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Traditional ship insurance
Short answer
We insure traditional ships, including with paying guests. For commercial operation we look closer: certificate, crew and cruising area have to match.
Traditional ships bring together two questions that are usually separate: construction and use. We answer both, including commercial use. Anyone taking paying guests on board operates the ship commercially, with a safety certificate and requirements for the crew. We write that cover, but not off the tariff: we look at certificate, crew, cruising area and operating profile before we quote.
For private use the same principles apply as for a wooden boat: condition decides, not the year of build. What is required is a sound valuation and documented maintenance, particularly of rig and hull.
The closer look is not distrust but experience: with guests on board the exposure is bodily injury, and the number of people aboard sets the size of the loss. So talk to us before the first trip. Undeclared commercial use is the classic case where a claim is cut after the event, and rightly so, because the insurer never knew the exposure.
Questions and answers
What owners of these boats ask
May I carry paying guests?
Yes, we insure that, but not on a private policy.
For guest voyages we write separate cover and first review the safety certificate,
the crew and the operating profile.
Is the rig included?
Yes, within the hull cover.
On older rigs there may be conditions on maintenance or on renewing the standing rigging.
What about crew-share agreements?
Carrying people free of charge is no problem.
As soon as a contribution to costs is asked for, the grey area begins;
settle it with your insurer beforehand.
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