this is the story,was looking to upgrade from my 25 active thunder to a cat.found a sweet 30 motion w/225's.called my insurance company and they said they would insure it.bought the boat which was in fl and i live in ny.now the insurance company says they won't do it and the bank is looking for the insurance because i have a loan on it.i called everyone and nobody wants to insure this thing.most of the companys want the tres martin school.now nothing against the school but i would think that my 12 years of boating "seat" time would be more important then two days of being a passenger in the school.what can i do?

Yes but 12 years of seat time in a V-Bottom is a lot different then in a cat

agree but how can the insurance company say that being a passenger in a boat for 2 days is better than seat time.don't know about you but i learn by doing not watching someone else.and i seem to see alot more accidents with v-bottoms than cats.

I know it's a pain, that's why I ended up with a bigger V instead of a big cat. Always have the written insurance retainer in hand on any questionable purchase, (Like a new ZR1 for instance).

I am planing to take the course when he comes back to Austin next month.

Course is a lot of money but.
1. You are not going to get the insurance without it.
2. Say you get the insurance without the course and the unthinkable happens. Would the course have saved you from having that accident?
3. A Cat does reacts different then a V, I have had both.

Will the course keep you from having an accident? Is it worth the chance? If you have read OSO for any time, hopefully you have read about all of the accidents. I have not read one where someone was planing on having it.

IMO - The school isn't just a two day ride with someone else. Tres teaches alot about how the boat handles and more importantly why it handles this way or that way. At 100+mph speeds the boat is part airplane..... I'd suggest taking the school .... he may even be able to teach you something you didn't know... and it may save your life one day...

i agree the school is important and i know i could learn.my issue is with the insurance company saying you must take this course to get insured.the boat only runs 83-84.anyone know of a company that will do it without the course?

When I was looking for a bigger cat last year I had two options to get insurance for it. One was have experence in a cat, or two, Tres's school. Since I had started in a small cat I was able to get insurance with neither, just have not stepped up yet.

I agree with the school! V's and Cats are very different.

There are also more V bottoms out there than cats. Cat insurance is tough to get because the cats are riskier than the V's hence the special considerations.

No one has ever posted the class sucked or was a waste of money, on the contrary everyone thought it was money well spent. 12 years of seat time is great but what if you have been doing something dangerous for 12 years and not known it?