Insurance and winterizing engines

[bud37]

So with it being this time of year for many of us who boat where substantial freezing occurs, we have some threads about antifreeze and such and one thread has given me some thought to check my policy. For recent years I have always used the Marina techs to winterize the main engines as they are raw water cooled , and as Rick stated it is really an insurance against a very expensive loss.

Well after saying all that I was surprised to read in our policy that to cover freeze damage , basically I would have to show that the engines were professionally winterized.....It does not define professional in this context but ......so what say you folk, anyone have any unfortunate experience with this.....is everyones policy this way?......

[km1125]

Well, I try to avoid the loss and go through extra steps to make sure they don't freeze. If I screw up I don't really expect the insurance to have to deal with it.

If I paid someone - like the marina or a professional service - to winterize the engines (or anything) and had a problem, I would expect THEIR insurance to cover any needed repairs, regardless of what my policy says. If something did happen though, it might make it more expeditious if your insurance is willing to cover the repairs to get you on the water, while trying to recover the damage from the service.

[feeez]

I doubt that insurance would cover an "DIY" winterizing. Not having read the fine print, could that refer to water getting into the boat during winter, freezing, and doing damage to some area other than the engines?

I have done my own engine winterizing on both boats I have owned but I must admit that I may change for the liability factor alone. I have watched the marina doing other boats and I follow the exact same procedure as they do.

[Lyndon670]

I do all my winterization - EXCEPT my mains/genny. Its super cheap insurance to have the marina do it.

[waybomb]

Been boating since 1988, starting with a new 2807. I only had one boat out for outside storage and that was the first year we had our 4207.

The marina we were at did not have egress our boat would fit under, and, the doors at the storage buildings were just too short.

So I figured I'd be outside storage for a few years, I rigged that thing so I could winterize with ease - had connections on the strainers and pumps, along with a way to hang a 5 gallon bag container full of antifreeze to force feed everything. I even carried the 8d batteries off the boat and brought home to keep warm and charged. That engine room was huge. I had a water hose down there, and ran an air hose from the bridge Kahlenburg air horn compressor (I added an aux tank to it as well).

Well over the summer, some obstacles were removed, and the storage guy had bought a bunch of property on the other end of town, and installed huge storage buildings with huge doors. We were able to get the boat to the building the next year, but they did have to lift live wires going down the street that year. Next year they raised the wires.

But that boat was ready to be winterized a second time, which never happened!

[bud37]

I was more wondering how many people have clauses like that in their policy or are even aware of it......there seems to be more marina service request forms that have added paragraphs stating that you will not hold them responsible for basically anything happening to your boat and that you have the required insurance. So what does that mean, any lawyers out there.....??.........

[km1125]

Qr Bbpost
I even carried the 8d batteries off the boat and brought home to keep warm and charged.

Just a note: Most batteries DON'T like to be warm for long term storage. It is much better to keep them cool or even cold. If fully charged, they won't freeze. Because they are chemical devices, higher temperatures cause chemistry to 'want' to happen, which you really don't want in a storage condition. Keeping fully charged is important though.

[Lyndon670]

In my 15 years of "big boating", I have never removed batteries from a boat. Top them up and cap them off charged - see you in the spring.

[feeez]

I have al

Qr Bbpost In my 15 years of "big boating", I have never removed batteries from a boat. Top them up and cap them off charged - see you in the spring.

I have always been in charge em... check the SG disconnect them then say good by for the winter... charge them in the spring and off to the races....

[km1125]

Qr Bbpost I was more wondering how many people have clauses like that in their policy or are even aware of it......there seems to be more marina service request forms that have added paragraphs stating that you will not hold them responsible for basically anything happening to your boat and that you have the required insurance. So what does that mean, any lawyers out there.....??.........

I really need to read through my latest contract with the marina and my policy to see what they both say. I know the marina basically says "you won't hold us responsible" but I would think that would cover things they aren't directly responsible for, such as another boat hitting yours while it was in the slip. You wouln't hold the marina responsible for that damage unless it was one of the marina employees piloting the vessel. I would think they would be responsible for freeze damage if they were contracted to do the winterizing, or if you were storing in heated storage and their heat failed (or do they request you winterize anyways 'just in case'?)