[NascarBuckeye]

I come home @ 8:30 pm tonight to notice a big bonfire in my backyard. I look over the fence to see my boat on fire. As I hurdle the 6 foot privacy fence to get to the hose to try and put out the fire myself I tell the wife to call the fire dept. They came and finished putting it out. Because there was no outboard, gas, or battery on the boat they think a neighbor threw a cigarette and it landed on the cover. Not to mention all the butts around the boat and we don't smoke.

Anyways to my question. Its only a few hours later and all I can think of is will my old trusty boat float again? It has some smoke stains and the interior needs new floors seats and all the wiring will need redone, but should the hull be ok to rebuild on? I did see a small amount of warping which looks to be above the water line. What exactly should I look for? Of course I have not seen it in the daylight yet so there may be a huge hole somewhere but I have not seen it yet.

Its a 1989 tracker pf16 and I use a 15 horse motor on it. Thanks guys.

 

[ozzy]

Take a lot of pics and a small claims court filing might get your money back.

 

[RamRod]

Sorry to hear of your loss brother. I'd definitely be chatting with the neighbors on this one!:angry:

 

[chris dornbusch]

I would ask them if they had incerance, and if not ,,,,pay back is a *****. Sorry for your loss I hope everything works out for you bro.

 

[NascarBuckeye]

Thanks guys. I forgot to mention the fire dept said that even though they thought that was the cause they had to list it as accidental because it did not appear to be set intentionally.

I called the police just to make sure things were well documented, and the police talked to the neighbors. They say they do smoke and they do through the butts that way, however they had not done that tonight. The police did not even make a report after learning the fire dept labeled it as accidental. But they did say if they are throwing butts in our yard in the future we can call them to come out and tell the neighbors they are littering, go figure.

So it appears the neighbors are off the hook, and I am stuck with the repair bill, or maybe my homeowners insurance is. I just wonder would it be safe to strip this and sand it down and redo it?

 

[Ulikedew]

First off I would check with the insurance company and have a claims adjuster come out.I would have the hull checked by a professional and see if it can be repaired and the cost.Then would raise the fence about 5 foot.

 

[catfish kenny]

I am sick loking at this-man that SUCKS!-blows blast and toots-plain stinks.....

 

[mariofish]

that is bs they should pay for that:angry::angry::angry:

 

[metalman]

I don't get this. They admit they throw their butts in your yard and they cannot be held accountable? Surely if nothing else, their negligence makes them liable and as for them saying they didn't throw one over your way that night, well DUH, everyone who believes that raise your hand.
Talk with someone about whether you can have the neighbors claim on their homeowners insurance for the damage to your boat because of their negligence.
Sorry for your loss Sam, this really sucks...W

 

[RiverKing]

Sorry about that bro, that really sucks..Hope everything works out for you..If you get it fixed up, or end up getting something new, you might want to think about getting boat insurance..I have my boat insured through progressive and I think its only about 15 bucks a month...It is definantly worth it if something ends up happening..Shoot they even cover your fishing equipement, and electronics...Good luck

 

[Roscoe Dog]

If there are cig buts on the ground around the boat see what brand they are and then see what brand your neighbors smoke. Also there would be dna on the cig buts in the yard. Just mention that to your neighbors. Sorry to hear about your boat. Now you know were to get rid of extra trash you have, over the fence.

 

[catfish slick]

Thanks guys. I forgot to mention the fire dept said that even though they thought that was the cause they had to list it as accidental because it did not appear to be set intentionally.

I called the police just to make sure things were well documented, and the police talked to the neighbors. They say they do smoke and they do through the butts that way, however they had not done that tonight. The police did not even make a report after learning the fire dept labeled it as accidental. But they did say if they are throwing butts in our yard in the future we can call them to come out and tell the neighbors they are littering, go figure.

So it appears the neighbors are off the hook, and I am stuck with the repair bill, or maybe my homeowners insurance is. I just wonder would it be safe to strip this and sand it down and redo it?

when my home was broke in to and my pistol, and My belt buckle that had 1875 Twenty dollar gold coin that I had found on the front it was stole,by a scum bag, I got my pistol Back and, he got a month jail. and the police would not do anything about the buckle.and I never got it back, and they told me I had better leave him along when he gets out, are they would have to take me to jail. anyway I had a good friend that said if I wanted ,he would take care of that for me, and he wouldn't be braking in to anyone else house for a while. Maybe I can loan him to you for a day are two. Sorry to hear about your boat man.

 

[NascarBuckeye]

Todays update. I learned our deductible on homeowners is $1000. I had $1050 as it set, so that kind of defeats that idea. I think I might look into a new insurance after this. I know its covered when its being towed on my truck, but I never dreamed that in the winter months setting in the backyard it would bust into flames.

I thought about maybe taking it to court, but I think I would have to prove that it was actually his lit cig that landed on the boat and started the fire, and the only way I could do that was if he says he did throw 1 that way that night at that time, but his story is he did not. I think even with all the other butts laying around they wouldn't mean anything, because it would be possible that a meteor fell from the sky and set it on fire, or a spark from somewhere else flew into it, or maybe spontaneous combustion?

According to the fire dept report it says its still under investigation, so thats my last hope I reckon. I doubt anything comes from it though.

This weekend I am going to go through it and pull the wood and carpet out of it and see what it looks like. I was planning on getting rid of the carpet this year anyway, but not like this.

Thanks again guys for the encouraging words!

 

[NascarBuckeye]

And Phillip keep your friends number handy.

LOL!

 

[pythonjohn]

Sam,
That really is a bad experience for a fisherman.
I hope you get it back in shape.
good luck to you.

 

[Old Bill]

Man, that really sucks!

If there is a piece of the boat cover left, I'd suggest that you place a burning cigarette on a small piece of it and see if the cigarette will actually ignite the cover.

If it doesn't, I'd call the fire dept and ask that an arson investigator come out to your house because you have something to show him.

It could be arson as likely as a discarded cigarette but!

 

[whodaman]

if you see warping the heat might have messed with the integrity of the metal might ask a metal worker or an iron worker if you know one

 

[Old Bill]

Second thought!

Would it not be worth $1,000 to be able to buy a fully operating, ready to go fishing boat...without having to spend all summer repairing this one?

I'd guess that it will cost big bucks and many, many manhours cleaning and repairing that boat!

 

[jerry9497]

tall fences make good neighbors. something similar happen to me one time and I reported it on my home owners and my home owners insurance company went after my neighbor. and they got him

 

[Orlando]

How well do you get along with the neighbors? If you get along well, you might talk to them and explain how you can see something like this can happen accidentally. No worries but you would appreciate it if they would turn it in to their liability insurance carrier. And, point out that there is no deductible that applies on a liability claim. So there would be nothing out of their pocket. Remember, you catch more flies with honey. :wink: Chances are that if they feel responsible at all, and if you don't harshly accuse them, they would turn it in to their insurance company.

And if that doesn't work, remember that this is not a criminal case ...meaning that you don't have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they started the fire.
The burden of proof is by a preponderance of the evidence which is a long winded way of saying more likely than not they caused the fire.
If they did it on purpose, their insurance would not cover it, but would if it is accidental.
One other thing. If you have a 1000.00 deductible, the deductible is taken from the loss, not the amount of insurance. If the boat is worth 2100.00, your insurance would take the deductible from 2100 -1000 = 1100.00 They would then pay you the policy limit of 1050.00.
If the neighbor does not step up, turn it in to your own insurance and collect what you can. Then the insurance company can subrogate and try to get your deductible back along with what they paid. GOOD LUCK!!
(Sorry about the long winded post, but hope this helps.)