POSSIBLE FIRE DAMAGE ??

T

tcap1

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exMember
Joined
Sep 24, 2006
RO Number
23604
Messages
46
There was a fire at my marina early this morning, unfortunately we lost 3 boats.
My boat (fiberglass hull) was stern in on the opposite side of the pier where the boats were on fire. So my boat was about 8-12' away from the other boat on fire. Not sure how close the flames would have reached. The closest I could get to the boat this morning was rb2@gr5t 30', at that distance I could see smoke/soot on the hull.

Question is ;
Do I need to be concerned about heat from the fire and the fiberglass resin ? is there anything I should look for on the hull in particular when I can actually get to my boat about ? Should I consider hiring a surveyor ?

thanks
 
FIrst thing, call your insurance company.
 
First thing call your Underwriter and have them assign a COMPETENT Marine Surveyor. Remember heat rises, so you can be in the smoke zone and still get very little heat. Look at the various plastic fittings on your boat, IE rub rail inserts, cockpit curtains, rod holders, ETC. Plastic melts at a much lower temperature than that which will damage a GRP composite structure. If no plastic is melted, you are in the clear. Your hull will need compounding and waxing at the very least. Don't forget shore power cords, dock lines and dock hoses. If foam was used to extinguish the fire, it can stain gel coat, canvas, aluminum. Make sure any area in contact with the foam is washed immediately. Good Luck
 
First thing i did was call the insurance. after talking to them we will get a surveyor to come down & do their thing.
 
tcap1, I agree with all that posted. Please keep us informed on the outcome.
 
quote:
Originally posted by tcap1

First thing i did was call the insurance. after talking to them we will get a surveyor to come down & do their thing.

Click to expand...


Call Al Prisco. To say he is thorough is an understatement.
 
Update
Cause of the fire is undetermined. 3 boats sank and 4 more damaged. Surveyors report is in and with the exception of the cracks on the swimplatform, and not compensating me for time off work I agree with the coverage. I had to stay on top of the quotes and I caught a lot of mistakes early on that saved thousands !
Repairs to the stern fiberglass that was blistered are complete, and section of rubrail is in hand for replacement. The color doesn't match on the glass or rail. Insurance agree to pay more to blend in the glass color but not to do anything about the rubrail. The color difference is very noticable, very white vs off white. Not sure if it a wrong color order or just faded rail (2001 boat). Will probably have the same color issue when the repairs to the seat vinyl start.
I have a some other concerns but don't want to make this to long. SO do you think I am being unreasonable about making the rubrail match. I want the boat back to pre-fire condition where the rubrail was the same color. If they can't match rubrail color do I have grounds to fight to get it all replaced ?
 
The purpose of insurance is to restore / replace the insured property to the "pre loss" condition or better. If the rub rail doesn't match and it bothers you I would insist on it being replaced.
 
I had no more than a foot of rub rail on my boat that was clearly damaged. We could not get the same rub rail (no longer made), so I had them used a different style. Made them do the entire boat. As mentioned, you have no reason to not expect your boat to be repaired to its pre-loss condition. I don't lose sleep at night feeling like I ripped anyone off.

They break it, they buy it.
 
tcap1, The insurance company should do what it takes to make you happy.
 
Been a very tiresome process. Not sure what other recourse I have if I can't talk them into Doing whaty needs to be done to fix it right
 
I hate to says this sounds like you need an attorney if your not satisfied. Either that or a surveyor of your own to dispute the insurance company's survey.
Bill
 
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