Sea-Doo RXT-XRS 300 insurance check: the details a jet ski policy should contain

To be clear from the start: nobody on our side has ridden the Sea-Doo RXT-XRS 300. This insurance check is not a ride test and says nothing about handling, comfort or build quality. It looks at the jet ski from the angle an insurance intermediary can judge: the details a policy should contain and the clauses worth reading before you sign. The model appears in our own records, and our catalogue lists it at a length of roughly three and a half metres. The series has four parts: the policy, the insured value, typical damage, and life on the trailer, at the ramp and in winter storage.

Start with the name, because it is rarely consistent. Our records hold several spellings for this model, among them RXT-X 300, RXT 300, RXT 300 RS and RXT 300 XRS. The bill of sale, the dealer invoice and the registration papers often describe the same craft differently, and that is normal rather than a mistake. What matters for any policy is that the craft can be identified beyond doubt. That is why the hull identification number and the engine number belong in the proposal, copied from the craft itself. After a theft, the hull number is often the only reliable way to match a recovered jet ski to its owner.

Every question on the proposal deserves a complete and accurate answer. Most hull wordings carry a duty of disclosure, and wrong answers on facts that matter to the risk can allow the insurer to withdraw from the contract. Take engine data from the manufacturer's papers or the invoice rather than estimating it. If something changes later, such as a modification to the engine, many wordings treat it as an increase of risk that has to be reported. Part two of this series explains how modifications affect the insured value.

The most important entry is the type of craft. Many hull wordings treat a jet ski differently from a motorboat and attach a separate jet ski clause, which changes the rules on deductibles, on securing the craft against unauthorised use and on exclusions for engine and hull. Some personal accident covers also distinguish, for example with a higher head injury benefit for riders who wore a helmet. If your jet ski is declared as a motorboat, you may end up with rules that do not fit the craft, in either direction. Check that the schedule names a jet ski explicitly.

Next comes the question of who may ride. Liability wordings usually require an authorised rider, someone using the craft with the owner's knowledge and consent and holding the licence the authorities demand for that craft and those waters. Hull wordings commonly exclude damage caused because an unqualified person rode without the required licence. If you lend the jet ski to a friend, ask to see the licence first. Hiring it out occasionally is another matter: many policies cover private hire only if it was declared, kept within a limit of days per year and based on a proper rental agreement. Passengers are covered in part three.

The cruising area is set out in the schedule, often in steps from inland waters to coastal seas, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and worldwide. A jet ski kept on a lake that goes to the Adriatic in summer needs the Mediterranean in the policy. When comparing levels of cover, the main difference is usually between named hazards such as storm, fire and theft of the whole craft, and broader cover that adds collision, grounding, theft of parts and vandalism. Finally, resale: in Germany, hull cover passes to the buyer by law, while liability cover ends with the sale. Part two deals with the value, part four with trailer and travel.