My buddy drove my boat 20 ft from shore and grazed lake bottom

[smileysteve]

Having instructed many college students to drive, a few things; new divers should drive the route with no skier, surfer first. If they are comfortable, you progress. If there is a second passenger, you assign a specific one to be a lookout for boats, shallow water.

As an experienced driver (and likely most familiar with the lake), though, you are always watching where the boat is going, no matter how in the zone you're in. I do this slalom skiing short line, but also recently did it wakefoiling for my father (who has 2x as much boating experience as me). Particularly as a surfer, you likely could have noticed the wave lose all push or water turn brown.

Liability wise, know that as the owner of the boat you are significantly responsible if your buddy runs into anything ashore or if your wake causes unreasonable and direct property damages.

Accidents happen, your buddy shouldn't pay for it, but is allowed to pitch in. You should probably train more and watch where the boat is headed next time.

I recommend a new prop and having the old prop reworked as a backup. This alone should not require insurance. The wedge on the other hand is a pricey addition.

 

Edited June 4, 2020 by smileysteve

[Brantb]

I agree with most of the posts above. Things happen. When i get my first new boat(couple years ago) i was worried that something was going to happen to it. I didnt want anyone else driving, so that left me out of the water. After a couple months, i said screw it and had others drive so i could ride. I didnt have a prop strike or anything happen, but at that point i didnt care if minor issues happened. If something would have, i would have taken care of it and not expected anything. If they drove it into shore, that would be something different.

If you are truly accurate on the 20 feet from shore, that is a toss up. I again wouldn't expect anything, but would doubt that persons judgment on driving in the future. 20 feet is just too close to shore, and anyone on the water should know that, or have been told, if they are driving. If it was more like 50+ feet, it goes back to things happen.

 

On the repairs. $800 for the prop, plus labor, is simply overpriced. No idea on a wedge, but based on the prop i would also assume they are overcharging. I would talk to the dealer or take it somewhere else.

[formulaben]

On 5/31/2020 at 9:35 AM, RyanB said:

I’m sorry this happened. Wish it wouldn’t have. But in the grand scheme of things it’s pretty small potatoes. No one got hurt.

...

Learn from the mistakes (it wasn’t just the boat driver who erred) and get back on the water and enjoy summer. 

This.  No one got hurt.

Put it behind you, learn from it, and go (safely) enjoy the boat. 

[MNNewb]

Sort of related, can I ask my wife to pay for our current prop repair     She's learning how to drive and had a preventable accident with the prop and lift bunk last week.  Well there's a silver lining.  She was always opposed to spending any more money than we already have, especially for spare parts.  Was quite a conversation that I wanted a spare pump as backup.  We had a spare prop from the original owner.  Now she's seen how spare parts only cost an hour or two vs total shutdown for a week plus.  Green light to buy stuff now  She didn't come from a boating family so this is an important step into understanding B.O.A.T.

[oldjeep]

3 minutes ago, MNNewb said:

Sort of related, can I ask my wife to pay for our current prop repair     She's learning how to drive and had a preventable accident with the prop and lift bunk last week.  Well there's a silver lining.  She was always opposed to spending any more money than we already have, especially for spare parts.  Was quite a conversation that I wanted a spare pump as backup.  We had a spare prop from the original owner.  Now she's seen how spare parts only cost an hour or two vs total shutdown for a week plus.  Green light to buy stuff now  She didn't come from a boating family so this is an important step into understanding B.O.A.T.

Yeah, I'd make sure to let her know that you think it is her fault.  That should go well.  Props are a consumable that with luck can be repaired

 

[JeffC]

2 hours ago, oldjeep said:

Yeah, I'd make sure to let her know that you think it is her fault.  That should go well.  Props are a consumable that with luck can be repaired

 

The wise words of someone that I would guess has been married for a while... 

[oldjeep]

19 minutes ago, JeffC said:

The wise words of someone that I would guess has been married for a while... 

Almost 30 years.  One of my favorite movie parts is in the Hitmans Bodyguard where Sam Jackson is explaining that you never tell a woman that you forgive them, because that means that you think they did something wrong  (Or something like that)

 

[Eagleboy99]

57 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Almost 30 years.  One of my favorite movie parts is in the Hitmans Bodyguard where Sam Jackson is explaining that you never tell a woman that you forgive them, because that means that you think they did something wrong  (Or something like that)

 

Like Dad used to say "Never wrong a man, never write a woman." 

 

[Josh7711]

My deductible is actually $1700 with Geico. I pay $300 a year for insurance. I know the deductible is high. Is that annual premium pretty low? Any recommendations for insurance companies or where I should Lee my deductible at? Thank you. By the way my buddy has never reached out to even ask how bad the damage was to the boat. I don’t care but it’s kinda disappointing/annoying. 

[Raleigh]

1 hour ago, Josh7711 said:

My deductible is actually $1700 with Geico. I pay $300 a year for insurance. I know the deductible is high. Is that annual premium pretty low? Any recommendations for insurance companies or where I should Lee my deductible at? Thank you. By the way my buddy has never reached out to even ask how bad the damage was to the boat. I don’t care but it’s kinda disappointing/annoying. 

Hey man I just noticed my wedge has some scrap markings on it from damage prior to purchase. It is also not mounted completely level. I would encourage you to test it out first. I’ve had no issues with my wedge. 

Considering he hasn’t reached out he could be embarrassed or just clueless or a d***. 

A good friendship is worth more than $2,000 or whatever, especially for someone who can afford such a luxury item as a Malibu / Axis boat! 
 

For insurnace, try SkiSafe. Also recommend you to review your liability coverages relative to your net worth. Boats are expensive but injuring someone else is a lot worse. If it’s not enough look at an Umbrella policy.

Edited June 8, 2020 by Raleigh

[Josh7711]

The insurance company is giving me a check for $2500. Should i just have the prop replaced and try to see if the wedge is ok? The wedge didn't seem too bad. What are the pros and cons of taking this risk? Thank you

Edited June 16, 2020 by Josh7711

[Eagleboy99]

32 minutes ago, Josh7711 said:

The insurance company is giving me a check for $2500. Should i just have the prop replaced and try to see if the wedge is ok? The wedge didn't seem too bad. What are the pros and cons of taking this risk? Thank you

$2500 after your $1700 deductible?  Personally, I would be very cautious about doing this - what if there is something else in the Wedge that pops up later.  Once you accept the cash, insurance is off the hook.

[Josh7711]

11 minutes ago, Eagleboy99 said:

$2500 after your $1700 deductible?  Personally, I would be very cautious about doing this - what if there is something else in the Wedge that pops up later.  Once you accept the cash, insurance is off the hook.

the insurance company is Geico. They said i pay the $1700 detectable, they give me $2500 for the rest of the cost in check form. If the dealer finds more wrong with the wedge and prop then i just submit more estimates and they'll review and payout more. This is my first time going through something like this. Does this seem normal?

[RyanB]

1 hour ago, Josh7711 said:

the insurance company is Geico. They said i pay the $1700 detectable, they give me $2500 for the rest of the cost in check form. If the dealer finds more wrong with the wedge and prop then i just submit more estimates and they'll review and payout more. This is my first time going through something like this. Does this seem normal?

Yes I would say it is normal. 
 

When my truck was brand new I hit a deer (actually the deer ran into the side of the truck, but semantics). 
 

Insurance gave me a check. I took it to a body shop. They found more damage. Billed the insurance company directly and they paid. 
 

Same has happened with hail claims on my home. 

[oldjeep]

1 hour ago, Josh7711 said:

the insurance company is Geico. They said i pay the $1700 detectable, they give me $2500 for the rest of the cost in check form. If the dealer finds more wrong with the wedge and prop then i just submit more estimates and they'll review and payout more. This is my first time going through something like this. Does this seem normal?

Seems normal, but they are going to want to see an invoice proving that you actually fixed it at some point aren't they?

[Josh7711]

28 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Seems normal, but they are going to want to see an invoice proving that you actually fixed it at some point aren't they?

 

57 minutes ago, RyanB said:

Yes I would say it is normal. 
 

When my truck was brand new I hit a deer (actually the deer ran into the side of the truck, but semantics). 
 

Insurance gave me a check. I took it to a body shop. They found more damage. Billed the insurance company directly and they paid. 
 

Same has happened with hail claims on my home. 

ok cool that's pretty much what the guy at geico said. thanks for the reassurance.

[Josh7711]

29 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Seems normal, but they are going to want to see an invoice proving that you actually fixed it at some point aren't they?

the adjuster for geico said they don't need proof work was done. they just said to submit more paperwork if there were more damages found.

[oldjeep]

2 minutes ago, Josh7711 said:

the adjuster for geico said they don't need proof work was done. they just said to submit more paperwork if there were more damages found.

Weird.  Typically insurance wants proof so you don't claim the same damage that you never fixed 6 months later.

[Josh7711]

4 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Weird.  Typically insurance wants proof so you don't claim the same damage that you never fixed 6 months later.

I'll keep you updated if they do but they said since it was under 5k it was a bit different. and they never sent an adjuster to the dealership to see the boat.

[MalibuRyan]

On 5/30/2020 at 12:39 PM, Josh7711 said:

Thank you in advance for reading this.

I was surfing behind my boat while my buddy was driving. I was focused on the wave and not how close he was to shore. All the sudden I noticed water turning brown and I crashed. I stood on my feet as I was in about 4 ft of water. I looked up and we were about 20 ft from shore. The prop hit the bottom of the lake. The wedge was down and scraped a little bit. See pics. Everyone in the boat felt the scrape. This was my buddies second time driving the boat and I told him the first time he drove it to always stay at least 50 ft from shore. I took boat to dealership to have them fix it. Boat is 2018 Malibu MLX I bought brand new last year. What do people say about asking buddy to help pay? Is that proper  etiquette for me to ask him? Or just let him if he offers? Thank you for any advice. 
*also my insurance deductible is $1250 and they said prop hits in water should be covered. But I haven’t got estimate from dealer yet. 

All I can see is a bent/damaged prop, that's not too bad considering it could have been worse. 

If the dealer is saying they can't fix that FIND A NEW DEALER, or take it to place that specializes in props. I just had mine fixed, from a tourist cutting me off and forcing me into shallow water. While I was taking mine in, my Dad asked me to take his old prop in to get fixed, he wanted a spare. This is an old prop for his 2002 Wakesetter with a lot of hours by my sisters lol. 

LOOK at the before and after, and YES this is is the same prop. Done by Mo's Marine in Oshkosh, WI. You can send your prop to them if needed. 

[Josh7711]

4 minutes ago, MalibuRyan said:

All I can see is a bent/damaged prop, that's not too bad considering it could have been worse. 

If the dealer is saying they can't fix that FIND A NEW DEALER, or take it to place that specializes in props. I just had mine fixed, from a tourist cutting me off and forcing me into shallow water. While I was taking mine in, my Dad asked me to take his old prop in to get fixed, he wanted a spare. This is an old prop for his 2002 Wakesetter with a lot of hours by my sisters lol. 

LOOK at the before and after, and YES this is is the same prop. Done by Mo's Marine in Oshkosh, WI. You can send your prop to them if needed. 

Awesome, i appreciate your advice!

[MalibuRyan]

42 minutes ago, Josh7711 said:

Awesome, i appreciate your advice!

No problem, they have great pricing too and charge by Dia. and not amount of work needed, flat rate. 

Might be worth buying a new prop, then just send in the one you have so you have a spare. Takes about 15min or less to change the prop once out of the water.