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View Full Version : I Got My Boat Back!!!!!!



Carl C
04-12-2007, 10:21 AM
Yippee! I picked it up this morning! :) It was only in the shop for eight months! Mucho thanks to everyone here who helped me out during this difficult time. I'm still waiting for the prop but I should be able to water test it next week. Hopefully there will be no problems. Progressive waived most of my deductible too!! They had to repair the damage caused when some dipwad ran into the back of it at a stoplight. They also did the hull reinforcement under warranty. Here are pics of the mods done in the engine compartment. That step on either side of the bilge pump, etc. wasn't there before. It is a mini stringer and filet glassed in to strenghten the hull.

fegettes
04-12-2007, 10:34 AM
Congratulations.

I am still dealing with Progressive on my Motor coach claim, and progressed to having to get an attorney and file a suit against them.

Steve

Ranman
04-12-2007, 10:37 AM
Glad to hear you finally got your boat back. I'm assuming your overall experience with Gary and K&M was positive? Regardless of the 8 months, it was primarily over winter and during the non-boating season.

Are you satisfied with the work and their handling of the project?

Morgan's Cloud
04-12-2007, 10:37 AM
Now go and make a dent in all the cash you saved on gas for the last 8 months :wink:

Welcome back to 'boating world'

Steve

Carl C
04-12-2007, 11:31 AM
Ranman, K&M is a large and reputable operation but in all honesty Gary wasn't completely straight up with me about some things and that led to some delays and problems. The workmanship looks good and if no problems show up on the water then my attitude will be "all's well that ends well". If you want details send a PM as I don't want to post negative comments about Gary or K&M. I think the whole industry needs a kick in the ass. Fegettes, I don't know anything about your situation but I have learned that some shops like to get lawyers involved and encourage it. A letter from an attorney may tell them you mean business but you might be better off working with Progressive yourself. My boat should still have a full gas tank. I was enroute to Lake St. Clair when I was hit.

RickSE
04-12-2007, 11:43 AM
Carl, I first responded here about the lack of a water test but looks like you answered it on another thread. Take a good set of tools the first time you go out. :wrench: My first trip back in the water, second for the boat, required various screwdrivers, sockets, volt meter and a hammer. I wasn't real surprised even though the boat had been previously water tested, chit happens when you take something apart that much and put it back together. I go through this all the time with my cars.

Great to hear your wrapping things up.

gcarter
04-12-2007, 12:03 PM
Congratulations Carl.

yeller
04-12-2007, 12:27 PM
My 'steps' are much closer together than yours. I believe yours matches the factory repairs. It looks as if mine are in the wrong location.

TheFees
04-12-2007, 01:14 PM
Hi Carl,
Glad to see you got your boat back, the workmanship looks good. I had a body shop for 20 years, did a lot of high end cars, had 11 guys working for me in a 20 car facility. Handled a ton of insurance claims. So I saw the subject went over to claims, so I thought I would get my 2 cents in.
IMHO lawyers just tie things up, they usually don't get resolutions, unless they have a lot of specific experience in the type of claim one is making. In this case boats. Most lawyers adopt a take it on attitude, get the claimant under contract, then let the issue somewhat resolve itself. Sometimes they downright get in the way. Their are those who are effective at claims. The problem is that the adjusters informed me that when a claim involves a lawyer, it goes on a special pile, and every move has to go through red tape. All it does is slow it down. So working with your claims dept in a friendly manner helps. If you are not getting resolution, then a threat to go to the Insurance Commissioners Office with a complaint, gets some fuel added to their fire, which usually leads to results.
Question is which insurance company are you using? Are you a claimant or an insured? Is it theirs or yours? If you are suing them, or making a claim against a company that hit you, they don't care about your opinion of them. If you file a claim against your own company, then they want to keep you happy. They step up and pay the claim, then subrogate to the other insurance company, doing the dirty work over a period of time, to recover the claim. Then they reimburse you for your deductible when they are reimbursed by the other company.
On top of all of that, the latest policy by the insurance companies, is to "Deny" "Delay" "Defend" I saw a bit on 60 minutes about that, insurance companies are right away "Denying" claims, oh that may not be covered etc, then they are "Delaying" paying for the claim. Then when you finally sue, they are "Defending" against a settlement.
So Carl, you may be experiencing some of that.
I had a claim through AllState when I hit some rocks and wasted the bottom end of my outdrive AlphaSS, and the stainless speed prop. I called Donzi and they said, insist on a new lower unit and a new prop, whereas if they weld a new skeg on the bottom, right up to the gear housing, it will warp the case, and if I ever pull the gears out, I won't be able to get them back in. So Allstate gave me a new lower unit, and prop. The boat was tied up 6 weeks though.
Hope some of this was helpful.

MOP
04-12-2007, 01:20 PM
Glad all of you have your boats back now let the bottom testing begin!

penbroke
04-12-2007, 03:27 PM
Glad you finally got it back Carl. I hope that's the end of the story.

Frank :)

chappy
04-12-2007, 04:18 PM
Congratulations Carl. It must be a very nice feeling to have your boat tucked back in your garage. I hope you never have to endure anything like that again.
Good Luck,
Rich

gold-n-rod
04-12-2007, 05:45 PM
Great news, Carl! Now, go make some money so you can take a couple (alright, a few) weekends off for MADCOW events!!

:wink:

realbold
04-12-2007, 05:51 PM
Ditto! :crossfing:

Carl C
04-12-2007, 06:08 PM
Thanks everybody. I'll be attending all of the events I can and testing the hull on the big lakes a lot more this summer. I roughly added the invoices and it was about $13,000 total! I'm so paranoid about getting hit again. Might try to make a rear guard.

realbold
04-12-2007, 06:59 PM
Looks great and I like the mod on the garage. Thats one way to get er to fit!

gold-n-rod
04-12-2007, 07:13 PM
I love how we boaters have buildings that need paint. We are too busy boating to paint. Gotta have priorities! Life is too short to paint buildings..... go boating instead!!!!!!!!!!

RickSE
04-12-2007, 10:10 PM
My 'steps' are much closer together than yours. I believe yours matches the factory repairs. It looks as if mine are in the wrong location.

Yeller, yours do look closer then mine and Carl's. The inboard vertical faces of my stiffeners are 7" from the inboard vertical faces of my stringers. Since our stringers are approx. 28" apart, making the stringer to keel distance 14", I'd have to assume that Donzi was trying to split the stringer to keel distance with the vertical face of the stiffener.

yeller
04-13-2007, 10:52 AM
Yeller, yours do look closer then mine and Carl's. The inboard vertical faces of my stiffeners are 7" from the inboard vertical faces of my stringers. Since our stringers are approx. 28" apart, making the stringer to keel distance 14", I'd have to assume that Donzi was trying to split the stringer to keel distance with the vertical face of the stiffener.I took a look at the copy of the procedure and it says to install 7" from the stringer to the outboard edge of the stiffener. This is why mine are closer. I can only assume Donzi has changed that part of the procedure since my repair shop received its copy.

RickSE
04-13-2007, 02:30 PM
I took a look at the copy of the procedure and it says to install 7" from the stringer to the outboard edge of the stiffener.

I also noticed that on my copy. The other two boats I saw at the factory had the stiffeners in the same position as mine and Carl's. It does appear though that your shop installed the stiffeners correctly according to the text and drawing in the procedure. :confused:

ghiafreak62
04-14-2007, 11:12 AM
I just bought a 92 22c and I have the motor out, should I do these hull mods? any help would be great.

yeller
04-14-2007, 12:29 PM
I wouldn't worry about it ghiafreak. The mods we had done was warranty work and only seem to affect 02 and up boats.

Carl C
04-14-2007, 05:55 PM
I just bought a 92 22c and I have the motor out, should I do these hull mods? any help would be great. Yeller is right. Your stringers are closer together. Good to see another 22 here.:boat:

BaldEagle
04-15-2007, 09:42 PM
Carl:
Did you have cracks in the bottom of your boat or did Donzi just authorize the modification. I haven't seen any cracking in mine yet but it stilll has low hours and, as Golden N Rod and Donzi Blue know, I never let my hull come out of the water. (maybe once).
Our local dealer closed his doors so I was thinking I might try dealing with the factory or regional rep.
Glad to hear your boat it back home.

Carl C
04-16-2007, 07:12 AM
Carl:
Did you have cracks in the bottom of your boat or did Donzi just authorize the modification. I haven't seen any cracking in mine yet but it stilll has low hours and, as Golden N Rod and Donzi Blue know, I never let my hull come out of the water. (maybe once).
Our local dealer closed his doors so I was thinking I might try dealing with the factory or regional rep.
Glad to hear your boat it back home. I had cracks but they were not bad yet. I wouldn't have found them early if not for this web site. They would have gotten much worse this season as I'm only starting to venture onto the Great Lakes. There are other threads here that show where to look for the cracks. I'm sorry if anyone has a problem with me bringing this up here but this is not Donzi's web site. This is a forum to benefit Donzi owners and keep them informed of good and bad things. I have not changed my opinion of Donzi Marine. **** happens. I love my boat and have no regrets. The folks at Donzi were very pleasant to deal with on this. Good luck, BaldEagle and, as Randy said, it's good to see you back.

Carl C
04-17-2007, 01:21 PM
NOT!