Hulls split down the middle

[onestepcsy37]

Originally Posted by MJH

That is why I would stay away from any boat where the hull is manufactured in halves and later put together.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

all boats made by csy - about 400 - were built in halves and then joined.
including the csy 37 that i owned. not one boat has ever suffered structural damage. they were well known for being one of the strongest bosts ever built. having bounced mine off rocks one dark and stormy night i can attest to that.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Never suggested any of the options would be easy or likely...and you left off the part where I suggested lawsuits were likely a losing proposition.

Threaten to sue means everyone goes dark except when forced to respond and they will provide the least useful response they can legally (possibly illegally) come up with.

Recognize that in most tort claims, the only way to motivate parties to talk is force them to… underwriters and manufacturers have little reason to reach any accommodation and lots of reasons not to.

Don’t shot the messenger

[captlloyd]

Well from the pictures it sure looks like the splits are in the keels, not the hulls. I can envision huge forces being exerted on those keels by the straps when lifted. If the hulls are not split, I can’t see reglassing the keels as a big deal. It appears the hulls/boat is white, the keels a gray color.

[Cadence]

Unfortunately I think he is SOL. It sounds like liability insurance with a collision clause and if she was manufactured in another country suing the manufacturer seems almost impossible. Maybe holding the boat yard accountable would be an option?

[contrail]

I believe that Marine Max, the big powerboat charter company, uses Aquila cats, and maybe nothing else. Not sure, but they might even be associated with that company. At the very least, I would think it would be worthwhile to chat with them and ask for their experience. Since they are probably the biggest dealer for these boats, and would like to keep selling them, they would have an interest in delving deeper. If, in fact, the two companies are related, then all of this goes double. Best of luck.

[Mike Banks]

Have you had your cat hoisted on a travel-lift? .

[BillKny]

ALMOST all marine insurance policies specifically exclude claims due to "latent defects." Manufacturing defects that can not be seen or detected by normal inspection of a skilled person (like a professional surveyor).

Most policies, but not all, will cover consequential damages CAUSED by a latent defect. For example, your boat sinks because of a hidden casting flaw in a seacock. The insurance will not replace the seacock itself, but will cover the damage from the sinking.

In the OP's case, it APPEARS the hulls had a latent defect that caused them to split. As far as I can tell there are no "consequential" damages, just the broken hull. So unless he had a very high end policy, there is not likely to be any joy.

If the OP's policy is only a "liability and collision" policy, then he is most likely truly SOL. There was no evidence of a collision. If the yard screwed up, he can try something through them, but that's a very tough row to hoe without concrete evidence of what they did wrong.

This is a really good example of why you should ALWAYS be present when your boat is being hauled. Only YOU really care about how it is done.

[piebuss]

"INSURING AGREEMENT: COLLISION COVERAGE
IF YOU PAY THE PREMIUM FOR THIS COVERAGE"

Wow, insurers are really narrowing the scope of their cover in the States...

I know it's too late now, but ideally you want a policy wording that will cover damage, and then list the specific exclusions, rather than listing the specific type of cause of damage they cover.

[David Ess]

Attn: Aquila company. I will make a point of never buying one of your boats. Are you concerned about how many others wont either?

[Happ]

Originally Posted by lhuff35204

The yard called after haul out this year and reported major hull damage to our 2013 Aquila cat. The insurance adjuster says the hulls are split down the middle but no signs of impact so it is not covered. Has anyone had their hulls split like this?

Back in the 1970’s there was a boat called a North American 40, a monohull with a 2 piece hull. The 2 hulls were attached together on the centerline with the keel boss creating the strength. The problem was when the first keels were delivered they discovered many of the keel bolts would go through the stringers severely weakening the hull. The answer they decided on was to design a wrench so the the bolts could be tightened after they drilled through the stringers. Twelve boats were repaired under warranty. I sailed on hull 14 and the hull started to split during an offshore race. The repair was $22,000 in 1985!

Somewhere around hull 15 the keel bolts were reconfigured in the keels eliminating the problem. While the manufacturer stood behind the boat (I think it was Morgan) the damage to the reputation was immense.

If there is any good news since the owner was paying for the repair I took the Boat to Irish’s Boat Yard in Michigan where we used Kevlar for the repair. The boat came out really stiff and was wickedly fast!

[Tillikum]

Are there "security" cameras on the lift or covering its area of operation? Perhaps even cameras on some of the boats nearby that might cover the area? Some camera systems have larger hard drives and can store much longer periods of coverage.

If the lift operator didn't do his job properly - and that would be a whole different matter to prove - perhaps you'd have a claim against the marina?

[Wolfy]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

We were present in the yard when poor placement (not aligned with bulkheads) of the Travelift straps split a cat hull right down the centerline of both hulls. The operator heard the injury occur and dropped the boat back in the water. Engine room flooded but bulkheads kept the boat from sinking. Boat was towed to a yard with a trailer where it was hauled on the underwings. Quite an impressive split down the center of the boat, where the two halves of the hull had been glued together. The boat didn't actually leak too much once fully floating as the gaps mostly closed back on themselves. Most of the flooding occurred when the straps were still holding weight and distorted the hull shape.

So, it does/can happen with hulls built in halves and taped down the centerline.

Just got to love a Steel Monohull

[Triton44]

If the yard failed to use spreader bars set to at least the width of the overall beam, then the result will be compression loading when the hulls are lifted. In other words, they will be pinched together. The load becomes very significant the narrower the spread. This should be boatyard 101 but it’s not uncommon for yards to get lazy and use whatever spreader width is set at that time. If the preceding lift was a narrow beam mono hull and no one bothered to reset the spreader width, that could very easily be the culprit. I expect the deck to hull joint is stronger (more ridged)than the centerline hull joint thereby making the center joint the first to fail. Note that the outside halves of the two opposing hulls will be point loaded at the deck height creating a large torsional (twisting) force that wants to separate the hulls center line joint as that will be the weakest point. An inspection of the raw joint and how it was pulled apart will tell the story quickly. If you suspect that is the cause, you may want to get the opinion and load calculations from a qualified marine or structural engineer. This could reasonably happen to any boat the was constructed with mated half hulls and not necessarily the manufacturer’s fault. Try to find photos or an independent observer that may have witnessed the lift or tactfully ask the yard workers how it was lifted. Rigging for heavy lifts is not simple and requires technical training to do it correctly. The average person has no clue to the significant forces generated by improperly rigged lifts. Sorry you are having to deal with this. It’s a small mistake that results in a large repair bill and a ton of headaches.

[johnboyrtw]

Originally Posted by lhuff35204

The yard called after haul out this year and reported major hull damage to our 2013 Aquila cat. The insurance adjuster says the hulls are split down the middle but no signs of impact so it is not covered. Has anyone had their hulls split like this?

My first impression is the obvious, the haul out did it……..

[Sailing August]

Older Leopard 38's are bonded down the middle in the hull molds. These split lines have been known to separate with age and allow water into the core. Big but not impossible repair. I've personally looked a 2 Leopard 38's in Florida and Georgia. In both cases the owners were not interested in talking with me any further once I pointed out this defect.
Owners ALWAYS think that their vessel is worth more than it actually is.