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Securing an outboard and a trailer: which lock does the policy require?
Short answer
Many hull wordings pay for theft of an outboard or a trailer only if it was secured.
Which lock is enough is set out in the wording,
and not every wording requires a lock approved by a testing body.
Good security is what keeps the claim alive.
An outboard is one of the most popular things to steal on the waterfront, and a trailer with a boat on it can vanish from a car park in a single night. That is why almost every hull policy ties theft cover to some form of security. Owners keep asking the same question on forums: does the lock have to be approved, for example by the German testing body VdS, and what happens without one? The answer is in the wording of your policy, and it differs from one insurer to the next.
Some wordings expressly require an outboard lock approved by VdS, others accept a locking bolt or a comparable anti theft device. For the trailer the usual requirement is: when hitched, an extra chain or steel cable with a lock against unhitching; when parked on its own, a hitch lock against hitching or a wheel clamp; and the boat itself chained and locked to the trailer. If the required security is missing, the theft claim can be declined, even where a professional thief would have opened any lock.
In practice: read the theft clause, buy the lock it names and keep the receipt. Photograph the engine, its serial number and the fitted lock. Over winter, store the outboard off the boat in a locked room, and park the trailer on enclosed ground where you can. Check the wording too for whether theft of single parts such as the outboard is covered at all or only theft of the whole boat, and what it asks for an outboard kept at home. If a theft happens anyway, report it straight away to the police and to the insurer.
Worth remembering
No lock
theft often not covered
With a lock
the one the wording names
The right lock costs less than a single declined theft claim.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Does the outboard lock have to be VdS approved?
That depends on the wording. Some require a VdS approved lock, others a locking bolt or a comparable anti theft device. Read the theft clause before you buy the lock.
What applies if the whole trailer is stolen with the boat on it?
Usually the trailer must have been secured against unhitching or hitching, and the boat chained and locked to the trailer. Otherwise the claim may be declined.
Is an outboard stored at home over winter insured?
Only if the wording includes it. Look for whether the outboard is covered apart from the boat, whether it must be kept in a locked room or building, and whether it needs its own sum insured on the schedule.
Related
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