Hurricane Irene

If you haven’t prepared by now, do it before further delay. If you plan to haul your boat/yacht at a boatyard, you’d better do it before they fill up. That will probably happen pretty fast. Read your specific policy and/or the hurricane plan you filed with your insurance company (if you were required to file one), and follow it before it’s too late. If there were no specific required plans or stipulations, per your policy, then take “reasonable and prudent measures”. If that boils down to just tying the boat up really well at the marina, so be it. It may mean hauling the boat at a yard, moving it somewhere, or putting a trailered boat in your garage. Your policy will tell you, and if it does not, then do what the average person would consider “reasonable and prudent”. No measure is going to be fool proof. Also, keep in mind that some policies provide coverage for hurricane haul-out expense, and some do not.

Whatever you do, do NOT fill your boat with water to weigh it down as the old, common southern legend suggests, and do not put the preparation of your boat before the evacutation of your family. Life comes first.

Let’s all hope this storm misses us.

Binding has already been closed by most companies at this time, or will be closing very soon for the storm, so you won’t likely be able to get last-minute insurance if you don’t have it already (until the storm passes); however, if I can help anyone with anything, please feel free to write or call–before, during, or after the storm. I can be reached here, or on my cell phone (843-509-8620–I lost my phone, so I have a temporary one, and Dad’s cell phone number is 843-509-8610). The office will be open as long as we can hold it for the storm and as soon after the storm as logistics permit, but you can reach me or Dad even if it’s closed.

Godspeed to you all. Give me a shout if you have any questions or need anything.

Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance Agency, Inc.
https://stricklandmarine.net
843

Good info, thanks Lee


2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.sswaonline.com

Lee,
I keep my boat in drystack at DI Marina. Am I required by Chartis to trailer it out of there?

Boatless

Here’s what the Chartis Policy says about loss prevention:

“PROTECTION AGAINST LOSS: If your vessel or other property covered by this policy is damaged, you must take all reasonable
steps to protect it from further damage. We will reimburse you for reasonable expenses for protecting the property from further damage.
Payments for protecting damaged property will be in addition to any other payments we make far losses covered by this policy. However,
the most we will pay for protecting damaged property is the coverage amount of insurance limit which applies to that property.”

I don’t see anything in their policy to suggest you are under obligation to trailer your boat anywhere. Some people are required by their companies to file a hurricane plan, or they may have a section in their policy or endorsements that require specific preventative measures, but there are none in the standard Chartis policy. You are only obligated to take “reasonable” measures to prevent damage. Do what you honestly feel is reasonable and prudent, and you should not have a problem. I will be keeping my own boats in my garage.

Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance Agency, Inc.
https://stricklandmarine.net
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862

Wstrickland1, please feel free to call me if you’d like to chat about it. 509-8620.

Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance Agency, Inc.
https://stricklandmarine.net
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862