A boat claim rarely pays what the damage actually costs — and owners find out too late
Marine losses are unlike any other claim. Hidden water intrusion, engine and drivetrain damage, delamination, electronics, rigging, salvage and haul-out costs, and named-storm sublimits all add up fast — and the way a policy is written (agreed value vs. actual cash value, depreciation, betterment) decides how much of it the insurer will actually pay. Carriers lean on their own surveyor and write the loss low, and most owners have no way to challenge the number. That is exactly the gap we close.
Florida property insurance claims: the deadlines and the fee cap
- Notice of a claim
- Under Fla. Stat. §627.70132, a property insurance claim or reopened claim is barred unless notice was given to the insurer within 1 year after the date of loss. A supplemental claim is barred unless notice was given within 18 months after the date of loss. — Fla. Stat. §627.70132(2)
- Time to bring a court action
- An action for breach of a property insurance contract must be brought within 5 years, running from the date of loss. This is a separate clock from the notice deadline, and §627.70132(5) states that the notice statute does not affect it. — Fla. Stat. §95.11(2)(e)
- What a public adjuster may charge
- A public adjuster’s compensation is capped at 20 percent of the amount of insurance claim payments or settlements, exclusive of attorney fees and costs, paid to the insured by the insurer. For claims based on events that are the subject of a declaration of a state of emergency by the Governor the cap is 10 percent, and that limit applies to claims made during the year after the declaration of emergency. — Fla. Stat. §626.854(11)(b)
- Which deadline applies to you
- Which of these applies to your claim depends on your policy and your date of loss.
Public Loss Adjusters, LLC — Robert Mack, Florida public adjuster, Lic. #A161638. The review is free and carries no obligation. Call 352-353-4556.
⏰ A marine claim has short notice deadlines — missing one can end it.
Boat, yacht and marine policies almost always require prompt notice of loss and a sworn proof of loss within a set window — and the clock runs from the date of loss. Miss it and a valid claim can be denied on the deadline alone. If you have had a marine loss, or you were already paid less than the damage cost, the safest move is to have a licensed public adjuster review your policy and its deadlines right away.
Talk to us before you file — Call 352-353-4556Boat, yacht and marine policies carry their own prompt-notice and proof-of-loss deadlines, which are often short and vary by policy. This is general information, not legal advice — contact us to confirm the deadlines in your specific policy.
Talk to us before you settle your boat or marine claim
We inspect the full loss, benchmark the carrier’s survey, document what the estimate leaves out, and negotiate for the payout your policy actually owes — so you are not fighting the insurer and its surveyor alone.
Related: insurance claim denied · hurricane & named-storm claims · water damage claims · talk to a licensed public adjuster
If it would help to talk it through with someone local, see public adjusters in Central Florida.