Blog July 2020

PURCHASE AGREEMENT BASICS

Posted On: July 31, 2020

A Purchase Agreement Should Include:

  • Date
  • Name of purchaser and (if applicable) co-purchaser, their address and phone number
  • Name of seller and co-seller, their address and phone number
  • Broker (if applicable) If a broker is used, they will provide the purchase agreement
  • Description of boat, including: Manufacturer, Model, Year, Length, Hull #, Engine #
  • Trailer Documentation # (manufacturer, model, year, and serial number, if applicable)
  • Location of boat
  • Selling price and terms/conditions of purchase
  • Deposit received $ _______ and date the deposit was received _______
  • Closing date
  • Liens of encumbrances (the boat is sold free of any liens, bills unless otherwise stated and agreed to. The owner warrants that he has a marketable title and the lawful right to sell the boat (and trailer if appropriate) and will deliver all the necessary documents for the transfer of title.)
  • Additional terms and conditions: Transaction is subject to acceptable survey; acceptable sea trials and (if applicable) financing; the boat must be insurable; the deposit is refundable in full to the purchaser if any of the above items are unsatisfactory; copies of current state title and registration and current certificate of documentation (if applicable) should be attached to this agreement.
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PURCHASING A BOAT?

Posted On: July 27, 2020

The purchase agreement's signed, you've paid a 10% deposit, and the boat has passed the surveyor's inspection and sea trial with flying colors.

It's time to write the seller a check and take the boat home, right?

Not just yet.

Ask to see the following documentation to help authenticate the seller's ownership:

  1. A bill of sale showing that the seller actually owns the boat.

The document should show his name and a description of the boat and its HIN (Hull Identification Number). Make sure the HIN on the boat (located on the starboard side of the transom) matches the one on the seller's records.

2. Boat insurance policy listing the owner's name and boat description.

3. Boat's certificate of title and/or state registration.

TIP: Some states don't require titling, so if the seller doesn't have a title, make sure you see the bill of sale from when he bought the boat.

If you have all the proof of the seller's ownership and everything looks fine, get out that checkbook and buy that beautiful boat.

After The Sale

At last, the boat is yours! Before you hit the water, here are some things to consider:

1. Call MARITIME COVERAGE CORP for an insurance quote.

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KNOW UPFRONT, IT CAN SAVE YOU A BUNDLE

Posted On: July 24, 2020

Is my extended-service contract an extension of my manufacturer warranty?

A: Nope. Service contracts are insurance policies, often underwritten by third parties not associated with manufacturers. These contracts are moneymakers for dealers; some retailers can mark up contracts more than 100 percent over the actual cost paid to the service-contract company. A true warranty offers broad coverage and has the weight of state and federal warranty laws behind it. The best service contracts are those backed by large manufacturers, and some offer their own in-house service contracts. Read the fine print. Most defects in new boats and engines show up within the original warranty period, so spending money up front on a service contract may be a waste of money.

Q: Does my new-boat warranty cover my engines, too?

A: While the boatbuilder offers a warranty on the boat itself, usually the engine manufacturer provides separate warranty coverage for the engine(s). As a result, you may have to go to two different places for warranty repairs. Look for dealers that have technicians who can provide warranty work for both — a big plus. Read your new-boat warranty to learn what the dealer can fix and what you may have to take elsewhere for repairs, such as electronics. A few boat manufacturers now offer true "bumper-to-bumper" warranties that cover everything on the boat, just like new-car warranties.

Q: I'm an experienced boater who does my own maintenance. Will this void the warranty?

A: No, provided you follow the manufacturer's recommended schedule and use quality parts and fluids. Keep detailed records of maintenance, including dates of service, engine hours at time of service, and a description of services and/or parts installation performed.

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BOAT INSURANCE VS CAR INSURANCE

Posted On: July 20, 2020


Aren't boat and car insurances pretty much the same?

A: They're different. With boat insurance, you'll buy a policy with an agreed value (an amount you and your insurance company agree your boat is worth) or an actual-cash-value policy (what your boat's "book value" is at the time of the incident). With an agreed-value policy, you'll receive the agreed-upon amount if your boat is totaled. An actual-cash-value policy may give you less than you anticipated.

If you're in a car accident, in most cases you simply call your insurance company and drive your car to an authorized shop. A few days later, you pick it up, sign a document, and you're on your way. Boat claims are different because of the vast differences in boats, the lack of standardized repair parts, and the challenges of making sometimes-complex repairs using a much smaller pool of repairers. Boat repairs also are often significantly more expensive than owners expect

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BOATING INSURANCE AND YOU

Posted On: July 17, 2020

Unlike autos, for which every state requires at least liability insurance (in case you damage someone else's property or cause injury), few states require that you have such coverage for your boat. Arkansas and Utah, for example, are the only states that require liability coverage for powerboats (and, in Utah, only on those with engines producing more than 50 horsepower), though boats used in some state parks or kept in some state-run marinas may be required to be insured as well.

Note that if your state, bank, or marina requires you to carry boat insurance, your homeowner's policy will probably not be acceptable. That's because coverage under homeowner's policies is generally limited to boats under 16 feet with a small outboard and with a very low value (often as low as $1,000). Homeowner's policies don't have the necessary provisions to cover the different types of losses that may occur with a boat, such as salvage, wreck removal, or pollution liability. Boat insurance is designed to address the specific needs of boaters, including:

Litigation: Lawsuits have become common in our culture. Reading any newspaper makes it clear that people can and will sue others — even friends and neighbors — for just about anything. For example, let's say you take a friend out on your boat and encounter a large wake that slams your friend down against a hard seat. Even if your friend says he's OK, if it turns out later he's injured, you could be sued and held liable for all the medical bills as well as payments for lost time from work and even pain and suffering. Your boat policy will provide a defense attorney to represent you in such a suit, and it will pay any damages you're found to owe (up to the limit of the liability coverage).

Investment Protection: Without insurance, you risk losing your investment to accidents or to any number of other events. A single strong storm can (and frequently does) sink boats, a fire in a nearby boat can burn your boat, or you could be the victim of vandalism. If you want to protect yourself and your investment, how do you buy the right insurance and avoid overpaying? If you have a Chevy, you may not want to pay for Cadillac insurance; on the other hand, if you have a large investment, you may want to be protected from any significant loss

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HIT THE BEACH, JUST NOT WITH YOUR BOAT

Posted On: July 13, 2020

Nothing beats a day at the beach — except perhaps a day at the beach when you arrive by boat.

So it's understandable that many new boat owners want to beach their boat when it's time to go swimming. I strongly advise to resist this urge.

While driving the boat into shore with the outboard or stern drive trimmed up is the simplest approach, leaving your boat bow to shore presents some drawbacks.

  To address the issue, I refer to an article written by Michael Vatalaro who is executive editor of BoatUS Magazine.

First, it's easy to get stuck. A falling tide, wind, or waves pushing onshore — or even a large wake from a passing boat — can easily leave you high and dry, and a quick survey of Internet boating forums shows that's a common occurrence. Second, even if that passing wake doesn't push the boat ashore, it can swamp the boat, riding up and over the transom, which — depending on how far up the beach you left your boat — may be lower in the water than usual. Even if you deploy a stern anchor to keep the boat from being pushed out of position, you can't eliminate the possibility of stranding or swamping.

It takes a bit more effort, but anchoring your boat just off the beach, bow out, can prevent these problems and offer easier access to and from the boat via the stern.

Follow these steps:

1. Remove your anchor from the bow locker and carry it to the stern of the boat, making ure you pass the rode outside the stanchions and under the bow rail before heading to the back of the boat. Keep the other end of the rode attached to the boat.

2. You'll want to set your anchor with enough scope to hold, but not so much that the boat swings into very shallow water. It may take a few tries to find the sweet spot at a particular beach.

3. With the engine in neutral, have a crew member lower the anchor over the side at the stern. When it has touched bottom, motor extremely slowly toward the beach as your crew pays the anchor rode out carefully, keeping it away from the prop(s).

4. Continue very slowly into shore as you would normally, cutting the engine and trimming up in plenty of time before the bow nuzzles gently into the sand, where you'll stay temporarily

5. Unload your crew and gear over the bow. This includes a second stern anchor or sand spike for the beach and line. After securing that second line to an aft cleat, have a crew member walk that second anchor (or spike) toward the beach and set it securely.

6. With your crew ashore and the engine(s) remaining trimmed up, pull the boat back into deeper water using the bow anchor rode until you're satisfied that the stern is well clear of the bottom.

(It may help to get a little shove off the sand from someone ashore.) If using a stern anchor, be sure the line is flaked out to run free.

7. When you're a short distance off the beach, snub off your anchor rode at the bow, and pull your stern line so that you get enough tension to hold the boat in place. I like the water to be at least waist deep at the stern. That way, when I put out the boarding ladder, I don't have to worry about it striking bottom if a big wake comes ashore.

8. When it's time to leave, go out to the boat, climb aboard, pay out a little more scope on the bow anchor rode, pull in some of the stern anchor rode, then have the rest of your crew wade out to the boat and climb aboard. One of your crew can pick up the stern anchor or spike. Next, bring all the stern rode back into the boat and make sure it's coiled and secured in the cockpit. Don't forget to pull up the boarding ladder. Then, with your bow anchor rode, pull the boat back to deeper water until it's safe to lower your engines and fire them up. With the engines in neutral or in idle forward, if needed, pull in the rode and bow anchor, and you're away. 

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WANT A BETTER VIEW OF THE BOTTOM?

Posted On: July 10, 2020

Need help seeing?

Deflecting the light, with this handy, fun plexi-bottom bucket, lets you look before you anchor.

Here's  an old article by Don Casey thats always useful.

If you're boating in clear water, it can be useful to view the bottom.

For example, discovering that the seabed under the boat is rock, deep weed, or scoured coral before you try to anchor can avoid a lot of pointless frustration. Unfortunately wind chop and light reflection usually obscure your sight. All that's required to see into the water is a glass panel to "flatten" the surface. A dive mask will serve, but unless you wear it and stick your head in the water, your view is soon compromised by water slopping over the short skirt and onto the top of the glass.

The better tool is a look bucket. For little money, you can make one better than most that are commercially available. All you need is a stiff plastic bucket, a disk of clear plastic, and appropriate adhesive. A five-gallon paint bucket is the usual bucket choice because it's stiff, has a sharp angle between bottom and side, and features a protective lip around the base. However, a smaller bucket (2 1/2-3 gallons) can be easier to handle. The clear plastic can be acrylic or polycarbonate and should be not less than 1/8-inch thick; thicker is better because flexing can make the bond between the bucket and the plastic fail. I use marine or structural glazing silicone for gluing the lens to the bucket, but you can also use polyurethane (3M 5200) if the lens is acrylic (but not polycarbonate). Flexible epoxy can also bond and seal the lens.

  1. Cut a disk of clear plastic to the inside diameter at the bottom of the bucket. Using a utility knife or a hot knife (better), cut out the bottom of the bucket, leaving a one-inch rim. So the buoyancy will compress rather than test the seal, some people bond the plastic outside the bucket, but this typically makes it untrustworthy as an actual bucket unless you add mechanical fasteners. I prefer setting the lens into a bed of sealant that extends up the side of the bucket to provide both tensile and sheer strength.
  2. Hold the circular lens in place and trace around the cut circle of the bucket with a sharp blade to cut the protective film. Peel away the perimeter piece, leaving the middle. To provide a better gripping surface for your adhesive, use 100-grit paper to sand the exposed plastic around the circumference of the lens, including the edge. Also, sand the mating surfaces of the bucket. For a neater job, mask the bucket wall above the level of the lens.
  3. Apply adhesive sealant liberally to the lip and side of the bucket, then set the lens in place. Weight it lightly; you want the lens to make full contact but you don't want to squeeze out all of the adhesive. The seal needs to be thick enough to absorb some flex during use.
  4. Allow the adhesive to cure fully, trim away excess sealant, and peel away the remaining film and any masking you did. Your bucket is ready for "look box" duty while still functioning as a bucket for washing or bailing. 
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ADAPTING TO THE MASK

Posted On: July 06, 2020


If you are like so many of us now, we have taken to wearing masks.

Do they work?

Hell if I know, but they probably don't hurt.

Many people are faithfully wearing masks in order to prevent others from being infected with COVID-19.But it’s also a big adjustment for a lot of us who are adapting to a face apparatus and sweaty faces. If you are like me and wear glasses, we have to deal with another problem: fogged-up lenses. When you wear a mask and your warm breath hits the relatively cool surface of your glasses, the result will be fog.

This can be really irritating, especially if you walk from a hot street into an air-conditioned environment, suddenly can’t see, and don’t want to handle your glasses without washing your hands first.

I found this strategy to be helpful.

If your mask fits loosely over your nose, your breath is certain to escape up to your glasses.

Many masks being sold have nose bridges sewn into them — flexible strips that allow you to bend and shape them so they fit your nose. These serve several purposes: they make the masks more effective (because less moisture can escape), make them more comfortable, and they help prevent your breath from hitting your glasses.

If your mask doesn’t have its own bridge, you can make your own using twist ties or pipe cleaners, or you can tape the mask down.

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