79 sylvan sportster open bow UPDATE!!!

For those of you that don't know, I have a thread on here about my rebuild. I have spent the last year and a half on this boat.
On Friday ( the 13th if you believe in that kind of stuff ) I pulled the truck and boat from the backyard and parked it out front of the house. It was 6:00pm.

Me and the wife were heading out at 6:30am with four other family members to put the boat in the water for the first time. Have a picnic and do some fishing.

We had fallen asleep in the living room while watching tv and a noise woke me at midnight. I looked out the front door window and thought I was dreaming. My boat was pointing at the house along with a set of headlights from a car that was trying to get away. My truck was on the sidewalk with a busted rear end.

I had my wife call 911 and I got the guy to turn off his car a get out. Of course it was my fault according to him. He had the nerve to say my boat was sticking out in the road. He continued with this even after the police arrived. I got a little excited at one point with this accusation and he was placed under arrest for DUI.

It took four hours to get the mess cleaned up. I don't know how this will all work out? I do know that i'm out a truck, trailer and boat for now. I hope it's just for now.

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Pictures are backwards, sorry.

The trailer was stuck in the car. It had to be cut in order to get the car away.

Man,

I feel for you. Sucks to see all that work destroyed like that.

Be patient as much as you can. Hopefully, the other guy has insurance. If he got a DUI, he's definitely the responsible party. Start gathering pictures of all your work and get as many cost records as you can. You'll need those for the insurance company. A restored boat with records is worth more than an "old" boat, if that makes sense.

BTW, do NOT settle for the first offer the insurance company gives you. They will try to low ball you to save themselves money. In this case it will probably be worth it to retain a lawyer to represent you and get the proper reimbursement for all the work you did. Even sue the guy if you have to. You should not have to suffer because he got drunk and drove. After all, he not only destroyed your truck, trailer and boat, he ruined your weekend as well and upset your wife and family.

With deepest sympathy,

Dave

that sucks! i agree get a lawyer and let him loose on the guy

I feel for you. Hope you are able to get what you are due.

YIKERS! I've never see a trailer tongue snap clean in half like that!?! I hope they throw the book and the guy/gal who did this. I'm glad the trailer "grabbed" them so they couldn't get away Oddly enough, the boat itself, looks ok for the most part. Hang in there and be patient. There will no doubt be tons of paperwork and bs to deal with, but it should work out for the best in the end. Did the driver at least have insurance, or would the boat be covered under your homeowner's insurance, or something? Sounds like y'all are ok and didn't get hurt, which is the most important thing. Keep us posted.....

We did not let this mishap stop us. We went ahead with our plans for today less truck and boat.
I have been patient for a year and a half, so whats more time. Personal property can be replaced but, lives can't. That's not to say that I wasn't upset and that's putting it mildly.

I'm still waiting for the police report but, I have been told that the car was insured. I believe the car belonged to the female passenger. I don't know how the male driver was related.

I will post updates.

Wow that is a bad deal all the way around.... but like someone said above it looks like the boat actually fared the best out of the whole mess. That must have been some impact to snap the neck right off your trailer, YIKES! I cherish my boat but I would rather a drunk driver smash into it rather than a family and hurt someone. You never know, your boat may have saved some lives

I went to the tow yard to remove all my gear. Did not want any of it to walk away.

The boat is sitting on the ground and looks fairly decent from what I can see. It has a dent to the rear port side. The bow eye is ripped off and the skeg is bent. I can't see the bottom but, what I do see is repairable.

The towing company told me the insurance company will probably total the boat for liability reasons. We will see.
Even if I could get ahold of a trailer, my boat won't be released until the bill is paid. Two rollbacks and a crane truck plus time, milage and storage. That's just for the boat and trailer. My truck went to another place on a rollback.

It was like a circus for four hours. Police cars, fire trucks, ambulance, four rollbacks and the crane truck.
Flares burning, lights flashing and spotlights glaring. People taking pictures and asking questions.
We are a curious people.

If I would have thought quick enough I could have sold coffee and soda. Made some money for another trailer so I can get my boat back.

I do want to thank all of you. Allowing me to ramble on about this has helped keep me level headed. I am able to laugh.

Life comes at you fast. Get mad, get glad and move on.

It's up to the insurance companys now.

BillG said:

It's up to the insurance companys now.

Click to expand...

Don't leave it up to the insurance companies. His or yours. Many years ago, a buddy of mine was totally dissatisfied with the way his insurance company had handled his claim on a brand new car a deer had walked out in front of and the insurance company totaled. They made him an offer, but it didn't even come close to paying off the car or getting him into a replacement vehicle. After several go arounds with them, he decided to get a lawyer. This is where things got interesting.

The lawyer took his case for free, which no one expected. The reason why, the lawyer said, is he hated the way insurance companies handled most folks claims and this was his way of handling the unbalanced situation. The lawyer handled things, my buddy got the proper payoff for his vehicle and was able to pay the car off and get back into another new vehicle, so he ended up much happier.

The moral of the story is you're better off consulting a lawyer right off the bat before signing anything with an insurance company. In this case, with an older boat you put a ton of money, time and effort into restoring, you are going to need someone to represent you so you can get appropriate compensation to replace your loss. If you do not have representation, the insurance companies are likely to only offer you what the "list" value is for that very old boat. Nothing near what you are likely to get.

I strongly urge you to consult with an attorney so you don't get screwed. If it were me, I'd want appropriate compensation and my boat back, even if it was totaled. The attorney will know ways to handle this so you can get your boat back.

Without an attorney, you are at the mercy of the insurance companies.

Insurance company had my truck taken to dealer body shop. Should hear something in a couple days.

Just talked to different agent about boat and trailer. Adjuster is to get in touch with me to set up time to meet at tow yard to see boat and trailer.

It seems kind of funny that they would ask if the boat and trailer could be repaired. I'm attached to the boat and think it can but, I want it checked. The trailer is junk.

I told them that the age of the boat might be 1979 but it's a 2011. It hasn't even seen the water since the rebuild.

They have been real good. I'm in a rental car.

I would love to see my boat off the ground and on a trailer and also covered. Hopefully soon.

VERY glad no one was hurt.

A thought:

When I got hit by a truck while I was riding my old BMW motorcycle, I was pretty screwed up for a while.
I did have the presence of mind to call the local BMW dealers, some of whom knew me, and described my bike (a restored 1975 R90S), and the work (complete engine trans brakes instruments wheels and tires--all except for fairing paint) I had done to it, and the invoices I had. Talked with them about value, two sent estimates of value.

Sent copies of those, as well as the names, addresses and phone numbers of the dealership to the insurance adjuster. My feeling was that adjusters are generalists, not specialists, and rely on solid data.

They settled that aspect of the claim relatively easily.


Best wishes in all regards.