Am I covered through the club?

Short answer

A club policy covers club property, club boats and club events; your own boat is almost never covered by it, however long you have been a member.

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Clubs insure themselves first, and they have good reason to. The pontoon, the mooring field, the crane and the winter storage area often belong to the club. That makes the club liable for facilities on which other people’s boats sit, and it needs its own cover for that, not merely the cover its members hold. Club boats, training boats and events come on top.

What does not appear anywhere in that list is your boat. A club or group policy does not cover it as a rule, and that is independent of how long you have been a member and of where the boat lies. Membership does not change who owns the boat or who answers for damage to it.

This is frequently confused with a discount. Some associations and clubs have arrangements that give their members better terms, and that is a real advantage. A discount is not a policy, though: you still take out your own contract, only on different terms.

Three questions settle the matter in five minutes. Who is the policyholder of the contract, the club or I? Is my boat named in it, and with what sum insured? And does the cover apply away from club premises as well, that is, on the water, on the trailer and in a foreign marina? Any of the three left open is the risk.

If you sail a club boat rather than your own, a written permission to use it should set out who may take the helm and on what conditions. There are printable forms for clubs in the forms section, from the handover record to the permission itself.

Worth remembering

A club policy covers the structure your boat lies on, not the boat lying on it.

Is my own boat covered through the club?

As a rule no. A club policy covers club property, club boats and events, not a member’s own boat.

Why does the club need cover then?

For its facilities. Pontoon, mooring field, crane and winter storage area often belong to the club, which makes it liable for facilities other people’s boats sit on.

Does membership bring anything at all?

Possibly better terms through an arrangement of the association. That is a discount and not a policy: you still take out your own contract.

What should I ask the committee?

Who the policyholder is, whether your boat is named with a sum insured, and whether the cover applies away from club premises.

What applies when I sail a club boat?

A written permission to use it should set out who may take the helm and on what conditions. The form is in the forms section.

Who is covered on a skippered charter? May a friend take the helm? Is my event a regatta or a race?