Hulls split down the middle

[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?

[Knotical]

Sorry to hear, several questions come to mind-

-what size cat?
-is there a known structural issue?
-did you contact the company or other owners?
-what exactly did the insurance surveyor say - if it’s not from impact damage what does he think it’s from?
-did this yard pull your cat for the first time?

[Orion Jim]

I don’t get the “no sign of impact so it’s not covered”. What type of policy is that?

[tcpbob]

some hulls are put together that way from either side moulded parts. not too unusual but having them come apart... first i have heard of that.
first i would look carefully at your policy. if there is specific exclusion for factory defect then they got ya. otherwise i would say talk to a lawyer. or at least challenge your insurer on it. make them explain.
how old is the boat? your state may have laws regarding builders liability in case of profound failure, life threatening failure!

having said all that if the failed seem is reasonably clean the hull may be jigged and reglued properly. hard to say for sure though, without seeing it. i wonder about bulkhead damage.

a friend of mine has built several large sailing cats using that system and they are all still out there. someone screwed up big time.

[fillintheblank]

I saw a youtube video of some one with a cat of some sort. The bridge deck and inner side of the hulls where one piece, the outer side of the hull was bonded and tabbed on. The maker filled the joint, but apparently over time the filler failed. They fixed it by grinding it out and putting in epoxy soaked uni directional glass, the faired it. It was not an issue except ugly and drag.

[lhuff35204]

It's a 2013 38 ft Aquila power cat. I appealed the claim, contacted the broker, and seller. I've had the boat hauled 5 time at different yards. I wasn't present at the haul out.

It's out of warranty.

From the policy -
INSURING AGREEMENT: COLLISION COVERAGE
IF YOU PAY THE PREMIUM FOR THIS COVERAGE, WE WILL PAY FOR SUDDEN, DIRECT AND ACCIDENTAL LOSS TO A COVERED WATERCRAFT RESULTING FROM COLLISION.

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by lhuff35204

It's a 2013 38 ft Aquila power cat. I appealed the claim, contacted the broker, and seller. I've had the boat hauled 5 time at different yards. I wasn't present at the haul out.

It's out of warranty.

From the policy -
INSURING AGREEMENT: COLLISION COVERAGE
IF YOU PAY THE PREMIUM FOR THIS COVERAGE, WE WILL PAY FOR SUDDEN, DIRECT AND ACCIDENTAL LOSS TO A COVERED WATERCRAFT RESULTING FROM COLLISION.

Well... That's the part about collisions. And since this apparently wasn't a collision, shouldn't you be reading the, uhhh, other parts of your policy?

[tcpbob]

and more.... just because a thing is "out of warranty" and not covered by insurance does not mean you are stuck. witness what happens to car makers when their products fail and create unsafe results? i would say you probably have remedies in civil law for this. even Florida is not that backward... i think.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by chris95040

Well... That's the part about collisions. And since this apparently wasn't a collision, shouldn't you be reading the, uhhh, other parts of your policy?

I doubt the part about non-accident related damage would help him.

[Knotical]

It’s either structural damage or impact damage, a cat just doesn’t split like you say. The reason I asked you about size is there may be a theoretical chance a wider beam cat may be damaged during haul out if the yard is not used to it.

I would suggest to get an independent surveyor to determine the cause of the split, then you can pursue steps to either go after the company or the insurance.

Get construction plans from the company and talk to a few owners to see if they have had similar issues.

Do you have photos of the split, from outside and inside?

[thinwater]

I don't think the "out of warranty" bit matters for this. They really don't want you publicly shamming them, that they make boats that fall apart.

Lawyer. The builder and the insurance company are both saying "no," and it's got to be one or the other.

[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.

[more]

who buy Chinese made boat,

[Dsanduril]

Originally Posted by more

who buy Chinese made boat,

You're showing your bias. The OP's boat may have been made in China, but the split hull boat I personally witnessed was built in France.

[roverhi]

Have owned a couple of boats that were built in two halves. The two hull sides were not glued together but a layup equal to the hull layup was done on the inside. Any crack/separation was filled with thickened polyester, faired and gel coated as a purely cosmetic measure so you couldn't tell from the outside that the hull was two sides. If cats are relying on edge gluing to hold the two halves together, they are bigger POS's than I ever could have imagined.