Sea-Doo RXT X 260 RS insurance check: trailer, ramp, mooring, winter storage and holidays

Part four completes the insurance check of the Sea-Doo RXT X 260 RS. After policy, value and typical damage, it deals with the time when the jet ski is not being ridden or is on the move: on the trailer, at the ramp, at the mooring, in winter storage and on holiday, plus racing. We stay with the insurance view; we have not ridden the craft. A jet ski of just over three metres is a typical trailer craft and is often loaded more frequently than a motorboat of similar size. That is exactly why the rules between garage and water deserve a closer look.

Hull cover in many wordings reaches beyond the water: on land, while hauling out and launching, and during transport by suitable means. Launching and craning are therefore usually part of the cover. Which events are insured there still depends on the level of cover: an accident at the ramp or on the road is often included only in broader covers, while basic covers pay only for named hazards such as storm, fire or theft. Damage caused by improper loading and lashing during transport is a common exclusion in all levels. Check straps, bow stop and bunks before every trip.

Two rules usually apply to the trailer. In liability cover some contracts include a named boat trailer that needs no separate motor insurance, as long as the towing vehicle's own cover does not apply. Against theft, many wordings demand that the trailer be secured: when hitched with an extra chain or steel cable and lock against unhitching, when parked with a hitch lock or wheel clamp. For theft of the jet ski on its trailer, some go further and require a hitch lock box plus a chain or lock between craft and trailer. If these locks are missing, the claim can fail.

At the mooring, jet ski clauses often require the craft to be secured against unauthorised use, at night and during longer absences. Typical examples are a locked room or fenced property, a floating dock with a security line or protected storage in a marina, and winter storage usually counts as a longer absence. The term of the contract matters as well: a seasonal policy may leave the craft uninsured over the winter months, including in storage. Frost damage is commonly excluded as a weather effect unless it follows a storm, so winterising the pump and engine remains the owner's job.

On holidays abroad the jet ski needs the right cruising area, as described in part one. Some contracts allow a short extension of the area for a few weeks per year. In the host country its own rules on zones, distances from the beach and licences apply, and an exclusion for riding without the required licence applies on holiday too. If the jet ski is left unattended on an open beach, some wordings stop paying after a set number of hours unless it is ensured that the craft can be moved at once when danger threatens. At night the security requirements of the jet ski clause apply on the beach as well.

Finally racing and training. Without a separate agreement, damage during powerboat races, jet ski races included, and during the related practice runs is usually excluded in hull and liability cover. Where a racing extension is agreed, it often pays only after any other insurance, such as the organiser's. A valid racing licence is commonly required, and training may be covered only on marked courses. Whoever knows the policy details, the value and the typical damage from the first three parts now has the whole check together.