Damaged or missing-part shipment: first 24 hours

Inspect before you sign the BOL, photograph everything, file the claims form same-day for freight damage, and contact your dealer if it's a hull issue — fast action protects your claim window.

If your kayak shows up damaged or your accessory kit is missing parts, the first 24 hours matter more than the next 24 days. Freight claim windows are tighter than warranty windows, and documentation captured at delivery is worth more than documentation captured later. Here's the playbook.

The first 5 minutes — before the driver leaves

If you spot damage during delivery and the driver is still there:

Don't sign the BOL yet. The Bill of Lading is the legal record. If you sign it clean, the carrier's first argument is "you accepted it without noting damage."
Photograph what you see — wide shots of the crate, close-ups of the damage.
Write the damage on the BOL — specific, like "8-inch crack on starboard hull at midship, visible after cutting strapping." Then sign.
If the damage is severe enough that the boat is unusable (major crack, hole, severe drive damage), refuse delivery. The driver takes it back, and we coordinate the replacement with your dealer.

If you've already signed and the truck is gone before you noticed damage, don't panic — you can still file. Just move faster.

The first hour — full inspection

Once the kayak is staged where you can work on it (garage, driveway, yard), do a full inspection. Cover every surface, every accessory, every small part bag.

What to inspect on a hull

Hull top and bottom, full length
Bow and stern for cracks
Scupper holes — visible damage, deformed edges
Drain plug area
Standing platform / deck (jump on it lightly — listen and feel for any creaking or flex that wasn't there)
Gear tracks and gunwales
Rudder blade, U-connector, steering cables
Steering handle
Foot pedals / Slide Lock braces
Pull-up cord

What to inspect on the drive (if bundled)

Head — visible cracks, dents
Crank arms — threads at the top
Lower unit — gouges, water inside the housing
Prop — chips, deformation
Indexer — does the prop lock vertical when you engage it (test on a stand, not in water yet)

What to inspect on accessories

Open every bag, count everything against the included parts list
Look at every aluminum extrusion (Quad Rails, gear tracks) for bent or scratched sections beyond what shipping handling should produce
Hardware bags — count the bolts, screws, washers

The first 24 hours — file the claims form

URL: caminojourney.com/pages/claims-form

Same form for hulls, drives, parts, and freight damage. We route internally.

What to attach:

Photos of the damage from 3–4 angles + close-ups + wide context shots
A short video if there's a mechanical issue (drive, rudder, steering handle)
Your HIN — etched on the stern starboard side. See HIN location.
Description — what's wrong, in plain language. One paragraph.
Shipping address + phone number — where the replacement should go
Dealer name if you bought through one

Hull damage vs. part damage — different paths

Hull damage

For a damaged hull, we coordinate with the dealer you purchased from (Eco Fishing Shops, Electric Surf Sports, or your local authorized dealer). You don't have to physically return the boat to the dealer — they ship the replacement to your address. Going through us (via the Claims Form) is usually faster than coordinating with the dealer alone — we have the parts inventory and the relationship with the freight carrier on our side, and a single submission opens both tracks at once.

Seat damage

If a seat (Horizon Pro, Horizon Elevated Perch, Treklite, etc.) shows up cracked, torn, or with bent hardware, we ship a replacement direct from our TN warehouse — no dealer coordination needed. Photograph the damaged seat from a few angles plus the crate it came in, file the claims form, and parcel-ship is typically a few business days after claim approval.

Missing parts (rudder, steering handle, locking bolts, etc.)

For missing parts on a first-run Terra or Outpost kit (this was a known issue on some early production batches), we ship the replacement parts direct from our TN warehouse at $0. FedEx, with tracking, no return required.

Drive damage

For Traverse Drive damage that's not user-caused, we swap the full drive — return shipping label included with the replacement.

Accessory damage

For damaged Quad Rails, Horizon Perch, Treklite Seat, or other accessories shipped direct from us, we replace at $0.

What we cover at $0 specifically

From past claim handling:

Steering handle (known-issue replacement)
Missing rudder + steering handle from Terra / Outpost first-run kits
Missing rudder locking bolts (M5 × 12mm 316 stainless)
Cross-threaded Traverse Drive pedal arm
45° mis-angled Traverse Drive prop (full drive swap)
Hull manufacturing defects (coordinated through dealer)
Freight damage to any of the above

What can wait

A few things that aren't urgent and don't need same-day action:

Cosmetic scuffs that don't affect function (we'll still cover, just not time-critical)
Issues that appear after the first paddle (warranty path, not freight path)
Questions about whether something is covered (file anyway and ask)

What to keep

Don't throw away the crate, packaging, or any damaged components until your claim is fully resolved. The carrier or our claims team may want to see them.

The honest version

We screw up sometimes. Not often, but we do. Freight handlers screw up more often. The system is designed for both — your job is documentation, our job is the swap. File the form, attach the evidence, get on with your week.