Storm damage to Florida boats
 

I've never been through a storm like Hurricane Charley but I'd imagine that
the damage to pleasure boats must be significant. I assume that most boaters
have insurance on their boats and that at some point the insurance companies
will offer a settlement. My question is: what happens to the boats that have
been "totaled", that is, the insurance company takes ownership of the boat.
With autos the vehicle is either "parted out", or is repaired and sold with
a damaged title. Is there a paper trail that a prospective buyer can follow
with these boats?

On Wed, 25 Aug 2004 09:06:59 -0400, "John Wentworth"
wrote:

I've never been through a storm like Hurricane Charley but I'd imagine that
the damage to pleasure boats must be significant. I assume that most boaters
have insurance on their boats and that at some point the insurance companies
will offer a settlement. My question is: what happens to the boats that have
been "totaled", that is, the insurance company takes ownership of the boat.
With autos the vehicle is either "parted out", or is repaired and sold with
a damaged title. Is there a paper trail that a prospective buyer can follow
with these boats?

They are put out for sale to places like this:

http://www.certifiedsales.com/

Don't expect to get a good deal this way - it can cost you more than a
new boat.

Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
-----------
"Angling may be said to be so
like the mathematics that it
can never be fully learnt..."

Izaak Walton "The Compleat Angler", 1653

From what I have seen here, the folks who kept their boats in "safe" dry
storage took a worse beating than those who simply tied them up well and let
them ride it out in the water.
I was in a small marina returning a lift motor cover I found adrift and all the
boats I saw were doing OK. There was a little cover and top damage from the
wind but they were all still floating.
I didn't linger to look too hard since this was one of the "closed" areas (Ft
Myers Beach) and I didn't want to be dodging bullets ;-)
If I was worried I would worry about bilge pumps failing since the shore power
was out. They would have a hard time keeping me from going in and charging my
batteries/moving the boat.

On 25 Aug 2004 16:25:57 GMT, (Greg) wrote:
I didn't linger to look too hard since this was one of the "closed" areas (Ft
Myers Beach) and I didn't want to be dodging bullets ;-)
If I was worried I would worry about bilge pumps failing since the shore power
was out. They would have a hard time keeping me from going in and charging my
batteries/moving the boat.

========================================

My next door neighbor went out to Ft Myers Beach in his boat. He was
met on the beach by armed National Guard patrols riding ATVs.

The admiral and I went out to Pine Island last night after an early
dinner. Damage at Pineland and Bokeelia on the north end is almost
unbelievable. There are acres of large trees snapped off 20 feet
above ground and blown into 30 foot piles. Many telephone poles were
also snapped in mid air. The collapsed boat storage rack at Pineland
is a huge pile of twisted steel girders, still containing a few boats
they can't get to. The entire second floor of the Tarpon Lodge is
missing (one of our favorite restaurants).