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RIB and rigid inflatable insurance
Short answer
For insurance purposes a RIB is neither an inflatable nor a sportsboat. What matters is whether it runs on its own or belongs to a yacht as her tender.
The rigid inflatable combines a solid hull with a buoyancy tube. The range runs from a four-metre tender to a fourteen-metre boat with twin inboard diesels, and the cover differs accordingly. Zar Formenti, Nuova Jolly, Capelli, Brig, Highfield, BSC, Novamarine, Sacs and Williams are among the common brands.
The first point is classification. If the RIB runs as a boat in its own right, it is insured like a sportsboat, with its own policy, its own liability and its own hull cover. If it belongs to a yacht as her tender, it can often run on the yacht policy up to an agreed value, but usually only if it is listed there with its value and engine number.
The second point is theft, and on RIBs it is the most common loss. What gets stolen is rarely the boat, usually the outboard, from the trailer, the pontoon or the davits. A motor lock and a secured berth change more here than any policy clause. The tube itself ages and is therefore wear; a split from UV and ageing is not a claim.
Questions and answers
What owners of these boats ask
Does my RIB run on the yacht policy?
Yes, up to an agreed value, if it appears in the yacht policy with its value and engine number.
Without that entry there is no cover.
Is the outboard covered against theft?
Under hull cover usually yes.
A commercially available lock is often required, in many policies from a certain engine value.
Is a perished tube covered?
No, ageing and UV damage are wear.
What is covered is sudden damage, such as a tear on an edge.
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