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Hiring a motorboat: what insurance does the hirer need?
Short answer
A hire boat is nearly always insured, but the policy belongs to the hire company.
The hirer usually carries the deposit and the excess,
and after gross negligence the insurer may come back to the hirer for more.
A day boat on the Thames, a RIB for an afternoon in Mallorca, a little motorboat to explore the Croatian islands: hiring takes ten minutes, a passport, a card for the deposit and a short briefing on the pontoon. The boat is almost always insured, and in Croatia, Italy, Spain and Greece third party cover for hire boats is required by law. Both policies, liability and hull, belong to the hire company. What reaches you as the hirer is set out in the hire agreement, which most people sign standing on the pontoon without reading.
Three points cost hirers money. The deposit goes as soon as the boat is damaged, and on a larger loss the excess in the agreement can be higher than the deposit. Gross negligence, such as drinking at the helm, entering a swimming area, leaving the permitted area or going out at night when the contract forbids it, can void the hire company's cover and lead its insurer to recover the loss from you. And your own liability cover at home rarely helps: household policies tend to exclude motor boats, and damage to hired property is usually excluded as well. Spain has added a fourth point: since 1 October 2026 anyone hiring a motorboat there needs a recognised certificate, even for the small boats that owners may still drive without one.
Before you cast off, read the excess, the permitted area and who may drive. Photograph the boat from every side, including the hull, the propeller and the fuel gauge, and have existing damage written on the handover sheet. If you hire often, a skipper liability policy covers claims from third parties when you are in charge of a boat that is not yours. With a NAMMERT policy on your own boat this is included in every tier, for hires of up to 30 days with the agreement in your name. It does not cover damage to the hire boat itself; that remains a matter for the deposit and the agreement, and some hirers add deposit insurance for longer charters.
Worth remembering
The hire company
insures its boat
The hirer
carries deposit and excess
An insured hire boat does not mean an insured hirer. The agreement decides.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Is a hire boat insured?
Almost always, with third party cover and often hull cover held by the hire company. Both protect the company first; the hirer normally carries the deposit and the excess.
Does my home insurance cover me on a hired motorboat?
Rarely. Household policies usually exclude motor boats, and damage to hired property is commonly excluded too. Check the wording before you travel.
Do I need a licence to hire a small motorboat in Spain?
Yes, since 1 October 2026. Owners may still drive boats up to 5 metres and 15 hp without a licence, but hirers now need a recognised certificate.
Related
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