Insurance Woes for the Astroliner

[Atomic77]

Have you tried AIS ? I know they do all kinds of insurance including Bus Conversions so it might be an option.

Thank you I will check

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[Atomic77]

I never thought about getting insurance on my build. It surprises me to learn I probably can't get it covered.
But no big deal. Had I known I would have built it anyway.
I know I'm a good risk so I guess I will just cover myself at The Insurance Company of Me. If some outlandish act of nature destroys it I will chock it up to bad luck and build another. If another driver hits me I will make them pay for their mistake in a civil suit.
If we are keeping the books acurately I guess we should
-decide how much premium we would be willing to pay each year
-drop that amount into an account each year
- let it build up to pay for any calamity
- have fun and go camping.

Sounds like a plan. But after 3 years and hundreds of tedious details there's no way I'm building another one

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[Atomic77]

Best we could do was through our State Farm agent, they did it on a material costs only basis, no labor was covered.

If you were to sell it to a "straw man" & then buy it back for what it's actually worth (a receipt from the seller showing your purchase price) you might have the documentation needed to cover your costs. Just sayin'...

Yep... Been kicking that around in my head already!

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[John61CT]

Best we could do was through our State Farm agent, they did it on a material costs only basis, no labor was covered.

If you were to sell it to a "straw man" & then buy it back for what it's actually worth (a receipt from the seller showing your purchase price) you might have the documentation needed to cover your costs. Just sayin'...

Pretty sure that could be grounds for a fraud case. Just sayin'...

Trying to insure for recovery of the owner's labor time is a non-starter IMO.

It's the medical and other liabilities you really need coverage for, not getting a big replacement payout.

[Florida Native]

Liability will be covered by the tow vehicle's and driver's policies (at least while driving).

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[Atomic77]

Best we could do was through our State Farm agent, they did it on a material costs only basis, no labor was covered.

If you were to sell it to a "straw man" & then buy it back for what it's actually worth (a receipt from the seller showing your purchase price) you might have the documentation needed to cover your costs. Just sayin'...

Pretty sure that could be grounds for a fraud case. Just sayin'...

Trying to insure for recovery of the owner's labor time is a non-starter IMO.

It's the medical and other liabilities you really need coverage for, not getting a big replacement payout.

I'm not looking for any payout. I have 3 years of my life and thousands of dollars including the best of everything invested in this... and if it gets rear-ended by a semi I want to know that I can replace it. I don't think that's too much to ask for.

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[Staryder61]

Michael, give Progressive a call, have always been there when we needed them. Have never failed to cover anything we've had..

[John61CT]

I'm not looking for any payout. I have 3 years of my life and thousands of dollars including the best of everything invested in this... and if it gets rear-ended by a semi I want to know that I can replace it. I don't think that's too much to ask for.

I'm not questioning your motives.

And I wholeheartedly agree that what you're looking for "should" (in an ideal world) be readily available.

But we do need to deal with reality as it presents itself, not as we'd wish it to be.

Either current FMV assessment or a components receipts methodology are IMO the only remaining options, if you can't find suitable coverage at a high enough agreed value.

As soon as you start talking about getting compensated for your buildout time & trouble, I'd be very surprised if any industry players will respond with anything but laughter.

My main point was that the suggestion of using a straw man seller to try to establish a coverage valuation could be dicey, unless perhaps the specific transaction details were first passed by a lawyer with insurance experience.

There's little point paying for a policy if you give them an out big enough to drive your van through at payout time.

[John61CT]

Liability will be covered by the tow vehicle's and driver's policies (at least while driving).

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Even given a scenario where the cause of the damages could be blamed on some DIY aspect of the buildout?

[Florida Native]

Liability will be covered by the tow vehicle's and driver's policies (at least while driving).

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Even given a scenario where the cause of the damages could be blamed on some DIY aspect of the buildout?

I'm not a lawyer or in the insurance business, but that is my understanding. Check your policy. The trailer likely needs to be owned by the driver/owner of the tow vehicle.

-Mike

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[dales133]

Best we could do was through our State Farm agent, they did it on a material costs only basis, no labor was covered.

If you were to sell it to a "straw man" & then buy it back for what it's actually worth (a receipt from the seller showing your purchase price) you might have the documentation needed to cover your costs. Just sayin'...

Pretty sure that could be grounds for a fraud case. Just sayin'...

Trying to insure for recovery of the owner's labor time is a non-starter IMO.

It's the medical and other liabilities you really need coverage for, not getting a big replacement payout.

I'm not looking for any payout. I have 3 years of my life and thousands of dollars including the best of everything invested in this... and if it gets rear-ended by a semi I want to know that I can replace it. I don't think that's too much to ask for.

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I'm in the same boat pretty much exactly both time and cost wise.
And no mate it's far from to much to ask.
I'd do whatever it takes to insure it for it's TRUE value

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[halfdome, Danny]

This subject has been covered over and over again on this forum with no clear solution.
The only insurance company that will cover my 55 Chevy while towing the teardrop is Heacock Classic through American Modern Home Insurance Company. They will not insure the teardrop.

I originally had Haggerty and when they learned from me that I was towing a teardrop they immediately sent me a refund and cancellation.
If the teardrop said "Coca Cola" on the side (as an example) and was only towed to car shows then then they would insure both together.
The reason stated was it wouldn't be used as much as one used for camping.

All the teardrops I've built and owned haven't been insured except for the liability insurance my car insurance provides.
I put a removable tongue on it, lots of lights, drive defensively, and park in a safe spot as to not get rear ended like castiron had done to him.
If it get's totaled then I've got a new project.
If you were to buy a commercially built "Travel Trailer" from a dealer then the bank would require it to be insured.
Since we are building our own "Custom Teardrops" unfortunately the financial responsibility falls on our shoulders.
It would be nice if a company would insure teardrops, they would get a lot of business, we are a pretty low risk in my opinion.
Danny

[John61CT]

I'd do whatever it takes to insure it for it's TRUE value

That still does not mean it is possible to get what you want.

It is much easier to find a company to accept your premium payments, than it is to be sure they will actually pay out.

Anything that could be interpreted as deceptive certainly increases the odds of a problem in the event of a very expensive catastrophe.

[Atomic77]

So far still no luck.
State Farm: No programs available
Haggarty: No programs available
Safeco: No programs available
And the list goes on and on. I currently have three insurance agents working on the issue. All three of them would like to have our business. Farmers insurance will insure it for the materials cost. I think we can come up with receipts for maybe 5 grand. No where near what we would need to replace it if it was stolen or totalled. Oh, and they want the policies on our vehicles too. Which is double the premium over Safeco which we have now.

What a Crock.

[Atomic77]

Ding ding ding, we have a winner. We found a company that will value the Astroliner for $15,000 agreed upon value, based on... guess what??? This forum! The agent sent the link of the build journal to the underwriter who said he approved the build based on the quality shown in the journal records. Boom! Finally. Here's the catch... the premium is $345 yearly, which is awesome, but they want the autos as well and that will cost us $600 more a year for the cars. Is what it is I suppose. No other choices at this time.

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