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43 questions answered in plain English, from cover and claims to chartering and cruising. Nobody needs all of them. Search for the one that applies to you, or read down the subject you are in.
All 43 topics
Getting started
Can I insure with a German insurer?
You need one of two things, not both: residence in Germany, Austria or Spain; or a German, Austrian or Spanish flag on the boat. The policy itself is accepted everywhere.
Flag, registration and what they mean for cover
The flag decides which law governs your boat at sea; and, together with your residence, whether we can insure it at all.
Buying a German boat: what happens to the policy
Under § 95 of the German Insurance Contract Act, the seller’s policy passes to you automatically on transfer of ownership; whether you want it or not.
Why is your quote higher than the other one?
Usually you are comparing two premiums that stand for different things. Six variables explain almost any difference.
What happens if the boat is underinsured?
Underinsurance does not only hit a total loss. It reduces every partial loss in the same proportion by which the sum is too low.
What share of the boat's value?
The familiar ten to fifteen per cent rule describes all running costs together; insurance is the smallest item in it, well behind berth and winter storage.
The premium went up: can I leave?
A premium rise that brings no more cover usually opens a special right to cancel; the deadline is stated in the letter announcing it and it is short.
The bank wants an assignment
The bank asks for a written confirmation that it receives the indemnity in a claim; we need the bank and the loan reference, ideally with the proposal.
Cover
Claims
Making a claim in English
Policy, conditions and correspondence come in English; and the people you write to are the ones who decide, not a department that has never seen your boat.
Flood, storm surge and hail
Hail is expressly named and storm counts from force 8 on the Beaufort scale; with flood and storm surge it depends on what actually happened to the boat.
Lightning and power surge
Lightning is a named peril in every level of hull cover, and surge, over-current or short-circuit damage to electrical equipment can be lightning damage as well.
You hit the boat next door
Liability cover checks the question of liability, defends unfounded claims and indemnifies founded ones; where the other party is never identified, your own hull cover answers.
Damaged by the yard, crane or haulier
Whoever causes the damage is liable first, but your own hull cover is the safety net; on the road the decisive point is proper loading and securing.
Chartering out
Who is covered on a skippered charter?
Skippered charter is the least regulated use in the entire market. No wording states plainly who is covered, or whose conduct the supplied skipper counts as.
What if the charterer never brings the boat back?
The boat leaves and does not come back. For anyone chartering out that is the core loss, and in insurance terms it is misappropriation, excluded almost everywhere.
Does the policy pay for lost charter income?
Your own loss of earnings is an indirect loss under a hull policy and excluded almost everywhere. It is covered only in a different constellation.
Cruising
Is there a hurricane season blackout?
Every reviewed provider with worldwide cruising manages the storm season through blackout periods, latitudes, security warranties or raised deductibles. We do not.
Is single-handed sailing covered?
Sailing alone inevitably means periods without a watch and without a lookout. That is exactly the point, and most wordings never address it.
How long may I leave the boat unattended?
In a sheltered marina nobody minds. On an open coast, lying unattended is one of the sharpest exclusions the market has.
What paperwork do I need for worldwide cover?
Before quoting, the market asks for up to ten documents, including crew CVs and photographs of every certificate. With us it is two pieces of evidence.
What must be on board?
What has to be on board is set by the waters you are on and the law of the country you are in, not by the insurer; missing equipment becomes a question of care after a claim.
Is my licence valid abroad?
Which certificate counts is decided by the water you are on, not by where you live; if the helmsman lacks the required licence, the indemnity is at risk.
Cover in detail
Does a jet ski need an immobiliser?
In parts of the market the immobiliser is a condition precedent, and in a claim the burden of proof is yours. With us cover does not require one.
What if a rope goes into the jet pump?
The commonest drive damage on a jet ski comes from ingestion. In none of the wordings reviewed do the words impeller or jet pump even appear.
Is my event a regatta or a race?
Cover hangs on the word: regattas are usually insured, races excluded almost everywhere. What lies between is rarely defined.
Is frost damage covered?
Barely any wording names frost as an insured peril. It is covered where an all-risks policy does not exclude it, and that is a difference.
Must I winterise the boat?
Whether winterising is a duty with a sanction or evidence with a reward makes the whole difference in a claim.
What must I do on an official storm warning?
On a storm warning several wordings require measures at your expense, and loss of cover is the consequence of leaving them undone.
What is stray current corrosion in a marina?
The damage builds quietly, over months, and often the culprit is not your own boat. Anodes that vanish in one season are the first sign.
How do I get home if the boat is stranded?
The hull claim is one thing, the journey another. Accommodation, repatriation, a replacement vehicle and emergency repair are separate items with their own limits.
May I live aboard permanently?
Living aboard is neither sport nor pleasure use. That is precisely what most wordings tie their cover to.
Who pays for the inspection after a grounding?
The expensive problem after a grounding is not the damage but the uncertainty. Who pays for the lift-out if nothing is found?
What is the alcohol limit on board?
The legal limit for the person in charge is 0.5 per mille. In insurance terms alcohol is the hardest point in any wording.
Wrong fuel: who pays for the engine?
Misfuelling is an operating error, and operating errors on machinery are regularly excluded from hull cover.
May I choose the yard myself?
Free choice of yard sounds obvious and is not. It also decides who has to pay first.
Who has to prove what in a claim?
The split is simpler than people think: you show the loss, the insurer shows the exclusion. That is why all-risks cover is worth so much.
Can I get money before the claim is settled?
If settlement drags on you do not have to wait. After one month you can ask for a payment on account of the undisputed part.
What does a rescue at sea cost?
You pay nothing for the rescue of people. As soon as the boat is the object, it becomes salvage, and salvage costs.
Who owns the wreck once the insurer pays?
On a total loss the salvage value is usually deducted. Then the wreck remains yours, along with the duty to dispose of it.
May a friend take the helm?
Third-party liability follows the boat, not the person. Any authorised helmsman who holds the licence the water requires is covered, and the excess stays with the policyholder.
Retrofitting a lithium battery
Declare them: lithium batteries belong in the proposal with their value, because their fire behaviour differs from lead; battery and charging equipment are included in our electric and hybrid cover.
Am I covered through the club?
A club policy covers club property, club boats and club events; your own boat is almost never covered by it, however long you have been a member.
Nothing on that yet.
Write to us and we will tell you what applies to your case, in English. Contact