You might not have realised it, but boat insurance is the oldest kind of insurance there is. People have been insuring their boats since the 17th century, and over time a number of standards have arisen
The chances are, though, that you’re probably much more familiar with car insurance – so the good news is that car insurance and boat insurance are actually very similar.
Almost all states make the standard boat insurance a requirement so it is important to abide by the law and obtain boat insurance as soon as you become a boat owner. 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. A speedboat for instance, is capable of high speeds requires a much different type of insurance than a small fishing vessel would because of the potential liability for the insurance company that comes with a speedboat compared to a fishing boat.
Basically, there are three situations you can be insured against: your boat (or its cargo) being damaged, your boat sinking, and your boat hitting another. Although few countries make it a requirement that your boat must be insured (considering how many boats sail in international waters), you would be very wise to at least buy the third party insurance, in case you hit a boat that is very much more valuable than your own. You will probably find it quite unnecessary to insure your boat against total loss unless it is very valuable – it is mainly practical for large ships, and especially for ones carrying valuable cargo.
The two chief aspects of boat insurance are legal responsibility, or security and insurance; and property loss. The liability section covers the owner against claims by a third party if any damage is caused to that person or his property by the insured vessel. It is just as important to find a boat insurance agent that looks after his clients by finding the best policies and obtaining the best settlements should they need them. Equally important when searching for a boat insurance policy is to have one with good legal backup should it be necessary as a liability claim that is covered under the boat insurance policy be brought against you.
As with car insurance, policies come with an excess to discourage small claims – 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.
Types Of Boat Insurances
Almost all boat insurance policies will cover the cost of replacing the vessel, engine and the boat trailer, but Actual Cash Value boat insurance plans only pay for replacement less any vessel depreciation from the point of loss. When the craft is a complete insurance right-off then the second hand value of the boat is used to estimate its market value. Optional insurance usually includes coverage for reasonable repairs, emergency services to your boat, motor, or boat trailer, and wreck removal. Where there has only been limited damage to the vessel, partial damage repairs include the restoration less any items that can be deducted.
Agreed Amount Value boat insurance policies mean that the owner of the boat and the insurance company have decided on the cost of the boat, and in the aftermath of a total loss the owner will be compensated with that amount. Agreed amount value policies also replace old objects with new ones, exclusive of any assumption for depreciation. The majority of Agreed Amount Value boat insurance policies necessitate actual cash value on specific destroyed assets like sails, protective covers, batteries, dinghies, trailers and aged outboard motors, lower drive units etc.
There are also a few kinds of insurance you can buy that are unique to boating, although it is unlikely that you will ever find yourself in need of them. If you get Increased Value insurance, your policy will pay out at your boat’s market value if it is more than the amount you insured it for – only useful if you expect your boat to go up in value. Finally, if you’re thinking of sailing into a warzone, you might want to get war risk insurance.
