22 Cruiser Struck by Lightning - Fiberglass Damage & Vid

[TripSmith]

Hi folks. On Easter Sunday we had a storm roll through and a bolt of lightning struck my neighbor's tree which sent the lightning somehow to my 22 Cruiser that was sitting on the trailer 20' away.

After inspecting the boat, the transom has some fiberglass damage and the electronics have been effected of course. Motor cranked but hasn't been fully inspected yet.

The boat was insured, but the "agreed value" coverage amount is certainly below current market prices. A year ago, it probably would have been a fair price....

Here is a link to the YouTube video - https://youtu.be/GO0VKeaAsUA

From this point, I'm hoping Progressive doesn't consider my lovely boat to be a total loss. But there are so many variables and unknowns that I'm not sure what the outcome will be.

- How bad is the fiberglass damage?
- Is there structural damage that cannot be seen?
- Could there be issues with the motor that are unknown or impossible to determine?
- Should the neighbor's insurance cover the damage?
- Should my homeowners insurance cover the damage?
- If it's a total loss, is there a way to compensate for changes in market value since the policy was drafted?
- If it is a total loss, what might the "buy-back" price be if I decide to buy the salvaged boat from the insurance company?
- If I buy the boat with a salvaged title and have her repaired, what can I expect for resale value?
- If it is a total loss, does that include the motor and trailer? As in, can I keep the motor and trailer?

This is a tough situation for me. I love this boat dearly and it is somewhat irreplaceable these days. Not to mention, I make my living with this boat.....[/list]

 

[ssobol]

Hi folks. On Easter Sunday we had a storm roll through and a bolt of lightning struck my neighbor's tree which sent the lightning somehow to my 22 Cruiser that was sitting on the trailer 20' away.

After inspecting the boat, the transom has some fiberglass damage and the electronics have been effected of course. Motor cranked but hasn't been fully inspected yet.

The boat was insured, but the "agreed value" coverage amount is certainly below current market prices. A year ago, it probably would have been a fair price....

Here is a link to the YouTube video - https://youtu.be/GO0VKeaAsUA

From this point, I'm hoping Progressive doesn't consider my lovely boat to be a total loss. But there are so many variables and unknowns that I'm not sure what the outcome will be.

- How bad is the fiberglass damage?
- Is there structural damage that cannot be seen?
- Could there be issues with the motor that are unknown or impossible to determine?
- Should the neighbor's insurance cover the damage?
- Should my homeowners insurance cover the damage?
- If it's a total loss, is there a way to compensate for changes in market value since the policy was drafted?
- If it is a total loss, what might the "buy-back" price be if I decide to buy the salvaged boat from the insurance company?
- If I buy the boat with a salvaged title and have her repaired, what can I expect for resale value?
- If it is a total loss, does that include the motor and trailer? As in, can I keep the motor and trailer?

This is a tough situation for me. I love this boat dearly and it is somewhat irreplaceable these days. Not to mention, I make my living with this boat.....[/list]

Saw your videos on the damage. I'm kind of surprised by what the lightening did to the transom, but I guess the mounting hardware for the trim tabs had something to do with that.

As for your questions (btw, I'm not an insurance agent)...

The C-Dory is a fairly simple boat. While there may be damage, it should be repairable with some time and effort. There are a number of videos of people doing fairly extensive rebuilds of C-Dorys online. I know of one person who cut one in half and added an extra hull section to lengthen his 22.

The motor should be easy to determine if it is damaged or not. A motor tech should be able to check the electronics. If there are no obvious burn marks on the motor it probably did not take a direct hit and is ok mechanically. The electronics can be damaged by stray currents that may not leave obvious marks.

If you have your own insurance, it is probably not worth your time to go after the neighbors insurance. Have your insurance pay and they will go after the neighbor if they think they can get anything. You need to check your homeowner's policy to see if it will cover boats in your yard.

You paid insurance premiums on "agreed value" not "replacement cost". If you felt that the agreed value was no longer applicable you should have revised your policy with a new value and probably paid higher premiums.

If you try to buy it back from the ins co, the Buy back price is likely to be at least what the ins. company pays out. However, if the market price has gone up as much as you think, they may try to sell it at the market rate. If they can't sell it or don't want to bother with it, they will send it to some auction house and you could try to buy it back from there at perhaps a lower price.

The salvage title will only apply if the ins. co. totals the boat (if your state even issues such titles). A repaired boat will not have a salvage title. You may have trouble registering, insuring, and selling a salvage boat. Depends on your state laws.

The agreed value should include the motor and trailer. If the ins. co. pays out, they get it all. You may be able to keep the motor and trailer by negotiating a reduced payout for the claim. I had a trailer boat get totaled and Progressive got the whole thing (they paid for it all too) even though there was nothing wrong with the trailer.

If you make your livelihood with this boat (or anything else) you probably need to be more careful with the insurance coverage. You could have included a clause in the policy to deal with loss of income and the like. Of course this would have resulted in higher premiums and may have required some sort of commercial policy.

Best of luck getting it sorted out.

 

[multimediasmith]

I saw your Video last night. Horrible! All I kept thinking was how lucky you were that the gasoline didn’t explode. I mean it actually blew one of the bolts off of your gas filter and hit things next to an all around your gas tanks. I could’ve taken out your shop your shed and your house. At least you and your family are alive and well. Wishing you speedy recovery of your boat and hopefully not too much hassle from your insurance company.
Have been inspired by your adventures for quite a while now and know you to be a person of grit and determination. So sorry for this disaster, but we’re all at the mercy of Mother Nature(Katrina - Ida) here’s wishing you Courage and perseverance to get through the next phase. Looking forward to hearing positive updates.
Best
Dale

 

[ssobol]

Looking at the video, it occurs to me that some of the damage to the fiberglass could be the result of basically steam explosions. All the areas that show FG damage are common areas of water intrusion. They are all in areas of screw/bolt penetrations of the hull.

 

[thataway]

Most likely the only insurance which prevails here is your boat insurance. I consider any motor suspect after this magnitude of lightning strike.. The motor may run ok now, but down the line the. ECU will be likely to fail. There may be other issues.

As I noted in the other thread, this is an unusual strike, and I suspect a separate lobe than what hit the neighbor’s tree.

I personally would buy the boat back from the insurance company. (Depending on what the price is. They will auction if off at a salvage sale. (I have bought boats that way. The price depends on what people are willing to pay.).

Minimum repair is complete rewiring and repair all damaged glass areas—for example look at the rivets on the rub rail….

 

[TripSmith]

Thank you all for your replys! I appreciate the input.

thataway, you mentioned a complete rewire. I was thinking along the same lines but my mechanic said that is necessary. There are some wires that were damaged, mainly the wiring harness for the trip tabs. Everything else "appears" to look pretty good.

I would of course feel better with a complete rewire. What are some points that I could bring up to the shop and insurance adjuster about wiring damage/risks after a lightning strike?

BTW, things are moving along pretty well and the boat doesn't appear like it will be a total loss at this point.

 

[thataway]

Thank you all for your replys! I appreciate the input.

thataway, you mentioned a complete rewire. I was thinking along the same lines but my mechanic said that is necessary. There are some wires that were damaged, mainly the wiring harness for the trip tabs. Everything else "appears" to look pretty good.

I would of course feel better with a complete rewire. What are some points that I could bring up to the shop and insurance adjuster about wiring damage/risks after a lightning strike?

BTW, things are moving along pretty well and the boat doesn't appear like it will be a total loss at this point.

What you see on the wiring harness to the trim tabs, is the worse of the damage. However, every wire in the boat has been compromised to some extent by the massive surge of power which occurs with the lightning strike. It may not fail for a year or two--or many not fail at all. But the chance of failure has been increased.

To blow a hole in the transom, you must have had some direct strike--not just a minor side lobe. The boat should be isolated from ground by the trailer tires. But tires have carbon in the manufacture of the rubber, and thus are somewhat conductive. However normally one does not see that extent of damage from the side lobe of a strike-without overt damage to the trailer tires, frame etc.

I suspect that the point of "exit" was where the hole was blown in the transom, and that there was some other point of "entrance". (This is a simplistic view of a lightning strike). You would only know if there was a high speed camera filming the boat at the time of the strike as to the exact dynamics. However there are clues. If the main strike was carried down the harness--it was conducted to the console by some other wiring--for example VHF antenna (How does that look, and what is the current SWR for that antenna?)

Here is an article of a boat taking a lobe from a near by boat, conducted thru the water.

An other article by boat US.

A thread from "The Hull Truth", including a post from someone named "Thataway"...I worked as a temporary insurance adjustor to determine the extent of damage to boats after Hurricane Ivan. Although lightning damage was not often an issue, there were some boats which did have lightning strike damage, and my recommendation was to replace all wiring if there was evidence of any damage to just part of the wiring.

Another option you might explore is to not sign off on the claim for a longer period of time. Once you sign off, it is unlikely that the insurance company will pay any further on the specific damage from the this strike.

Have you engaged a marine surveyor for you? (Not for the insurance company. )

On reviewing the video again, there is evidence of damage in the wiring remote to the area where most of the damage occurred.

One other issue--have you been able to carefully look at the bottom of the boat? No question that the trailer tires/frame were involved. That was either where the lobe came up thru the ground--or where a separate lobe of the strike hit your boat, and then was grounded thru the trailer tire.

The bunks of the trailer could cover occult damage. I would suggest that the boat be lifted off the trailer, and a surveyor examine and sound the bottom of the boat to just be sure that there is no damage there.

I agree this whole thing is the "pits", but you have to handle these issues now, and not find something weeks down the line.

 

[hardee]

Looking at the video, it occurs to me that some of the damage to the fiberglass could be the result of basically steam explosions. All the areas that show FG damage are common areas of water intrusion. They are all in areas of screw/bolt penetrations of the hull.

Sorry for your troubles. It is going to be a headache for a while. I would be looking at hiring a good marine surveyor before getting very far with the insurance people.

I also agree, that some of that FG damage especially could be from entrapped moisture VERY rapidly expanding.

All the best as you wade through these issues.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon