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The bow of a white sailing yacht on boat stands in a yard, a fresh hole with exposed glass fibre at the waterline, a travel lift behind

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Making a boat claim: report it, prove it, get paid

With a boat claim, the first few hours decide how easy the rest will be. Report it properly, keep the evidence and know your policy, and there is little to prove later. Book the repair first, and there is a lot to explain.

This series follows a claim from start to finish: report it, prove it, get paid. It covers when engine damage counts as an accident, who pays while liability is disputed, when a payment can be reduced, and what betterment deductions mean on a partial loss.

6 articlesNAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH

Articles in this series

  1. The bow of a white sailing yacht on boat stands in a yard, a fresh hole with exposed glass fibre at the waterline, a travel lift behind Part 1 of 6· 7 min Reporting damage What to do in the first hours after boat damage: make safe, document, report, and the three mistakes that make settlement harder.
  2. A multi page document lying open on a boat’s chart table beside reading glasses Part 2 of 6· 8 min Reading your own policy Which seven entries in a boat policy decide what happens after a loss, and how to judge any contract, your own or an offer, in ten minutes.
  3. The stern of a motor boat hanging in the slings of a boat hoist, below it a bronze propeller on a stainless steel shaft with a grey-green rope and a scrap of black netting wound round the shaft, water dripping onto the gravel of the yard Part 3 of 6· 7 min Rope round the propeller A rope round the shaft, and weeks later the seal leaks: the claim turns on accident or mechanical breakdown. Why the rope is the evidence worth keeping.
  4. White topsides of a well kept sailing yacht alongside a wooden pontoon, fresh black rubber marks and a shallow scrape below the rubbing strake, a blue fender and a coiled mooring line beside it Part 4 of 6· 8 min Collision with a working vessel A tug, a sailing yacht and two versions over the radio: what to check in liability, hull and legal expenses cover before anyone knows who was at fault.
  5. The helm of a small motor boat at a wet wooden jetty in fog: a key with an orange cork float left in the ignition, the cabin door standing open and a mooring line lying loose on deck Part 5 of 6· 7 min Gross negligence in hull insurance A serious mistake does not have to cost the whole hull claim. How reduction for gross negligence works, and what a waiver clause and its exceptions change.
  6. Two bronze propellers on an old workbench in a boat shed: on the left a bent one with green patina, on the right a new polished one, a calliper in front and a white sailing yacht on wooden trestles out of focus behind Part 6 of 6· 7 min New for old: what a partial loss on a boat really pays out New for old in boat hull insurance: how age deductions work, when VAT and surveyor fees are paid and why the residual value counts.

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