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Houseboats and electric boats: brands, cover and insurance
Living aboard is a risk of its own.
Houseboats and electric boats fall between the standard tariffs: on a houseboat the contents and the stationary risks outweigh the voyage, on an electric boat it is the battery. Check that the policy has clauses for both.
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What matters for this class of boat
Check whether batteries, charging stations and consequential loss from animal bite and short circuit are covered.
Occasional letting: check whether it can be added, how many days a year are allowed and whether a written rental agreement is required.
Permanently inhabited houseboats are usually arranged individually; ask before you sign.
Check whether storm, hail and frost damage at the berth are in partial hull cover.
Brands in this class
24 brandsThese points apply to the whole class; each brand has its own page with models and years.
Houseboats and electric boats: what to check in the insurance conditions
Value: the boat and what is in it
On a houseboat the contents can be worth as much as the hull: furniture, a kitchen, heating, a bathroom and the personal belongings of everyone aboard. Check whether contents are part of the hull sum or a separate item, and whether the policy distinguishes between fixed fittings and loose goods. On an electric boat the battery bank is the expensive part and should be named with its capacity and age.
Use: living aboard and letting
A houseboat that is lived in all year is a different risk from one used for holidays, and many insurers arrange the first case individually. If you let the boat to guests, check whether occasional letting is allowed, how many days a year and whether a written agreement is required. An electric boat that is hired out by the hour is commercial use and needs its own contract.
Berth, mooring and charging
Houseboats rarely move, so the berth is where the claims happen: storm, ice, a rising river, a failed mooring line or a fire on the pontoon. Ask what the policy expects at the berth in winter and whether frost damage is covered. For electric boats, check whether the charging station and the shore cable are included and what a short circuit means for the claim.
Typical claims
Water ingress through a hull fitting, a fire from a heater or a charger, storm damage at the berth and a battery destroyed by a rodent bite are the claims that recur. Consequential loss matters: a small short circuit can cost a whole battery bank, and the wording should say whether it pays for the consequence or only for the cause.
