The short answer: make the boat safe, record the damage before anything is moved, tell your insurer promptly, and get a written fault report and itemised repair quote from a marine electrician. Insurers and their surveyors decide what is covered; your job is to give them clear, factual evidence.
We are not an insurer and cannot say what your policy covers. What we can provide is the electrical side: diagnosis, written findings and a clear quote.
Disconnect shore power and isolate the batteries. If there is any smell of burning, visible scorching or water around electrical equipment, do not try to power things back up to see what still works. Re-energising damaged circuits can turn a claim for repairs into a claim for a fire.
Photograph affected equipment, panels, wiring and water lines before anything is removed. Note dates, weather and what you noticed. Keep damaged parts rather than throwing them away, because the insurer's surveyor may want to see them.
Policies usually require prompt notification and may require approval before repairs start. Check before instructing anyone to begin work beyond making the boat safe. The insurer may appoint a surveyor; they decide what is covered and on what terms.
A clear report describes what was found, which equipment and circuits are affected, the likely cause where it can be determined and what repair is needed. It should separate damage from the incident from any pre-existing wear, because a surveyor will ask exactly that question.
We provide written findings after fault finding and surveys, and we keep them factual. We will not overstate damage or guess at causes we cannot evidence.
An itemised quote lets the insurer and surveyor see what is being replaced and why. It also makes it easier to agree on scope if some items are covered and others are not. Changes discovered during repair should be reported and priced before they are carried out.
Water in wiring spreads corrosion over weeks, and lightning surges can damage equipment that seems fine at first. Mention the possibility of later-emerging damage when you report the claim, and keep a note of anything that fails afterwards.
Safety note: water-damaged or surge-damaged AC and battery systems are a genuine fire and shock risk. Testing and repair should be carried out by a qualified marine electrician.
It helps everyone if the quote separates repair of incident damage from any upgrades you choose to make at the same time. If you decide to improve the system while the linings are off, that work should be listed and priced separately so there is no confusion about what is part of the claim.
Similarly, if an inspection reveals older faults unrelated to the incident, they should be reported honestly and listed apart. Mixing them into a claim causes problems with the surveyor and can delay the whole repair.
After the repair, consider what could reduce the chance of the same damage happening again. That might be better bilge pump wiring and alarms after a flood, relocating equipment away from a leak-prone area, improving battery ventilation after an overheating incident or replacing ageing shore power connections.
Keep the written report, repair invoice and any updated wiring information with the boat's paperwork. They are useful for future insurance renewals and reassure buyers if the boat is later sold.
Water ingress is the most frequent: flooding through a failed hose or seacock, rain finding its way through a deck fitting, or bilge water rising over batteries and wiring. Overheating at poor connections, especially on shore power inlets and battery cables, is another. Lightning strikes and surges from faulty pontoon supplies are less common but can affect many systems at once. Each leaves different evidence, and describing what was found in plain, factual language helps an insurer and surveyor understand the sequence of events and the repair that follows.
Insurer approval varies by company and policy, so check with your insurer. We provide the electrical diagnosis, written findings and quote they ask for.
Making the boat safe is normally fine. Beyond that, check your policy, as many insurers want to approve repairs first.
Tell your insurer as soon as you notice it. Late-emerging corrosion after water ingress is common.
We diagnose the damage, write up clear findings and provide an itemised repair quote. Get in touch for a free assessment.