Lifestyle Blog

General Tips on Boat Insurance

With boats being about the oldest form of transport still being used, it is not surprising when you realise that boat insurance has been available in varying forms for thousands of years. A boat, just like all vehicles is liable for an insurance policy, under the Marine Insurance Act. As with car insurance, policies come with an excess to discourage small claims and for boat insurance, this is usually quite a large sum of money, as the intention of the insurance is to cover you against substantial losses instead of just scratches and dents. There is little difference between the two types of policy (car and boat) except the amount of cover provided with boat cover is considerably larger.

Standard boat insurance is a legal requirement in most American States and should be something that is done as soon as a person acquires the vessel. Strangely, in the eyes of the Marine Industry, a houseboat is in the same category as pleasure boats like sailboats, jet boats and cabin cruises for instance. However, a speedboat is in a completely different category to say a fishing vessel owing to the nature of its activities and a higher insurance premium is likely.

Most boat insurance policies should cover your boat, the motor, and the trailer used to transport the boat, but Actual Cash Value boat insurance policies finance replacement costs, minus depreciation at the point of the loss. Usually when a boat has been damaged beyond repair, its current market rate is calculated using second hand values as a guide. Optional insurance usually includes coverage for reasonable repairs, emergency services to your boat, motor, or boat trailer, and wreck removal. Partial damage repairs on the other hand are calculated by working out the full charge to restore the boat minus deductibles.

To guarantee the value of the boat should it happen to be an insurance write off then an Agreed Value boat insurance policy can be taken out where the boat owner and insurance company come to an agreement about how much the vessel is worth and compensate to this value. This type of policy also takes into account that old items have depreciated and have less value but are still replaced with new ones. However, Agreed Value boat insurances policies require a cash value to be given on many onboard items such as sails, outboard motors, dinghies for instance and these will need to be agreed before the policy commences.

Most boat insurance policies can be broken down into two main areas: value of the property lost or damaged and that of liability. Liability insurance is there to cover against claims by another person that the insured vessel caused damage or injury to a third party. At an early stage it is worth trying to employ the services of an insurance agent who has experience and a reputation for locating the best boat insurance and settlements for his clients. Make sure your policy also has provisions for lawful protection, in case one is charged for something that is protected under the boat insurance.