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Theft of the boat and of the outboard
Short answer
Losing the whole boat and losing the outboard off the transom are two different events, and many wordings treat them differently. Know which one yours covers before the night it matters.
Theft on the water is rarely the film version with a yacht disappearing over the horizon. What goes missing is the tender, the fast open motorboat on its trailer, the outboard lifted off a transom in twenty seconds and the electronics unscrewed from the console. Theft, break in and vandalism are a familiar part of yacht insurance claims. The pattern matters, because it tells you which part of your own wording to read first.
Read the theft clause for three separate questions. Does it cover the whole boat only, or parts and equipment as well. Does it cover the boat ashore, on the trailer and in the winter yard, or only afloat. And what does it require of you: many wordings ask for a locking bolt or a comparable device on the outboard, or for storage in a locked building, and a claim can turn on that one sentence. A shackle through the clamp screw is not the same thing as a bolt, and a surveyor will know the difference. With us, theft of the whole boat is covered in every tier, theft of parts from Basis Plus, and the outboard only if it was secured with a locking bolt or a comparable device or kept in a locked building.
Prevention is boring and it works. Mark the engine number, photograph the boat and the equipment from several angles, keep receipts for engine and electronics, and store none of that on board, where it is stolen along with everything else. Note the hull identification number, the fourteen character code moulded into the transom of every CE marked craft since 1998, with a duplicate hidden inside the hull. Without it the police have little to search for and you have little to prove ownership with.
Outboard motor security: clamp locks, bolts and cables
An outboard hangs on the transom by two clamp screws, and anyone with a few quiet minutes can undo them. Outboard motor security therefore starts at those screws: a clamp lock that encloses both handles so they cannot be turned, or a locking bolt that passes through the bracket and the transom. A steel security cable looped through the engine and fixed to the boat slows a thief down further, but on its own it is the weakest of the three, because cable cutters are cheap and quiet.
Small engines on tenders are easier still to steal, because they are carried away rather than unbolted. Take them off at night and lock them in a car, a locker or a building, and run a cable through the tender itself when it is left on a beach or a pontoon. Whatever device you choose, keep the receipt and photograph it fitted and locked, so that you can show later what was on the engine and how it was secured.
How to secure a boat against theft at the berth and on the trailer
Whole boats are stolen most often on a trailer, because a trailer is a vehicle that anyone with a tow bar can drive away. A hitch lock over the coupling and a wheel clamp together make that much harder, and parking the trailer with the coupling towards a wall or behind something solid removes the easy route. At the berth, a lock on the steering or the ignition, a battery isolator key kept in your pocket and a cover that hides the console all reduce the appeal of a fast open boat.
A GPS tracker hidden aboard does not prevent a theft, but it often decides whether the boat comes back. Choose one with its own battery so it keeps reporting after the main batteries have been disconnected, and give the police the details when you report the loss. Forensic marking of the engine, the electronics and the hull, with a visible sticker saying so, makes stolen parts harder to sell and is a cheap addition to the locks.
Jet ski theft protection on the trailer and on the beach
Personal watercraft are light, valuable and usually kept on a trailer, which makes them an easy target in a driveway or a holiday car park. The trailer measures above apply in full: hitch lock, wheel clamp and a place where the trailer cannot simply be hooked up and towed off. Many models have a coded key or an electronic immobiliser that is worth using every single time, and the separate page on jet ski immobilisers looks at that in detail. On holiday, take the key with you and do not leave the craft on the beach overnight.
Boat insurance against theft: what to check in the wording
Theft is rarely one clause. Before relying on a policy, check whether the theft of the whole boat, the theft of parts and the theft of the outboard sit in the same section, whether the boat is covered on the trailer, in a yard compound and in winter storage, and which security device the wording asks for and in what words. A lock that does not match the description in the wording gives room for argument after a claim, so compare the two before the season rather than after the night it matters.
Worth remembering
The boat
is the loss every wording has in mind
The outboard
is the loss that actually happens
Many theft claims are about the part, not the whole, so read the clause about parts first.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Is the outboard covered if the boat is not?
Often the other way round: a wording may cover the loss of the whole boat while parts and equipment, the outboard included, sit in a wider section. Check which section your engine falls into.
Where do I find the hull number?
Moulded into the transom, usually on the upper right from outside, with a duplicate hidden inside the hull. Note it now and keep it with your papers, not on the boat.
Does cover apply ashore and on the trailer?
That is a separate question in most wordings. Winter storage, a yard compound and a trailer on a driveway can each be treated differently, so read the clause before the boat leaves the water.
What will an insurer ask for after a theft?
A police report, proof of ownership, the hull and engine numbers and evidence that any required security device was fitted. Assemble that when you buy the boat, not on the morning it is gone.
Is a security cable enough to protect an outboard?
A cable slows a thief down but is quickly cut. A clamp lock over the screw handles or a bolt through the bracket is harder to defeat. If your wording names a particular device, fit exactly that one.
Does a GPS tracker stop a boat being stolen?
It does not stop the theft, but it helps the police find the boat afterwards. Choose a tracker with its own battery and hide it where a thief is unlikely to look.
Related
Not sure whether you qualify?
Whether it is “Theft of the boat and of the outboard” 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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