Wear and tear?

JakesRinker300

July 1st last year I was backing up slowly in a shallow area and hit a rock with the starboard drive. The motor stalled right out and I struggled to get the drive out of gear back into neutral to refire the motor. It started back up and we did a little testing and everything seemed fine. Ran the boat all summer no issues. Fast forward to this spring. Had the local marina mech change drive oil on both drives. Got a nasty email saying the gimbal ring on the starboard drive was broken. See pics. Insurance company isn’t covering the repairs because they say it’s wear and tear. I got screwed over right?

skennelly

The gimbal ring looks pretty shot.  The square hole is rounded out and if you didn't have a steering problem now...you would soon.  I wouldn't be too upset that insurance won't cover it.

aero3113

Yes, you did!
I know someone that did the same thing. He had his whole transom assembly replaced, all covered! 

I’m sure if it was found when it happened and you told them you hit ground it would’ve been covered.

YYZRC

Expensive repair for sure. Based on the condition, I would replace the entire transom assembly. 

alex8q4

You could argue that wear and tear would cause the square opening to become rounded.  This is common, however I would suggest the the cracks are not from wear and tear, rather an impact or someone trying to tighten a sloppy gimbal ring.

LaRea

I had a similar experience.  The grounding seemed minor at the time, but the gimbal ring broke in half a couple months later.  What happens is that the grounding makes a small crack, then corrosion sets in and the crack grows. 

My takeaway:  next time I run aground, I'll get the boat hauled immediately to inspect for damage.  

davidbrooks

I actually managed to backup and completely rip off the outdrive.  It was literally hanging by the bellows.  Insurance covered about half.  Basically most marine insurance considers anything touching water as a consumable and depreciate them significantly.

PickleRick

You absolutely have to be specific with your wording when it comes to insurance agents.

If your RV leaks water and there's damage, that's neglect on your part and not covered.


If you snag a tree limb with your bathroom vent while towing and get water damage the first time it rains, thus leading you to find limb caused damage she's covered.


Don't give them any wiggle room to deny the claim.  

Lake_Bum

I hit a rock with my old Chapparal one time, and insurance did the same thing, denied the claim saying it was wear and tear.  That was the last time I ever insured ANYTHING with Progressive.  I dumped them on everything, and never looked back!