I could bore you with the whole story but I'll spare you the details.... bottom line is that there are people taking advantage of those affected by Hurricane Sandy and while I shouldn't be surprised to hear it, it's something you need to be aware of.....

For anyone affected by Hurricane Sandy and that have watercraft claims.... if your boat is a partial loss....

As the insured, you have the right to utilize WHOEVER YOU WANT to repair your boat. 99% of the marine insurance companies do not dictate who you must use to repair the vessel. They can recommend people, but ultimately, where your repairs are done, is your choice (so long as the estimates for repair are reasonable).

Thats why you are the best at what you do.

I have processed over a hunded claims from Sandy with 7 different insurance carriers that we directly represent and none require the boat owner to use a specific repair facility,but in my 23 years in this industry I do know what shops are competent and I do provide a list to any boat owner that needs help.I will be meeting some of my yacht clients on Long Beach Island in New Jersey as soon as there is public access and they try to find their boats to process even more claims.

As I stated in my post... not going to bore anyone with the details, however, it was NOT the insurance company that had said a client had to use a certain party for repairs.... it was the independent marine surveyor that came out to assess damage who brought his buddy with him.

Our insurance carrier is the one that verified to the client that they could indeed use whoever they wanted and that they did not authorize anything like what the client experienced.

long Beach Island in New Jersey is now open,it looks like a war zone.I will be handling about 15 more claims if the boat owners can find their boats.I'm moving to Florida to reduce my workload.

If you are looking for a 35 + or - sport fisher its about 300 feet up in the marsh at the entrance to West Creek. Its white with blue, unkown make.

Thanks for the info,I've got boats in homeowners kitchens.