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Trim tabs damaged: handling error, wear and tear or an insured loss?
Short answer
With damaged trim tabs the hull insurer looks at the cause.
Debris, grounding or a knock when berthing are sudden outside events;
corrosion and a failed actuator are often treated as wear and tear.
A simple handling error rarely changes that.
Trim tabs sit low on the transom of a motorboat and set the boat's running attitude. Because they are right at the back and low down, they are easily damaged: reversing into a pontoon, hitting debris, touching bottom in shallow water or on the trailer. They also fail without anything happening: a hydraulic ram starts to leak, an electric actuator gives up, the mountings corrode. For hull insurance that difference is the whole point: an insured loss, wear and tear, or a handling error.
Hull policies generally respond to damage from a sudden event from outside, such as debris, grounding or a knock while manoeuvring. With us these are accident events, covered from Basis Plus; Basis does not cover them. Corrosion, a failed actuator or a leaking ram are often treated as wear and tear or mechanical breakdown. A simple handling error, for example leaving the tabs down at speed or forgetting them when recovering the boat, does not usually rule out a claim; with gross negligence it depends on what the policy wording says. Tabs that damage a pontoon or another boat are a matter for third party liability.
Photograph the damage at once, note when and where it happened and keep any broken parts. Report it before you have it repaired so the surveyor can see the parts. Prevention is easy: retract the tabs fully before berthing, in shallow water and before recovering the boat onto the trailer, check rams and connections for leaks and corrosion, and change the transom anodes in good time. A maintenance record helps if the question of wear and tear comes up later.
Worth remembering
Debris, grounding, knock
sudden event, a hull claim
Corrosion, leaking ram
often wear or mechanical breakdown
Retract the trim tabs before every berthing and recovery: that saves much of the damage.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Will hull insurance pay for bent trim tabs after a grounding?
Usually yes, if a sudden outside event such as grounding or debris caused the damage; with us from Basis Plus. Note the time and place and report it before the repair.
Is a failed trim tab actuator an insured loss?
Often not. A leaking hydraulic ram or a failed electric actuator is treated by many policies as wear and tear or mechanical breakdown. What applies is in your own policy wording.
What if I forgot to retract the tabs?
A simple handling error does not usually rule out a hull claim. With gross negligence it depends on the wording of your policy.
Related
Not sure whether you qualify?
Whether it is “Trim tabs damaged: handling error, wear and tear or an insured loss?” or another question: send us your residence and the flag your boat flies. You will get a straight answer in one email; including a no, if that is the answer.
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