Boat Insurance - Do you need it?

What you may be asking yourself is ‘do I actually need boat insurance?’ or 'how does boat insurance benefit me?'

First let us be clear, whilst most people do choose to insure their boat and crew and although some harbours/ marinas/ water authorities do insist on a minimum third-party cover of £1 million, boat insurance is not a legal obligation. However taking out a boat insurance policy, even for boats that are only used irregularly does provide you with much more than just piece of mind!

First of all it protects both yourself and your passengers (usually your family and friends!), it also protects against purposeful acts of vandalism or theft and obviously it also protects against accidental acts of damage. Furthermore you can optionally also take out additional cover to for items such as breakdown cover (inland or coastal), legal expenses and boat contents insurance*.

* Items directly associated with your boat such as navigational instruments, boat anchors, canopies/ catch-covers, life vests and rowing oars are already covered however with your standard marine insurance policy!

Even those who consider that they rarely use their vessel and when they do are very careful would likely be surprised to learn that unfortunately theft, vandalism and other peoples unreported accidents are all a significant proportion of boat insurance claims, all the result of events when the owner was not even present. Clearly that is unfair on the boat owner, but it is an unfortunately reality, so we have to ask is it worth that risk? After all you have invested your hard earned money so it is important to protect these assets with a quality boat insurance product.

Boating is about relaxation and living a stress free life, the right boat insurance guarantees that. We obviously believe we are the right choice for you, so why not get a boat insurance quote and find out for yourself?

Reviewed: 08/01/2012

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