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Break-in theft

Boat insurance term, area: Theft

Break-in theft means someone forces a locked boat and takes what is inside, or unbolts fitted equipment such as a chartplotter, a VHF set or a wheel. It is not the same event as the theft of the whole vessel, and wordings often treat the two separately: a clause that names theft of the craft alone says nothing about a broken companionway hatch. Winter storage ashore is where it happens most, under a cover, out of season, with nobody aboard for weeks. The police normally have to be told at once, and the marina office will want the report as well.

What to check: Does the wording name break-in theft and the theft of fitted parts separately from the theft of the whole boat? What does the contract demand of winter storage ashore, a fenced and locked yard or a locked building, and is a deductible taken on a theft claim?

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