My boat lost to fire at local marina

[Slayer]

6 minutes ago, PNWoke said:

So the fire happened on 7/3 around midnight.  Although my closest Malibu dealer (AWS Oregon city) was 3-4 weeks out on service appointments they made an exception for my situation and agreed to take my boat in for an estimate within 3-4 days of the accident.  It took them about 2 weeks to assess the damage and create a report which indicated that the boat was beyond conventional repair.  My insurance (State Farm) took a couple more weeks to work the claim through their adjusters.  Yesterday I got the final word: they were going to give me a full payout for the full amount I had taken the policy out originally when I bought the boat, which was probably $10k-$20k less than it’s current market value.  (Gentle reminder to adjust your boats insurance for the current market value to avoid leaving meat on the bone if an unthinkable accident -like a big marina fire-occurs).  I then asked the adjuster if there would be an option for me to purchase my old boat for salvage etc.  She replied “sir we opted to allow the full payout AND you will retain your ownership of the damaged boat, it will remain yours to do with as you please.”  So now I am working different angles to determine what kind of value it has if it were to be fixed up.  I’m really excited to figure out whether to sell it as is, or get the fiberglass and interior work done and see if I can find someone to take a chance in the $40k-$60k range.  If you know of any really good fiber/paint/vinyl shops in the Columbia River gorge/PDX/northwest area I would appreciate it greatly.  Take another look at your insurance - this situation could have been so much worse I feel like I got lucky with State Farm.

I'm happy to hear that this is working out for you.  While it's a drag, at least you're into an awesome new boat and have the ability to recover some cost with the burned one.  

 

Great points on insurance as well.  My past experience with State Farm on some things isn't exactly positive.  Most recently with an auto claim, all was very good, but prior to that with a house breakin and theft, it was not good.

[martinarcher]

36 minutes ago, PNWoke said:

So the fire happened on 7/3 around midnight.  Although my closest Malibu dealer (AWS Oregon city) was 3-4 weeks out on service appointments they made an exception for my situation and agreed to take my boat in for an estimate within 3-4 days of the accident.  It took them about 2 weeks to assess the damage and create a report which indicated that the boat was beyond conventional repair.  My insurance (State Farm) took a couple more weeks to work the claim through their adjusters.  Yesterday I got the final word: they were going to give me a full payout for the full amount I had taken the policy out originally when I bought the boat, which was probably $10k-$20k less than it’s current market value.  (Gentle reminder to adjust your boats insurance for the current market value to avoid leaving meat on the bone if an unthinkable accident -like a big marina fire-occurs).  I then asked the adjuster if there would be an option for me to purchase my old boat for salvage etc.  She replied “sir we opted to allow the full payout AND you will retain your ownership of the damaged boat, it will remain yours to do with as you please.”  So now I am working different angles to determine what kind of value it has if it were to be fixed up.  I’m really excited to figure out whether to sell it as is, or get the fiberglass and interior work done and see if I can find someone to take a chance in the $40k-$60k range.  If you know of any really good fiber/paint/vinyl shops in the Columbia River gorge/PDX/northwest area I would appreciate it greatly.  Take another look at your insurance - this situation could have been so much worse I feel like I got lucky with State Farm.

That's awesome.  I also have State Farm and have been blown away with their claims on several occasions with our home owners and auto policy.  Their policy costs a bit more in my experience but when something big happens its sure a relief to know you're sorted out and actually end up as good (or better) that where you started.    

[mikeo]

2 hours ago, PNWoke said:

So the fire happened on 7/3 around midnight.  Although my closest Malibu dealer (AWS Oregon city) was 3-4 weeks out on service appointments they made an exception for my situation and agreed to take my boat in for an estimate within 3-4 days of the accident.  It took them about 2 weeks to assess the damage and create a report which indicated that the boat was beyond conventional repair.  My insurance (State Farm) took a couple more weeks to work the claim through their adjusters.  Yesterday I got the final word: they were going to give me a full payout for the full amount I had taken the policy out originally when I bought the boat, which was probably $10k-$20k less than it’s current market value.  (Gentle reminder to adjust your boats insurance for the current market value to avoid leaving meat on the bone if an unthinkable accident -like a big marina fire-occurs).  I then asked the adjuster if there would be an option for me to purchase my old boat for salvage etc.  She replied “sir we opted to allow the full payout AND you will retain your ownership of the damaged boat, it will remain yours to do with as you please.”  So now I am working different angles to determine what kind of value it has if it were to be fixed up.  I’m really excited to figure out whether to sell it as is, or get the fiberglass and interior work done and see if I can find someone to take a chance in the $40k-$60k range.  If you know of any really good fiber/paint/vinyl shops in the Columbia River gorge/PDX/northwest area I would appreciate it greatly.  Take another look at your insurance - this situation could have been so much worse I feel like I got lucky with State Farm.

I know these two shops/people are nowhere near you, but I think it might be worth your consideration. They're also fairly close to each other:

Smooth As Glass: http://sagcustom.com/
Gabe's Custom Marine Upholstery: https://gabescustommarine.com/

Both shops are near Malibu's facility (former factory) in Merced, CA. Gabe worked for Malibu, and has done work for many people that are on TMC, from talking to the guys at SAG when I had some work done, they've done work for Malibu in the past. I haven't used Gabe's services yet, but I have a few little nicks that I want to get taken care of and it will require re-covering multiple panels & cushions. I had SAG "fix" the hole that Malibu drilled for the shower head in my '15, the repaired area is stronger than the surrounding area and unless you look from underneath with direct sunlight it's impossible to tell where the hole was.

Contact info for both is on the linked sites, reference for quality work are all over TMC. If you already have your next boat, I would think it would be worth having a conversation with both shops about what the costs might be. It's an off season project that could pay off well when you sell at the start of next season when demand is high again.

[Sparky450]

Smooth As Glass is one of, if not the best in the industry. And the owner Jeff is a great guy. 

Gabe does great work as well. I had him do some work on my 07. Before he retired from Malibu. They are great people as well. 

Edited August 12, 2021 by Sparky450

[PNWoke]

Excellent thanks much for the info about the shops and the well wishes.