Whitelighter
Active member
Ah ok,
A Brian in Bournemouth help me out with a Swedish matter a few years ago.
Wondered if you were him.
A Brian in Bournemouth help me out with a Swedish matter a few years ago.
Wondered if you were him.
insurance claim refused !
- Thread starter mattysupra
- Start date
Wavey
Well-known member
Just to claify, the flybridge console had a fitted vinyl cover and in turn the flybridge itself had a fully fitted cover. No water was able to directly enter the ignition switch. The cause was heat from the boat's heating system being transmitted up to the flybridge console, the main culprit being the stainless steel tube from the engine room to the flybridge through which the control cables ran. Warm air inside the console and cold air outside caused condensation to form in the ignition switches. The heating was turned off overnight and the drop in temperature caused the moisture to freeze. It was this that shorted the switch and started the engine.
I had owned the boat from new (well ex-demonstrator) and had had it 16 years, 15 of which was as a live-aboard. It wasn't a latent defect and had never happened before or since up until I sold the boat last August.
Jim
petem
Well-known member
People may not realise this but insurers have to pay the £500 case fee to the financial ombudsman for each chargeable referral irrespective if whether the complaint is upheld or not. As a result, it is in the interest of the insurer to reach an agreement before the case if referred.
jfm
Well-known member
I would make the caution that if you just come across as "Well I don't like your answer so I'm referring you to the Ombudsman" you wont achieve much. Insurers will know you wont win, becuase they have the surveyor's report (= evidence) and all you have is your ranting. What you need to do is make a considered, articulate and well-founded case as to why you are covered under the policy, and in making that case you should add in the statement (threat) that you will pursue this with the Ombudsman if required
We're all in agreement (read back in the thread) that OP needs to get from his insurers/claims handler the surveyor's report (which will of course be full of defects).
Incidentally when we sorted out Seahope's sinking case last year on here (a) the ombudsman threat was made very carefully in a non ranty way (b) we got the surveyor's report and it actually contained paragraphs that if read carefully (rather than cursorily, as insurers had done) helped Seahope's case (c) we made a proper argument as to why he was covered under the policy not just a rant and (d) we won.
D
Deleted User YDKXO
Guest
I think thats fairly common. I've just checked my policy document and there is no detailed list of conditions attached to it other than specific exclusions related to my boat. Maybe somebody knows better than I do but is there any consumer legislation requiring insurance companies or brokers to send a complete policy document with any renewal?
Steve Clayton
New member
Confused.com
Is the boat that was owned by Wavey for 18 odd years and had a similar problem and that he sold a while back the same boat as being reported by Matty.....?
Is the boat that was owned by Wavey for 18 odd years and had a similar problem and that he sold a while back the same boat as being reported by Matty.....?
mattysupra
Member
no mate, i can assure you that.
Parents had this boat a fair few years. was purchased from dealer.
Parents had this boat a fair few years. was purchased from dealer.
mattysupra
Member
here is policy details -
http://www.lifesure.co.uk/policydocuments/marine/new/Haven Inland Policy.pdf
http://www.lifesure.co.uk/policydocuments/marine/new/Haven Inland Policy.pdf
mattysupra
Member
ps- thanks for the replies, im taking note of them all.
Seahope
Well-known member
Having seen some eye wateringly large invoices I am very pleased with (d)JFM remember the offer I made still stands.
mattysupra
Member
JFM remember the offer I made still stands.
any links to your issues ?
JFM sounds to be a bit of hero! Talking of which, is that JFM's boat in his avatar? very jealous
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Elessar
Well-known member
any links to your issues ?
JFM sounds to be a bit of hero! Talking of which, is that JFM's boat in his avatar? very jealous
It is his boat. Search for the thread "boat in build pics".
He's a busy and successful man that still finds time to help people here. Hero is an overused word but.......
Seahope
Well-known member
any links to your issues ?
JFM sounds to be a bit of hero! Talking of which, is that JFM's boat in his avatar? very jealous
Here was my: my boat submerging thread
Glad to report the boat should be back in the water in the Spring as good as new. Can't wait to get back on the water in my own boat again.
I was just so glad that JFM is particularly interested in insurance cases
Without his help I could have found myself in serious financial difficulty. I would certainly not advise anyone to take out a large marine mortgage after my experience. There is a risk there I didn't appreciate until too late. Thankfully, with the advice from the formites and JFM's expert skills it all ended very well for me.
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Steve Clayton
New member
JFM sounds to be a bit of hero! Talking of which, is that JFM's boat in his avatar? very jealous
So you engage JFM to be your rep on these issues, he hopefully agrees with fees sorted. Someone points the insurance co to this thread and it move forward, hopefully to a very satisfactory conclusion (except for the insurance co. who pay all costs involved: JFM, your own survey, etc).
And you celebrate the outcome by JFM inviting you on his boat and you pitch up with the champagne - result!
petem
Well-known member
Nah he's more like the A Team.
tico
Well-known member
Bit of Thread drift I know, but...
Warm air inside the console and cold air outside caused condensation to form in the ignition switches. The heating was turned off overnight and the drop in temperature caused the moisture to freeze. It was this that shorted the switch and started the engine.
Hang on a mo.... it it's condensation , then thats basically distilled water and hence has a high resistance (assuming theres not a load of salt inside the switch to dissolve).
High resistance would not allow sufficient current to flow to allow the start solenoid to energise and start the engine. ???
To my mind, that theory seems a bit questionable (I would say 'holds water' but perhaps better not!)
Warm air inside the console and cold air outside caused condensation to form in the ignition switches. The heating was turned off overnight and the drop in temperature caused the moisture to freeze. It was this that shorted the switch and started the engine.
Hang on a mo.... it it's condensation , then thats basically distilled water and hence has a high resistance (assuming theres not a load of salt inside the switch to dissolve).
High resistance would not allow sufficient current to flow to allow the start solenoid to energise and start the engine. ???
To my mind, that theory seems a bit questionable (I would say 'holds water' but perhaps better not!)
Wavey
Well-known member
I am certainly no expert on the subject but that was the view of two independant engineers whose opinions were accepted. I can't really add to that.
halcyon
Well-known member
That's the best story I've ever read.
The flybridge console must be 15 cubic feet, with 30 sq foot external surface of un-insulated fibre glass. And they say it is heated by a 2 diameter tube full of cables, connected to a unheated engine room which is below water level
If they are fly-by-wire engine control, you could have leakage that could start an engine, but the switch will have signs, it will be green and have black tracking/burn marks.
Fly by wire could be a tracking fault anywhere in the system, more likley PCB or connector than a switch.
The FB console is above the main saloon, so is heated from there via deck head, then not enough to heat the area.
Ignition switches are normally sealed contacts assembly, so what is tracking ?
The big worry is it makes any fault / claim a latent one, or how do you prove it's not
Brian
Wavey
Well-known member
Please let this be the last post on my problems which has drifted this thread off its original course but just to say some of your assumptions are wrong in that the boat was steel, the engine room was mainly above water and was in fact heated.
DAKA
Well-known member
If they didnt pay even two years on I would read your policy and ask for your claim to be reopened and paid under frost damage (many policy wordings only exclude if reasonable precautions havent been taken).
