Advice needed for friend - boat stolen?

loz

loz

New Member
Was filling an insurance proposal for my new boat yesterday and browsed the stolen boats list out of curiosity - was surprised to see my friend's sail number there!

She bought the boat in good faith about 7 months ago from a member of another local club and has enjoyed the season but now that I've pointed this out to her she doesn't know what to do. I guess she should contact the insurer but obviously doesn't want to lose her boat if it really has been stolen at some point!

Anyone any thoughts? :confused:

Loz
 
Because she knows that the boat was stolen (or, at least, reported stolen), she needs to contact the insurance company and let them know that she has the boat. You're right, there's a risk that she'll lose the boat, but a failure to notify the insurance company could make her a party to insurance fraud, with potential criminal and civil liability. If she loses the boat, she should have recourse against the person who sold it to her (assuming that person can still be located and is not judgment proof).
 
loz said:
I guess she should contact the insurer but obviously doesn't want to lose her boat if it really has been stolen at some point!
Anyone any thoughts? :confused:Loz
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Well, if I were in that situation I know that my enjoyment of the boat would be ruined. I have a finely tuned sense of guilt however. Not only would I feel bad at having someone else's boat, I'd be afraid of getting caught every time I sailed it, especially when travelling with it. There could be legal entanglements if she does get caught with it, and that could make losing the boat by turning it in herself look like a pleasant option.

However, by publicizing this on the web, Lawrence, there could be people who will look for it now around Tynemouth, SC. I think that must be your intention, to force the issue by placing a link to the sail numbers and describing the situation here and also giving full information about yourself. You could have remained anonymous and also left out the sail numbers. It's too bad you haven't given her a little time to reflect without pressure. Regardless, I hope that she does the right thing.
 
Thanks for your comments Merrily, and thanks for drawing attention to my obvious naïvety in posting my name and location... I wish I could be as smart as you obviously are :rolleyes:

I think that must be your intention, to force the issue
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My only intention is to ask for some advice for a good friend. Neither of us have anything to hide so why should it matter who and where we are?
Anyway, find me an online list of Laser numbers at TSC, then tell me which boat I am talking about, and I shall give you £50.
Hmph.

Loz
 
loz said:
My only intention is to ask for some advice for a good friend. Neither of us have anything to hide so why should it matter who and where we are?
Anyway, find me an online list of Laser numbers at TSC, then tell me which boat I am talking about, and I shall give you £50.
Hmph.
Loz
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I'm talking about a detective from the Insurance company. They have such things. And your "friend" does have something to hide if she knows she is in possession of a stolen boat and she doesn't turn it in. I don't think you are that naive.
 
I see that the list of stolen boats is offering rewards of up to 2000 pounds for recovery and conviction of those responsible. So if your friend does the right thing and reports the circumstances under which she was sold the boat then she might be in line for a reward for her honesty, which might partly compensate for losing the boat.
 
Yeah well, she's known for less than 12 hours and that's only because I told her. I also told her I thought she should contact her insurer, which she probably hasn't had chance to do yet. Just curious that her insurer wasn't aware of the list I found so they could spot it when she took out her policy...

OK I posted here asking for advice (when I know the correct action); I guess I was wondering if anybody else has been in this position.

Loz
 
Perhaps the number on the stolen boats list is incorrect.

example: This year I noticed my insurance company had the numbers for my old boat on my policy.
I sold a boat in 2002 and bought another. I did change the number on the policy. In fact, I have copies of my policy from 2003 and 2004 and 2005 with my new boat's number.

Somehow the insurance company reverted to the old number. If I had reported my boat stolen this year, my insurance company could have easily placed the old boat's number on a stolen list.

Certainly, there are lots of other scenarios ....
 
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