchased a policy on unit.

DuckHunterJon · Aug 12, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

Not sure how it is where you are, but in NY, this would fall under the car insurance since it was being towed at the time. Granted, being that it was not on a proper boat trailer, they may choose not to cover it, but make sure to run it past them to be sure. Boat insurance only covers it while it's floating. Again, your locale may differ.

Darol Wester · Aug 12, 2011

For $4000, I'd make some posters and go back down that stretch of road and put them up where ever I could. Your chances of it being an honest person that found it are just as good as one that wasn't.

Good luck!!

'78 Crusader · Aug 12, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

Just an expensive lesson. You'll know the next time you do something like this to check your equipment before going on a road trip. We all learn from our experiences (hopefully) and I hope you've learned from this lamebrain mistake.

As a result of your negligence, someone could have potentially been hurt or killed by hitting that motor as it fell off the trailer or stopped in the middle of the road.

Home Cookin' · Aug 12, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

to answer the first question, I've never heard of a motor coming off a trailered boat, just riding along. Just like the guy who lost his overboard, a line tied from motor to hull is standard operating procedure.
I can't imagine a tightly clamped OB bouncing up high enough to come off a transom--it's about a 4" straight vertical lift. I suspect it was lifted off at a stop and it wasn't noticed.

And no, you do not always trailer with the motor down; in fact few people's trailers are tall enough to do so. Just don't mention deflopperating devices.

BRICH1260 · Aug 12, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

DuckHunterJon said:
Not sure how it is where you are, but in NY, this would fall under the car insurance since it was being towed at the time. Granted, being that it was not on a proper boat trailer, they may choose not to cover it, but make sure to run it past them to be sure. Boat insurance only covers it while it's floating. Again, your locale may differ.

Full coverage boat insurance(not liability only) covers the boat wherever the boat is located. Otherwise it would not be covered if it were to be stolen from your home.

ajgraz · Aug 12, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

Did you tell the insurance company it "fell off"? Why? You don't know that. If you did tell them that, call 'em again and tell them maybe it was stolen, who the F knows? All you know is it's gone.

Uh yeah, who told you it was not covered? The insurance company? That's what insurance companies always do, take your premiums then try to deny your claim and hope you'll crawl whimpering away. Be persistent.

Silvertip · Aug 13, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

Home Cookin' said:
to answer the first question, I've never heard of a motor coming off a trailered boat, just riding along. Just like the guy who lost his overboard, a line tied from motor to hull is standard operating procedure.
I can't imagine a tightly clamped OB bouncing up high enough to come off a transom--it's about a 4" straight vertical lift. I suspect it was lifted off at a stop and it wasn't noticed.

And no, you do not always trailer with the motor down; in fact few people's trailers are tall enough to do so. Just don't mention deflopperating devices.

I thought we had this perfectly clear -- the word is DEFLOPPERIZER.

Jeff-in-PA · Aug 14, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

mr.vrooman said:
......snip......

MORAL OF THE STORY: Listen to the owners manual....always tow with the motor in the down position...or you will be out $4000

I have a cable attached to my 9.9 kicker.

jigngrub · Aug 14, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

One or 2 bolts through the transom would be nice on those tillies eh?!

kahuna123 · Aug 15, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

I had my first boat at 8 years old. Pulling skiers since I was 12. Certified diver for 30 years. Worked in a marine yard on big stuff as a marine electrician. I have never, ever heard of ant out board falling off a boat on a trailer. In Miami I have heard of them flying away in less than 30 seconds when no one was looking.

DuckHunterJon · Aug 15, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

BRICH1260 said:
Full coverage boat insurance(not liability only) covers the boat wherever the boat is located. Otherwise it would not be covered if it were to be stolen from your home.

As I said, it may differ state to state. I spoke at length with my agent (local agent, not some phone call center) about my coverage. If I'm towing, it's covered by my car insurance. If the boat, or any parts off it are stolen while sitting on my property (in or out of the garage), my home owners will cover it. If it's on the water, thent it's the boat insurance. All three of these policies are through the same agent, but different insurers. I really hope I never need to test this, but I asked just in case.

freddyray21 · Aug 15, 2011

Re: Motor falls off boat and onto highway

I agree it did not fall off it was taken off. It should be insured through one of your policies. I am 50 years old and have been around boats since I was a kid. I have never seen a motor just come off a boat.

Motor falls off boat and onto highway

Cadet

Petty Officer 1st Class

Petty Officer 1st Class

Cadet

Cadet

Supreme Mariner

Admiral

Lieutenant

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Petty Officer 2nd Class

Chief Petty Officer

Fleet Admiral

Lieutenant

Lieutenant Commander

Supreme Mariner

Chief Petty Officer

Fleet Admiral

Senior Chief Petty Officer

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Commander