27°12’03.3″N 80°15’34.7″W April 9, 2022
I closed the last post from the end of January with “At this point, I am looking to the original installer to have his insurance pay for a replacement”…
Since then much has happened, and nothing has happened. In my personal journal of this problem, on January 31st I wrote:
January 31, 2022, 10:30 AM:
Met [mechanic] at Strider. He pumped several gallons of seawater out of the oil pan and then put fresh oil in. The old oil was nowhere to be found, possibly higher in the engine or floated out of the engine into the exhaust.
After putting fresh oil in, he tried to start the engine several times using the B panel start button. The starter would try to turn but immediately flip the breaker on the starter circuit. It was concluded from this that the engine was seized.
As the mechanic was leaving he indicated that he thought the owner was pursuing a remedy from his liability insurance company, so I was somewhat relieved. It was obvious the problem was caused by an installation error and they needed to make it right. At this point, a new engine was the only solution.
The next several journal entries are telling…
Journal entries (none are left out that were germane)
2/9/2022 9:03:00 AM: Email to Bill
Good morning, Bill, After [mechanic]’s work on the engine and finding it indeed full of water and seized up, I’m assuming you’re pursuing avenues with your insurance company.
Could you give me a status update, please?
2/16/2022 9:00 Text to Bill
Good morning, Bill. Could you please give me a status update on the insurance claim and what the course of action and schedule will be? Thanks!
2/21/2022 11:04
Called Bill, could hardly hear him but it sounded like he said he was going to the hospital
3/3/2022 11:40 Email to Bill
Good morning, Bill, could you give me a status update, please?
3/9/2022 8:47 Called Bill
He said he had not yet called his insurance but would “that day”. Said he didn’t understand where the oil would have gone and seemed to be trying to use that as an excuse for not calling or doing anything.
3/14/2022 9:28 Text to Bill
Good morning, Bill. Last Wednesday you told me you were going to call your insurance that day. Where are we in the process now? I don’t want to get stuck again in the same situation as last year where I have a disabled boat in hurricane season.
45 days later finally a response! –be still my heart!
3/15/2022 14:15 Text from Bill
“Not getting anywhere w insurance. Have doctors appointment. Wcb this late afternoon. “
3/21/2022 12:02 Text to Bill
What is the game plan?
3/21/2022 18:30 Phone call from Bill saying his insurance wouldn’t cover it and he was unwilling to cover it himself.
No Guarantee
So, it appears that this engine, which cost as much as some new cars, though installed incorrectly, is not supported by the company who installed it, nor is their work guaranteed. Let the buyer beware. For the benefit of other perspective customers, I hope, Google will show this result to them. The installer was:
[Redacted while legal options are explored]
I do not enjoy damaging a man’s reputation, and consider Bill a friend, but in this instance, he has damaged, even ruined it himself. A job to be finished no later than June 1, 2020, was finally delivered at the end of October, and only then due to great pressure from me. It was done poorly, vastly overpriced, and in the end, failed with no remedy offered by the installer.
I am left with a disabled boat and a ruined engine and now must come up with 10s of thousands of dollars more to solve his mistakes. Partway through the process, a sea captain told me “Miami is known for a lot of things, but good boat work isn’t one of them.” Truer words were never spoken.