damage to boat advice needed

[doombar]

i have a yacht at a small sailing club a member of the commitee moved it from one location to another without speaking to me and damaged it
i have complained to the commitee but they have little interest how do i stand who is responsible for paying for the damage? (not great deal of damage) and can someone whoever they are move my boat without my permission?
any advice welcome

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

i have a yacht at a small sailing club a member of the commitee moved it from one location to another without speaking to me and damaged it
i have complained to the commitee but they have little interest how do i stand who is responsible for paying for the damage? (not great deal of damage) and can someone whoever they are move my boat without my permission?
any advice welcome

Potentially they can move it without your permission if it says so in the membership rules of the club.

If the committee member was moving it under the terms of that agreement and in order to perform his duties as a committee member then the club are liable.

If he was doing it in his personal capacity then he is liable.

Assuming you want someone to pay, my approach would be to claim from him personally. If he then wants to say it is a club problem then it is for him to get them to indemnify him as he acted on their behalf. Either way you start with the person who caused the damage.

Of course, proving it was them may be another matter.

 

[maxcampbell]

How much damage?

If it is very little, would you really seek compensation? Does it need money spent, or is it just a bit spoilt?

Presumably they didn't move it for fun. The fact that it was a committee member suggests they had a good reason. Can't you just put it down to experience & forget it?

How long have you been a member? Is there any history of similar difficulties either with the committee member or yourself?

I'm not very clubbable myself, but if I did join one (especially a "small" one), then I'd try very hard to see things from the club's point of view.

 

[fireball]

Easy answer is that the person who moved the boat is responsible for the damage. Whether or not you pursue them for recompense depends on the circumstances surrounding their actions.

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

I believe it will be in the membership constitution or rules appertaining to that constitution of a well run club.
It possibly gives permission to the officers of the committee or those acting on behalf of the committee. the right to move boats about their site.
Ask for the info' regarding this from the secretary who should have the info' on it and under whose insurance cover it will be if they (committee) move it etc.
It also depends on how much you value your membership at the club as to how you approach this or how far you take it. Above all try to be pleasant about it even if you are very cross beneath the surface.
Were you asked previously to move it and you didn't?

 

[Alfie168]

If the committee member was acting properly within his duties, and the damage is minimal and obviously not malicious or deliberate then I would suggest that the most you can do is register your disappointment if you feel very strongly about it. If you do duties at the club and play your part as a member then its quite possible you may accidentally biff somebody elses boat in an inconsequential way, and you would not normally expect to be pursued for this unless the damage was serious or expensive.

Its all a matter of degree. If you can repair it with a bit of elbow grease and a few hours work, then is it worth the aggro? Are the people involved good people giving of their time freely to run the club you enjoy? If so I'd probably not made too big a thing of it. If there are wider consequences of the committee members actions then I might well revise my opinion.

In the final analysis only you can decide the seriousness of the situation. In any event I hope the damage is easily fixed.

Tim

 

[Icarus39]

Legal insurance

If you pay for legal insurance on your insurance policy then you can use that. If the damage is serious enough, give them a ring and they will pursue the matter on your behalf for no cost .... just a letter from a legal firm should prompt them in to paying as they will soon rack up legal fees otherwise.
I used my legal cover against some damage to my antifouling caused by an oil spill and their cleaning of the waterline .... one letter from my legal cover and they paid straight up for reasonable costs of 1000 euros.
Best 20 quid you can spend in my opinion.