Insuring Dateline: cover and premium
motorboats and sports boats · several countries
Dateline: sports boat builder of the 1970s and 1980s. NAMMERT insures a Dateline regardless of year built or where you bought it, liability, hull, legal expenses and personal accident cover from one house, taken out online in five minutes.
At a glance
Origin
several countries
Class
motorboats and sports boats
Typical sizes
4,6 to 6,1 m
Premium from
from €49 a year for liability
Worth knowing
Dateline; cover, cost and conditions
Dateline was an English sports boat maker whose boats were built in the 1970s at Dockray Hall in Kendal, in the north west of England. The model names come straight from the South Seas: Bikini, Bounty, Fijian, Hawaiian, Samoa and Suva. The boats ran from about 13 to 21 feet, with inboard or outboard power. The Bikini and the Bounty are the best remembered, with a wraparound windscreen and long, streamlined bodywork typical of the era. That screen and the low line from bow to stern are the giveaway.
Our model records list eight Dateline motorboats built between 1972 and 1985. The smallest are the Bikini and Suva at 4.57 metres, both listed from 1973 to 1980. The Bounty appears three times: the Bounty at 4.88 metres (1972 to 1979), the outboard Bounty OB, also 4.88 metres, and the inboard Bounty IB at 5.03 metres, both from 1973 to 1980. The Dateline Samoa measures 5.6 metres (1972 to 1979), and the 5.5 metre Fijian runs longest, from 1975 to 1985. The largest is the 6.1 metre Hawaiian (1973 to 1980).
Forty to fifty years on, a Dateline is mostly a weekend classic, towed to a lake or a slipway on sunny days. Old glass fibre hulls need checks around the transom, the stringers and the screen fittings, and a period outboard on a Bounty OB deserves a careful mechanic. Kept in a dry garage, these boats still turn heads at any classic boat meeting.
Questions and answers
Frequent questions
What do IB and OB mean on the Dateline Bounty?
For Dateline: IB stands for inboard and OB for outboard.
Our records give the Bounty IB as 5.03 metres and the Bounty OB as 4.88 metres,
both built from 1973 to 1980.
Which Dateline model was built for the longest time?
For Dateline: The 5.5 metre Fijian, listed from 1975 to 1985.
Every other model in our records ends by 1980.
The cover that fits
motorboat insurance
Tariffs, cover and FAQ for motorboat insurance in detail.
Third-party liability
The foundation for a boat from Dateline: damage to third parties, worldwide,
from €49 a year for liability.
Hull cover
Partial or full hull cover for a Dateline, at replacement value with an agreed fixed value.
For the whole class of boat
For Dateline: What matters for motorboats and sports boats is the same across every brand;
engine output, how a claim is settled, cruising range and theft protection.
The class page lists every point and every brand in this class, Dateline included.
Insuring motorboats and sports boats, every brand and every condition
Other builders in this class
Nautical information What counts before you cast off, papers, equipment, waters
Licence
A powerboat licence (inland or coastal) is required from 15 hp (11.03 kW).
Registration
Registration from 3 hp; for trips abroad carry the boat certificate or flag document.
Waters
Inland, coastal and abroad; plan fairways, bridge clearances, draught and tides.
Equipment
Lifesaving gear, fire extinguisher, anchor, signalling equipment and correct navigation lights.
Cruising range
The agreed cruising range is stated in the policy and can be extended at any time.
Weather
Check wind force in Beaufort and wind direction before casting off, and allow for gusts.
General guidance, not a complete account;
what governs are the rules of the waters you are on and the manual of your Dateline.
Current wind force and direction for your waters are shown on the Home.
Series by Dateline, build years and cover
Fijian is a motorboat from Dateline, built from 1975 to 1985.
Bikini is a motorboat from Dateline, built from 1973 to 1980.
Bounty IB is a motorboat from Dateline, built from 1973 to 1980.
Bounty OB is a motorboat from Dateline, built from 1973 to 1980.
Hawaiian is a motorboat from Dateline, built from 1973 to 1980.
Suva is a motorboat from Dateline, built from 1973 to 1980.
Bounty is a motorboat from Dateline, built from 1972 to 1979.
Dateline Samoa is a motorboat from Dateline, built from 1972 to 1979.
For the Fijian, Bikini, Bounty IB by Dateline and 5 more series there is no list price left.
That is why we work with an agreed value: you state the figure, we agree it,
and in a total loss exactly that amount is paid, with no deduction for wear.
For the Fijian, Bikini, Bounty IB by Dateline and further series:
On a motorboat the drive is the single most valuable part.
Damage after grounding is covered, an engine failure from wear is not.
The Dateline range in figures
These figures come from the model records we keep for Dateline: boat type, build years and length,
nothing estimated.
- motorboat
- 8 models, 1972 to 1985, 4.6 to 6.1 m
Which model was built when?
What does a used Dateline cost?
We hold today’s price ranges by year for 7 models by Dateline.
The table shows what boats in average condition are worth,
from the oldest to the youngest year on record.
Choose your exact model, year and condition in the calculator.
| Model | Years built | Range today |
|---|---|---|
| Bikini | 1976 to 1977 | €6,100 to €7,700 |
| Bounty IB | 1976 to 1977 | €11,400 to €14,600 |
| Bounty OB | 1976 to 1977 | €7,900 to €10,100 |
| Dateline Samoa | 1975 to 1976 | €15,100 to €19,200 |
| Fijian | 1978 to 1982 | €8,300 to €11,000 |
| Hawaiian | 1976 to 1977 | €29,000 to €36,900 |
| Suva | 1976 to 1977 | €6,000 to €7,600 |
Estimate from our boat records, October 2026.
Not a survey.
Dateline insured in five minutes.
Boat type, year built, length and value of your Dateline are all we need.
Work out the premium online or call us: +49 3375 29 12 77.
