International Association of Marine Investigators – CMI
Attention Marine Insurance and Law Enforcement Professionals. I am going to take the opportunity this week to introduce and promote a remarkable organization in the marine industry. Since I may have as many readers from the insurance industry as I do private boaters, it seems appropriate to hit a topic which may be of particular interest to all of you in the claims and underwriting world. The International Association of Marine Investigators, founded in 1986 as the National Association of Marine Investigators, has since developed into...
read moreIN THE OFF SEASON – GET TO KNOW YOUR BOAT PART IV: ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
I have made this point before, but I want to start right off with it again. Electrical work on your boat should be, at the very least, supervised or inspected by a qualified marine electrician. ABYC offers a very thorough certification course in marine electrical. I have taken it and hold the certification. But, I do not put my skills and experience in the same class as a certified technician who performs installations and repairs every day. As a generalist, it is important to recognize the specialists. BoatUS puts sinkings and fires...
read moreINSPECTING A FROZEN BOAT
This week, I am compelled to take a one week break for the “Getting to Know Your Boat series, I have been publishing, to discuss frozen boat hulls. Every year, once boat show season is in full swing, my phone starts to ring. The boat buying season starts and everyone in the financial food chain is hungry from the hibernation season which started around Thanksgiving. Like hungry bears, the prey is the aspiring boater developing a mild case of spring fever seeking a great deal on a boat before the spring rush is on. At the risk of over...
read moreGET TO KNOW YOURE BOAT – PART III
This week we open the hatch and step into the bilge. Yes I can hear the moans and groans, but I would bet most of you will learn to love your bilge if you spend some time down there. Why? We all like to know more about our boats. Most of us complain about the cost of repairs. None of us wants to end up in an emergency situation with no idea what to do. Confession: I reviewed a July post on the subject so as not to be redundant. I found it was well written and a good introduction to the succeeding posts. So, I am recycling it. The of season is...
read moreGET TO KNOW YOUR BOAT – PART II
Welcome to the second installment. In the first installment, I was eager to get below decks and talk about what to look at in the bilge. A week of thinking about where to go next keeps up above decks for another several paragraphs. By and large, boating is a very safe recreational activity. So much so, that complacency is very common. The problem is, when the occasional thing does go wrong, it goes really wrong and the options can be very limited to protect yourself and others. Not to understate a bad case scenario where a house starts on...
read moreIN THE OFF SEASON – GET TO KNOW YOUR BOAT
For most of us north of 30 degrees of latitude, it is the off season for boating. The boats have been tucked away for some time, and aside from making payments to the bank or insurance company, thoughts of her have been infrequent as we navigate the holiday season. Now comes the dog days of winter. We reign in thoughts of spring to prevent an extended bout of spring fever. If you have big projects on the boat you may already be elbow deep, but most of the yards and buildings are quiet. Many store outside and await a warmer days to...
read moreHappy 224th Birthday to the United States Coast Guard
While subjects abound for writing when I have some time, today we celebrate the 224th birthday of the US Coast Guard with a few interesting factoids. But first, my sincere thanks to all who serve and have served the US Coast Guard on behalf of a proud American proprietor and citizen. Your service to our country, both locally and abroad, is deserved of recognition right along with those who have had boots on the ground in the ongoing conflicts in the middle east and abroad, throughout history. I used to take vets from the Iraq and Afghanistan...
read moreA Bit About Bilges
The leading cause of boat sinkings, mechanical failures, and fire can all be found in the bilge. That’s a bold statement, isn’t it? One has to be careful when you they are in the cause-effect business of marine damage surveys. Like degrees of separation, one could also make the case that not looking in your bilge may lead to your husband of wife divorcing you. I could make that case easily in four degrees, but it would not really stand up to an engineering challenge. It is not so hard to tie the perils of boating to neglecting your...
read moreWet stringers: What you may or may not want to know
Wet stringers: What you may or may not want to know There are a lot of myths and mystery surrounding wood cored stringers which have been found to be “moist” or “wet.” before you skip past this article under the assumption that your stringers are dry, you might want to give it read. Chances are, if you have wood cored stringers and your boat has been in the water, they probably have moisture in your coring. I am going to throw some caveats in, lest I perpetuate some of the myths or create panic among boat owners....
read moreTop Ten BoatUS Marine Insurance Program Claims
Strong storms, the tail end of the boat buying season, and a lack of contested marine claims have me in my chair this morning. Given some time to reflect, I thought of researching and writing about claims I have investigated and discussing prevention with my fellow boaters. I have to give Beth Leonard from BoatUS both credit for simplifying my research, but also providing tips for prevention. http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/magazine/2013/october/top-ten-claims.asp So what about claims that weren’t covered…the repairs that were paid by...
read moreWe are Proud Members Of:
SAMS - Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors
IAMI - International Association of Marine Investigators
ABYC - American Boat and Yacht Council
