Progressive Boat Insurance

[Carl C]

It's time to renew my boat insurance and after seeing the name "Progressive" come up in all the threads about ins. I decided to call them. They saved me almost $300! Yes, you guys were right. Call them at 1-800-776-4737.:yes:

[ChromeGorilla]

Carl, thats who I have my insurance through for my 22.

[tiger lily]

ive got them on my trucks, and the donzi is on there too, i've heard some horror stories about them, but oh well.

[Ranman]

i've heard some horror stories about them, but oh well.

My buddy has Progressive and has had to make a couple of claims on his boat (lower unit and props). Progressive has been great in dealing with his claims and would you believe it, his premium went DOWN for this season!

I had Progressive, but have now moved to Allstate. Everything I own is with Allstate, except they previously would not insure the Donzi. During my last conversation with my Allstate rep, she told me that Allstate revamped their whole recreation vehicle program in MI to become more competitive. She said Progressive has 80%-90% of this market. I said OK here's what I have and the resulting quote significantly beat my current progressive rate. So, if you live in MI and use Allstate for other items (home, cars, etc) you may want to give them a try as well.

[Lex98us86]

I pay $290 a year with Liberty Mutual. I wonder if I dont have enough insurance.

[p729lws]

Everything I own is with Allstate, except they previously would not insure the Donzi.

I had a deal like that with State Farm and my house. I had everything with them but they would not insure my new house because it was too close to the water so I went with Allstate. Allstate dropped me (and 20% of their other customers in Florida) after Ivan so as I shopped around for a policy my State Farm guy told me they changed their requirements and could insure me again. They have everything except the Donzi which they won't insure at a reasonable price so that's with Progressive.

Dan

[Rootsy]

I pay $290 a year with Liberty Mutual. I wonder if I dont have enough insurance.


i have my home and vehicle insureance through liberty mutual... i couldn't find anyone to touch their prices for identical coverage when i boughtmy home last summer.. i just put my 2 trucks on the policy in February... and saved about 500 bucks a year over farmers... my agent said they cover boats.. asked what kind i said a 1966 18 donzi and apparently he is a fan... and i was on the phone for another hour with him... guess i got some brownie points or something ;)

my brother-in-law is a mortgage broker for Greenstone Mortgage (Farm Credit Services) and he was the one that enlightened me about Liberty Mutual... He doesn't take anything lightly either... and i was very impressed with the service, promptness, pricing, etc...

[Carl C]

It's time to renew my boat insurance and after seeing the name "Progressive" come up in all the threads about ins. I decided to call them. They saved me almost $300! Yes, you guys were right. Call them at 1-800-776-4737.:yes: Boy was I ever wrong. Instead of saving $300 this move will cost me several thousand dollars as they will not OK proper repairs now that I have a claim.DO NOT SWITCH TO PROGRESSIVE TO SAVE A FEW BUCKS!!

[harbormaster]

Like I asked you before Carl. You need to give us more facts than they won't ok your claim for a proper repair.

Go take a chill pill, calm down and come back and Tell us exactly what is wrong with the boat and what they are going to do to fix it, how much they will pay.

[Carl C]

Like I asked you before Carl. You need to give us more facts than they won't ok your claim for a proper repair.
Go take a chill pill, calm down and come back and Tell us exactly what is wrong with the boat and what they are going to do to fix it, how much they will pay.Scot, I need about 10 chill pills right now. I went and got the boat and washed it and put it in the garage. I left the drive with the marina so I wouldn't have to pay the teardown fee. They sent the marina a check before the teardown was done and said "this is how much we are paying you". They want the cracked cavitation plate welded instead of replacing the lower housing. Even if they were good enough to make this repair invisible (unlikely) it would leave me with a painted gearcase instead of powdercoated. They want the prop repaired, not replaced. They do not return phone calls to myself or the marina. Here is the estimate; almost $11,000. Still no phone call back from the supervisor. I will retain a lawyer tomorrow. I will also post this experience on every boating site I know of if I don't get results soon. I have never had a problem with an insurance company like this before.:chillpill :chillpill :chillpill :chillpill :chillpill edit: I forgot to mention that this is an '05 model that I purchased new and is still in new condition w/80 hours. I think it should be restored to it's prior condition with new parts. Not welded and repaired parts.

[ChromeGorilla]

Carl, I dont know the exact damage or to what extent, but why wouldn't the insurance company have to option to repair rather than replace, if repair is a viable option that returns the boat to operable condition? It may not have the finish you want (painted vs powdercoated), but it would be operable.

Sure we would all love new parts, but if it can repaired and have the proper operational integrity, I don't think the ins company is in the wrong wanting to repair vs replace. Now if something could not be returned to 100% operational condition, yes, replacement is appropriate. Just my 2 cents.

[Rootsy]

nice to see they are only listing FULL RETAIL pricing.... least they aren't putting a 30% mark-up on parts...

btw, they left off the transom assy P/N.... 6-6311002NZ

[Carl C]

I don't know Chrome, I think I've been very patient. Additional damage was found after the teardown and no one can get a hold of the insurance agent. Would you be OK with running a repaired prop? I'm not really good with that on a performance boat.:confused:

[big bore]

can any say state Insurance board they seem to make things happen most of the time i had state farm on every thing at one time had a oil spill in the basement that was coverd in the police had 75,000. damege with over 100,000. coverage i receved about 12,000. and they tild me if i whant any more sue

[Carl C]

When did Merc start powdercoating lowers??This is what the marina told me MP. Actually they said the finish was "baked on" which to me means powdercoating. Are they just painted? Would a weld be OK? The damage I see to the bell housing looks very slight. Who could I get to verify the damage? Will post pics in a minute. MP, is a repaired prop as good as a new one? I need advice now as I must act on this soon.

[Greg K]

6600 for a transom assembly???? :eek!:
I see them for sale complete with rams and bellhousing for 2800.

[harbormaster]

I would run a repaired prop in a hearbeat. In some cases a reworked prop is better that one that has not been reworked.

[Carl C]

Here are pics of the drive on the boat. The only damage I see is very slight but it does indicate that something was pushed into it. It's really hard to see in the pics but is just above and to the right of the hole. Is this the bellhousing? I'm new to sterndrives. Thanks HM. Maybe those repairs are OK but now there is the transom assembly to deal with. I'd just as soon not have major repairs if they're not needed.

[gcarter]

Are you talking about the scratch in the gimbal housing? Unless the casting is cracked, I wouldn't worry about it.
The gimbal ring is there, but the bell housing has been removed. I would remove the brown insulator from the gimbal ring before it falls off. It's just stuck on there with grease.
The paint is baked on to the castings just like a car's paint is baked on. But it's not powder coated.The paint repair is easy, and doesn't have to be baked.
I wouldn't worry about a repaired prop either, sooner or later you'll have yours repaired anyway.

[gcarter]

The anti-cavitation plate is non-structural and only keeps the prop from ventilating. And while I'm not a welder, if someone else were to weld it, I could make the repair invisible.

[Carl C]

I appreciate the feed-back. I guess the weld and prop repair could be OK. Here are the best pics of the transom plate I could get. Something was pushed into it and it may be cracked. Would a hairline crack be real bad here? Does this part seal water? The drive was jammed all the way starboard when hit. This is all that I see but I may be missing something. I wonder if this shop is trying to milk this job? Look at the white arc near the center of the pics and at the bottom of the arc.

[gcarter]

I think a magna-flux would be in order. I don't know what it coast any more, but it would determine if it's cracked.
The housing definately keeps the water out. It could be welded too (if necessary) but the engine would have to be removed.
I think I would pay for the magna-flux and use it as amunition to get what I want.

[Carl C]

I think a magna-flux would be in order. I don't know what it coast any more, but it would determine if it's cracked.
The housing definately keeps the water out. It could be welded too (if necessary) but the engine would have to be removed.
I think I would pay for the magna-flux and use it as amunition to get what I want.I just learned another trick for finding cracks to try before magnafluxing. Will magna-flux work on aluminum? This may need to go to a different shop. I will try to contact the agent tomorrow to discuss this but won't be able to mess with the boat until next week. Gotta work tomorrow. Thanks everyone, if it weren't for you guys I'd be alone on this. If the insurance agent recommends another shop should I trust him?

[penbroke]

...I forgot to mention that this is an '05 model that I purchased new and is still in new condition w/80 hours. I think it should be restored to it's prior condition with new parts. Not welded and repaired parts.

Is the boat or power plant still under warranty? If so I would think the manufacturer might have some input...

Frank

[Carl C]

Is the boat or power plant still under warranty? If so I would think the manufacturer might have some input...
Frank No, the drivetrain warranty was only one year. The hull is still under warranty with a whole bunch of exclusions.

[gcarter]

Carl, I think it won't work w/ aluminum, however there's another process where a dye is sprayed on the suspected area and inspected under UV?
I don't remember the name, but it's a straight forward process.

[Rootsy]

there is a die also that if it hits water or oil will turn red ... and shows up really well in a crack... i actually used some about 2 weeks ago trying to figure out where the hell the leak was on our shear...

[harbormaster]

Carl. I have Brand spanking new Complete transom assemblies for 2800 bucks. That includes the inner and outer transom plates, gimbal ring, bellhousing, and trim cylinders. I am not the only one who has them at that price. Don't pay more than that for one.

Sometimes a shop will jack up the price on parts to help you with your deductable. Thats why its good to stay on good terms with the folks who are working in your boat.

[John W]

What kind of premiums are we talking here. I have a current policy with Statefarm that is 478.00 per year and all the others I have seen are in the 6-700 range. I am just curious.
JW

[Carl C]

John, my premium on a 2005 22C w/$1,000 deductible is just under $700 anually. Harbormaster, thanks, your input is always appreciated. If I re-ask a question here it is not that I don't respect the answers; it's that several opinions can be better. I just had a good talk with the insurance rep and he will pay the $400 check out fee and the boat is going to a different shop. Based on feed back here I told him that I'm OK with the gearcase and prop being repaired. Hopefully the transom assy can also be saved. Mucho thanks to all of you. It looks like this may go back to my original complaint of not being able to find an honest repair shop around here.:( :crossfing

[RickSE]

back to my original complaint of not being able to find an honest repair shop around here.:( :crossfing

This just kills me also, it's hard to find people you can trust that will do quality work.

John W, I pay $398 here in the Southwest for a Progressive Premium, $50K agreed value,$1,000 ded., $500K liab. & 470HP.

Good luck Carl.

[Carl C]

This just kills me also, it's hard to find people you can trust that will do quality work.
John W, I pay $398 here in the Southwest for a Progressive Premium, $50K,$1,000 ded., $500K liab. & 470HP.
Good luck Carl. Thanks, RickSE, I'm sure those two speeding tix with-in 3 years didn't help me. (on the road, not the water!)

[p729lws]

Carl. I have Brand spanking new Complete transom assemblies for 2800 bucks. That includes the inner and outer transom plates, gimbal ring, bellhousing, and trim cylinders. I am not the only one who has them at that price. Don't pay more than that for one.
Sometimes a shop will jack up the price on parts to help you with your deductable. Thats why its good to stay on good terms with the folks who are working in your boat.

I thought $6,600 was allot more than I paid for my last one. $2,800 sounds fair for new w/ the trim cylinder.

[Rootsy]

hmmm i picked up my 2004 smartcraft bravo transom assy.. complete with trim rams, etc... for 900 bucks... gotta love ebay sometimes :)

[ChromeGorilla]

Carl. I too pay just under $700/year, $675 to be exact. for my boat as well. 50k with $250 dedutable.

When I got policy, deductable was $500 year but has dropped on both anniv. $125 each time. When I talked to ins agent , he said it was a reward for no claims.

[harbormaster]

I pay 948 dollars a year down here. its probably because I am insured up to 68 miles offshore and also hurricanes.

[Tony]

Comparing insurance costs is useless without knowing a policy's details. There are three types of coverage; market value, agreed value, and replacement value. Within each catagory, of course, are many other factors including location, driving record, deductable, and coverage amounts.

The guy listed below is a friend of mine. He puts on the Grand Haven Smoke on the Water Poker Run, and his company insures a lot of high performance boats. I gave him some background on our site, as he was asking about our advertisement policy. Feel free to give him a ring.

Bob Luellen
Worldwide Marine
800-339-1235


:beer:

[gnupy420]

No, the drivetrain warranty was only one year. The hull is still under warranty with a whole bunch of exclusions.
Listen if the gimbal housing is cracked and is only 1 year old is even though its out of warranty mercruiser may replace the part through customer relations at no chrage to the boat owner. Depending on how it got cracked. I happen to operate a mercruiser dealership on many different occasion mercruiser will due what they can on parts that should not fail or that are defected even through the product is out of warranty. They normally wont pay for labor when it goes through customer relations. Im not defending the dealership who wrote the estimate using full list prices but however every service dept. in the industry is going to use full list prices when dealing with insurance co. I see it all the time, and most of time on outdrives that are new they will pay for a lower or upper cases but will depreciate in price. I happen to have progressive thats why i started to read the threads. Good luck.

[Carl C]

gnupy, my boat was rear-ended at a traffic light while in tow. The part was not defective so this must go through my insurance. Orion Marine was trying to milk this job and giving me a bunch of BS. For all I know they took a hammer to the transom plate. No updates yet but it should be at another shop by Monday.

[Carl C]

Insurance money goes directly to the shop. I would need to be a licensed shop to get the money.

[gold-n-rod]

Insurance money goes directly to the shop. I would need to be a licensed shop to get the money.

Umm, not necessarily. The check is written to you and the shop. I believe you can ask to have the check cut directly to you. Carl, you are getting it in the ass from Progressive..... but you already knew that. :bonk:

[Carl C]

I'm in a really crappy situation. If I push for major repairs how do I know they will be done correctly? Good & honest mechanics are few and far between. I'm getting screwed all around here; by the idiot who slammed into the back of my boat(I'm sure his SUV is already fixed and that he had a loaner while it was down), by the idiots at Orion Marine who tried to turn this into an $11,000 claim which would be mostly profit and then parking my boat in a muddy unsecured shared storage lot in the boondocks, and by Progressive who wants to nickle and dime me to death and will no doubt raise my rates if I stay with them. At least it's fall and I have all winter to resolve this. I usually boat well into October though. I'm not a casual boater, this is my passion.:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :cussball: :kaioken: :kaioken: :kaioken: :uzi:

[wrussellw]

Carl
Think I read the entire thread? Why isn't the claim going through the insurance company of the guy that rear ended you?
Getting ready to consolidate all my boats with one insurance company.
Been with Boat US for almost 20 years. Finally had a minor claim relating to Katrina, wound up just blowing it off and paying for the repair myself. Then because I inquired about making a claim they demanded my boat be surveyed, lowest price I got for surveying the boat was $500. So I am shopping around.

[Carl C]

Carl
Think I read the entire thread? Why isn't the claim going through the insurance company of the guy that rear ended you?
Getting ready to consolidate all my boats with one insurance company.
Been with Boat US for almost 20 years. Finally had a minor claim relating to Katrina, wound up just blowing it off and paying for the repair myself. Then because I inquired about making a claim they demanded my boat be surveyed, lowest price I got for surveying the boat was $500. So I am shopping around. We have no fault insurance where everyone's insurance pays for their own damage even though this guy was ticketed. I may be able to get my $1,000 deductible refunded through his insurance though. This isn't about the money anyway, it's about not being able to get my boat fixed. Why is this? I'd bet good money that his SUV is fixed and fixed with new parts, not welded back together. I worked at car dealerships for 20 years. We didn't tear down cars and stick them in a muddy storage lot for a month. For crying out loud I couldn't even get a minor recall done without dropping off my boat indefinately.

[wrussellw]

Forgot about that no fault thing.
Went through a similar deal with a Whaler dealer on warranty work. Just got my lawyer to write a note to BW public relations guy. Things happened so fast I was almost embarassed.
Posted it before, but quickly... tree falls on couple month old Ford Expedition during Katrina(August 29, 2005), paid about 38,000 for it, takes State Farm 3 months to look at car. Meantime they tell me rental car is only allowed for 30 days. I complain and get a call back from a manager, she says "from our records we insure 8 cars for you, can't your wife find something to drive?" Three kids in college are three cars, besides mine the rest are high end sports cars like your boat haven't been rained on. Get the car back the first time January 2006.
As of today car is STILL not fixed to my satisfaction. Sun roof and windows leak horribily. Driving down I-10 headed for Florida last month and the windshield weather strip/molding flys out and I almost lose the windshield when I brake to a stop.
Decide to take a bath and trade the car in on a "newer" Expedition. My friend that owns the delivership says the car has been flagged by CarFax because it has been reported that 22,700 in repairs have been done on the car and I will never be able to trade/sell it for anything.
Did I mention my brother-in-law is my State Farm agent?
Once again the car is back being repaired this week, but they always wash it before we pick it up. Only problem it leaks so bad the seats are soaked when we pick it up!!!

Good luck on your boat issue.

[Carl C]

I usually do all of my own work. I can't even get a set of tires mounted without something getting messed up. I guess this is a problem not limited to boats. I should get the boat to a different shop tomorrow.

[gnupy420]

Ok First Off Insurance Will Not Pay For Defective Parts At Least They Never At The Marina Which I Operate. If It Is A Defective Part I Would Notify Mercuiser I Will Post Customer Relation Number Tommorrow. Mercruiser Is Big On Replacing At No Charge To Consumer If Parts Are Deemed Defective By Dealer. Not To Sure I Understand Your No Fault Insurance It Different From New York.[guess Thats Why We Pay Big Premiums]. I Also No That In New York State Customer Get Check Sent To Them. No Insurance Co. Will Foward Me A Check Unless They Authorize Work To See If A Case Is Covered Under Insurance. But Final Repair Check Goes To Customer. If Gimbal Housing Is Cracked You In My Eyes Deserve A Transom Assy Complete Without Trim Cylinders. I Would Not Want Some Average Mechanic To Tear Down My 2005 Transom Assy. List Price Is What We Use To Right Estimates, The Only Thing That Insurance Co Will Do Is Depreciate Transom Assy. Which There Is Enough Profit To Be Made On A Transom Assy To Help The Customer Absorb The Depreciation. If You Did Not Live So Far Away I Would Offer To Help Out The Situation. The Marina Might Have Also Pissed Off The Insurance Adjuster/surveyor Which Does Not Help. Well Good Luck With Everything And I Will Post Mercruiser Customer Phone Number Tommorrow. There A Good Chance That The Marina May Have Damaged Transom Assy Cause They No That If Thats Cracked Theres No Choice But To Pull Out Engine $$$$$$$$. And Replace Gimbal Housing Not Transom Plate That Goes In The Inside Of The Boat.

[gnupy420]

From my experience here in new york state I think BOAT U.S pays the best. I never had them haggle me on an estimate. They also handle the claim quickly. Although i do have PROGRESSIVE no much longer.

[Carl C]

gnupy420, thanks for the input but nothing on the boat was defective. The boat was rear-ended hard while in tow. The first estimate was almost $11,000 and didn't include damage that they had overlooked. BTW they showed me on the computer that their cost for the transom assembly is $3,900.:confused:There is no need to rehash what constitutes proper repairs at this time. I have an attorney standing by and now just need to decide where to take the boat. Time is no longer important and I can wait untill the winterizing rush is over.

[fegettes]

I sympathize with you Carl. I have been watching these posts and it has been an eye opener for me. I too have Progressive Insurance on my boat and have up until now, felt comfortable with it. I will not renew with them.

I also have a motorcoach insured with Progressive. The Ernesto Storm did some damage to it in August creating a leak, with some internal damage, as well as some external damage. I made a claim for the damages a month ago, and today, the adjuster called to deny the claim. He claims the damage is a maintenance issue, and Progressive is not responsible for any of the damages. After what I have witnessed in your posts, I believe I will forgo the arguing and directly seek an attorney.

If anyone in the Miami area has a good recommendation for an Insurance Attorney, I sure would appreciate a name and phone number.

Steve