Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape
Glad it worked out for you. As a victim of boat theft myself I heard all the same accusations that were thrown at you. Many by my own insurance company.....
BoatUS was very reasonable, I was all geared up for a long fight, had already started my call log, documentation, etc., fully expected to have to file a bad faith lawsuit, but in the end they weren't bad at all. The only sticking point was when they asked me to sign a piece of paper giving them and any of their investigators full, liability free, rights to perform a background, credit check, and who knows what else check for 90 days.
I refused to sign the form, but they settled the claim anyway. I think it was just a boilerplate form that they probably would have made mandatory if they in any way thought the claim was fraudulent. It probably helped that the boat was paid for and it was not a multi-million dollar yacht. The AV for my boat they probably make every 10 minutes.
I wonder if the insurance company would give a discount for one of these?
http://www.spygadgets.com/gps-asset-tracking-system.aspx
Boat ins companies don't give you a discount for anything. On top of that, BoatUS dropped me, so in the end I will have to find another ins carrier in the future. Since BoatUS was the cheapest when I last shopped around, I have no doubt I will not only be paying a higher base premium, I will also be paying more since I had a claim in the last 7yrs.
I wouldn't even be surprised if this affects my car ins and homeowner's ins should I ever switch carriers. They use any excuse possible to raise your rates.
I do think tracking devices are the way to go, they are the one device that boat thieves probably never count on due to their rarity. It would have to be very well hidden though, since I'm sure they dismantle the stolen boats in a very short period of time, and it could be up to 12hrs before you notice the theft (due to work, family, etc). The problem with hiding it is the GPS antenna still needs a pretty clear line of sight to the nearest 3 satellites.