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The boat sits on the bottom at its own berth
Short answer
Drying out on a tidal mooring is routine. On a river or a lake the level falls for weeks, and because everyone could see it coming, what you did in the meantime is part of the claim.
Sitting on the bottom means two different things depending on where you keep the boat. On a tidal mooring it happens twice a day and the boat is built for it, with legs, a flat bottom or a berth that dries evenly. On a river in a dry summer, or on a lake with little inflow, the level falls slowly over weeks until the hull takes the ground in its own berth, leans, and loads the rudder, the shaft or the saildrive in a way none of them were designed for. The damage is the same; the story behind it is not.
For the wording, this stays a hull matter, and which system you bought decides the outcome. A named perils policy pays for what is listed, and taking the ground at a berth is rarely on a short list. An all risks policy covers accidental damage unless excluded, which usually brings in the consequential damage to the drive train. With us, taking the ground can count as running aground, which is covered from Basis Plus; Basis does not cover it. Alongside that sits your duty to limit the loss: if the gauge has been falling for weeks and the harbour has issued warnings, doing nothing is the part a surveyor will ask about first.
In practice it comes down to three decisions. Watch the level, particularly on rivers in summer and on lakes fed by little more than rain. Move the boat or lift it out once the depth approaches your draught plus a margin, because a lift is a one off cost and a bent shaft is not. And keep a record of what you did and when: the harbour notice, the date you moved, photographs of the keel and the bottom. That file is worth more months later than any explanation given from memory.
Worth remembering
Tide
falls and rises the same day, and the boat expects it
Drought
falls over weeks, and gives everyone plenty of notice
The more notice a risk gives, the more your response counts.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Is grounding at my own berth covered?
It depends on the system. All risks cover usually treats it as accidental damage; on a named perils list, taking the ground at a berth is rarely mentioned. With us, running aground is covered from Basis Plus.
What if the level has been falling for weeks?
Then your own reaction matters. You are expected to limit foreseeable damage, and ignoring a published warning can reduce or jeopardise a claim.
Will an insurer pay for a precautionary lift?
As a rule no. Steps taken before any damage occurs are the owner's cost, and a great deal cheaper than the repair they prevent.
What damage turns up afterwards?
Rudder, shaft, propeller and saildrive from the weight and the lean, and sometimes the engine, after mud or weed has gone through the cooling circuit.
Related
Not sure whether you qualify?
Whether it is “The boat sits on the bottom at its own berth” or another question: send us your residence and the flag your boat flies. You will get a straight answer in one email; including a no, if that is the answer.
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