Salvage question.

K

ken35216

New member
One of my oldest friends just called me. He just bought a 36 foot sailboat in Ft Lauderdale and moved it to a mooring ball, in Miami, this past weekend. He didn't have time to replace all the lines. Tropical Storm Gordon paid them a visit and the boat broke free from the mooring. No one was on the boat at the time.

A guy at the marina (who is in the salvage business) secured the boat and tied it off at the marina dock. My buddy asked him how much he owed him and he said just give me the name of your insurance company. My buddy paid cash for the boat and only bought liability.

It sounds like my buddy may be screwed from what I've researched.
 
You may be right. I'm not an expert on this. Georgia and South Carolina have marine salvage rights for the person recovering the vessel. Florida does not, but I believe the salvager has the opportunity to put a lien on the title for a percentage of its value (10%?). It's not a good position to be in and I'm guessing the salvage business guy knows how to take full advantage of this situation. They may be able to work something out now that he realizes the insurance company is in the clear. It may not be worth the fight if the vessel has limited value.
 
Maybe but probably not.

This does sound like a salvage claim. It was due to a storm that easily could have washed the boat up on shore (and rocks?). That seems to meet the definition of salvage, that there was an immanent threat of loss of life or property.

But I think these salvage guys know that collecting against your friend directly will be time consuming and expensive. Making a claim against your insurance company is easy and insurance often pays. But when they figure out that your friend has no hull coverage then they may drop it.

David
 
My buddy talked to his liability insurance carrier today. They said the guy that towed his boat to the marina was demanding $5100.
 
I just found out that his insurance company (a liability only policy) paid $5,200 to the "salvage guy" who towed his boat from the mooring field to the doc.

This blows my mind.
 
Insurance company adjusters like claims to skip across their desk, not linger. I tried to report an auto claim insurance fraud once in person (with photos) and the adjuster couldnt get rid of me fast enough.
 
The adjusters may want claims to go fast, but that is not always the case with the department that makes the payouts. I have a relatively minor claim pending with my car insurance for a few weeks now. The adjuster doesn't know why the payout hasn't been made, just that it is handled by someone else.
 
Back
Top