Insurance work we do
From the first inspection to the final sea trial, insurance jobs run through the same workshop and the same standards as everything else we do — with the reporting and assessor liaison handled for you.
Damage assessment & written reports
When an engine or driveline is damaged, your assessor needs an expert report: what happened, what caused it, what it will take to fix. We inspect at the workshop, on the hardstand or at your berth, and produce clear written reports with fixed repair estimates that assessors can act on.
- Cause-of-damage findings in plain English
- Itemised, fixed repair estimates
- Photographic evidence gathered to claim standard
- Reports direct to your assessor
Insured repairs
Once the claim is approved, we carry out the repair to the approved scope — engine, gearbox, driveline or marine electrical — and document everything for claim closure. Storm damage, impact damage, electrical faults and fire-affected systems all come through our workshop.
- Mechanical, driveline & electrical repairs
- Work to the assessor-approved scope
- Genuine parts, dealer-backed
- Sea trial and completion documentation
Engine replacement claims
When the damage is terminal and the insurer writes the engine off, we handle the full replacement — as an authorised Volvo Penta and Yanmar dealer we supply, install and commission the new engine, and register its factory warranty. If you were already thinking about repowering, a write-off settlement is the moment to do it properly.
- Replacement engine supply & installation
- Authorised Volvo Penta & Yanmar dealer
- Factory warranty registered for you
- Like-for-like or agreed upgrade paths
Water ingress & recommissioning
Swamped, flooded or sunk — the hours after water gets into an engine decide whether it lives. We respond fast: strip, flush and preserve the engine before corrosion sets in, then assess honestly whether recommissioning or replacement is the right call, with the evidence your insurer needs either way.
- Rapid response — the corrosion clock is real
- Strip, flush, dry and preserve
- Honest recommission-or-replace assessment
- Full documentation for the claim
Taken on water? The clock is already running.
Salt water inside an engine starts doing permanent damage within days. Don’t attempt to start it, isolate the batteries, and call us — stripping, flushing and preserving a flooded engine early is the difference between a recommission and a write-off, and insurers expect reasonable steps to prevent further loss while the claim is processed.
How a claim runs with us
- 1
Call us early
Ideally before anything is touched — especially with water ingress, where the first 24–48 hours decide the outcome. We’ll tell you what to do (and not do) right away.
- 2
Inspection & report
We inspect the damage and produce a written report with cause findings and a fixed repair estimate, in the format assessors expect.
- 3
We liaise with your assessor
You don’t play go-between. We deal with the assessor directly — questions, scope, approvals — until the repair is authorised.
- 4
Repair, replace or recommission
The approved work gets done properly: genuine parts, dealer standards, and a sea trial before handover.
- 5
Billing & closure
Where the insurer allows it we bill them directly, so you’re not out of pocket waiting on reimbursement. Completion documentation goes to the assessor for claim closure.
Insurance work — your questions answered
Do I need my insurer’s approval before you start work?
For repairs, yes — insurers approve the scope before work begins, and we prepare the report and estimate that gets you there quickly. Make-safe and preservation work is different: stopping salt water destroying an engine is time-critical, and insurers expect reasonable steps to prevent further loss. Call us immediately and we’ll advise what can start straight away.
Which insurers do you work with?
We regularly carry out insurance work with Club Marine, Nautilus Marine, RACV Marine and Pantaenius Australia, and we deal with independent marine assessors across the industry. If your insurer isn’t listed, that’s not a problem — the process is the same.
Who pays you — me or the insurer?
Where the insurer allows it, we bill them directly, so you’re only ever out of pocket for your excess. Where direct billing isn’t available, we provide itemised invoices and documentation that make reimbursement straightforward.
My boat has taken on water — what do I do right now?
Don’t try to start the engine — turning over a flooded engine can destroy it. Isolate the batteries, get the boat pumped out and call us on (03) 9399 5888. The sooner a flooded engine is stripped, flushed and preserved, the better the odds it survives; leaving it days while paperwork happens is how engines are lost.
The insurer has written my engine off — can you handle the whole replacement?
Yes — that’s our core trade. As an authorised Volvo Penta and Yanmar dealer we supply and install the replacement, register the factory warranty, and sea trial the boat. A write-off settlement is also the natural moment to consider a proper repower; see our yacht repower pages for what we fit in specific boats.
Can you do an engine condition report for my insurance renewal?
Yes. Insurers commonly ask for condition reports on older vessels at renewal or before offering cover, and we carry out engine and driveline condition inspections with written reports. Book one before your renewal deadline, not after it.
Start an insurance repair enquiry
Tell us what happened, your vessel and engine, your insurer, and where the claim is up to (not lodged yet is fine) — we'll advise the right next step and get the process moving.