Damaged by the yard, crane or haulier

Short answer

Whoever causes the damage is liable first, but your own hull cover is the safety net; on the road the decisive point is proper loading and securing.

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Twice a year almost every boat hangs from a crane, many are collected by road, and in the yard it stands for weeks. During that time it is in someone else’s hands, and the question of damage then has two levels: who is liable, and who pays first. It is rarely the same answer.

Liability rests first with whoever caused the damage. A yard, a crane operator and a haulier are commercial businesses with their own liability cover, and it answers for their mistakes. In practice the clarification takes time, because two insurers see the cause differently, and meanwhile your boat sits there damaged. That is why your own hull cover is the safety net: it settles, and the insurers sort out between themselves who carries it in the end.

On the road, though, there is a point worth knowing. No indemnity is paid for damage arising from improper loading and securing during transport, nor for theft of parts that were not properly packed, covered and lashed down, or of loose items left in an unlocked boat. Anyone who lashes down themselves carries that risk themselves, and that is where the cheap self-drive move turns expensive.

The motor policy on the towing vehicle does not help here: it insures the vehicle, not the load. For theft of and transit damage to the boat you need the boat’s own hull cover.

Photograph the boat all round before every handover, with the date, plus close-ups of hull edges, transom and shaft gear, and of the strap positions once it is loaded. It takes three minutes and it is the only basis on which anyone can later establish whether the scratch was there before. The printable handover record captures the same state in writing.

One point in favour of hull cover that is often overlooked: in connection with an insured loss, the cost of a necessary transport to and from a repair yard is covered, as long as it does not, together with the indemnity, exceed the sum insured. The journey to the yard is part of the claim and not something you throw in.

Worth remembering

With no record of the condition it is one account against another, and the scratch was always there.

The yard damaged my boat. Who pays?

The party who caused it is liable through its business liability cover. Because clarification takes time, in practice your hull cover often settles first and the insurers sort it out between them.

Is transit damage covered by hull insurance?

In principle yes, with one important exception: damage arising from improper loading and securing during transport is not indemnified.

Does the motor policy on my car cover the boat?

No, it insures the vehicle and not the load. For theft of and transit damage to the boat you need the boat’s own hull cover.

What should I do before handing the boat over?

Photographs all round with the date, close-ups of hull edges, transom and shaft gear, and the strap positions. The handover record captures the state in writing.

Who pays the transport to the repair yard?

In connection with an insured loss the cost of a necessary transport to and from the repair yard is covered, as long as it does not together with the indemnity exceed the sum insured.

May I choose the yard myself? Must I winterise the boat? Can I get money before the claim is settled?