Boat Insurance, what are your thoughts?

[flyhigh123]

Stopped by an AAA for some DMV stuff, and one rep asked me if I had Boat Insurance. Mainly its just liability and med coverage. Seemed really cheap.

My question is, do YOU have boat insurance and what are your thoughts about it?

[cutbait]

Good topic.

I always have just bundled with my vehicle company.

Ive heard boat specific insurance companies perform better.

Im in the market so would love some advise as well

[flyhigh123]

i was quoted for $60 ish a year which covers 50k in liability. Seems cheap, but is it a waste?

[gogreeenz4]

Stopped by an AAA for some DMV stuff, and one rep asked me if I had Boat Insurance. Mainly its just liability and med coverage. Seemed really cheap.

My question is, do YOU have boat insurance and what are your thoughts about it?

Hey flyhigh123 i am a indepent insurance agent located near the angels stadium in anaheim if you want i can quote you with a hand full of companys we write boat insurance with to see the best price and coverages...


714-937-1500 my name is brady and i would love to try and help you out!!

[kaneo]

i was quoted for $60 ish a year which covers 50k in liability. Seems cheap, but is it a waste?
it wont be a waste if something should happen !! just like car insurance it seems like a waste until you need it.. if someone was to get injured on YOUR boat or some one from or on another vessel was to get injured and you did not have it... you could lose everything you own ! and for $60 bucks, thats not even a tank of gas... i would get if i were you..

[TUNAVIC]

One thing you might want to keep in mind is,if you ever want to leave your skiff in the marina over night you MUST have insurance,they will not rent you an end tie without it.
They used to just require current reg,but now you need at least 100thousand dollars liability ins,on my 18ft C/C it's 87.00 a yr. pretty cheap.

Cya Tuna Vic

[Surfnsnowboard3]

I have it and highly recommend it.

[flybynight]

Check on Progressive Ins. it's really cheap and covers almost anything.

[dixoncider]

For $60 a year I feel its worth it..

[ROD559]

All i can say is that its worth to pay the few exta bucks. Got my boat broken into while fishing lake oroville and all fishing gear was stolen, insurance covered all my fishing gear in less than a week i had a check for 3500.

[NFCD I]

I agree with ROD559. With the investments we've make in rods, reels, lures, boat and motor, it's a small price to pay. I have mine with AAA.

[flyhigh123]

All i can say is that its worth to pay the few exta bucks. Got my boat broken into while fishing lake oroville and all fishing gear was stolen, insurance covered all my fishing gear in less than a week i had a check for 3500.

I need to check into that to see if they cover theft.

[kaneo]

CHECK and make sure of the different policies... some wont cover your rods, reels, or electronics without an extra fee ! some have it covered on their home owners or renters insurance. i have 2 friends who live in northern ca. one had his boat ripped right off right from his dock, they found it 2 weeks later COMPLETLY STRIPPED on a ripped off 30' trailer. they cut out his console and removed wiring, harness, electronics, they actually cut the whole console out .. another had his r.v and boat taken from a hotel before a tourney and their both having issues getting reimbursed.. get opinions of others who have claims...

[cutbait]

CHECK and make sure of the different policies... some wont cover your rods, reels, or electronics without an extra fee ! some have it covered on their home owners or renters insurance. i have 2 friends who live in northern ca. one had his boat ripped right off right from his dock, they found it 2 weeks later COMPLETLY STRIPPED on a ripped off 30' trailer. they cut out his console and removed wiring, harness, electronics, they actually cut the whole console out .. another had his r.v and boat taken from a hotel before a tourney and their both having issues getting reimbursed.. get opinions of others who have claims...

Care to share what insurance they are dealing with?

[DockRat]

I have Boat US and Vessel Assist (they own each other). With a 18' cuddy cabin kept at a slip you have to be covered in case of a spill. Insurance is required by the marina.

http://www.boatus.com/insurance/

If your boat were to leak gas at night and the hazmat crew showed up for a cleanup in a marina you could be looking at $20k - $50k clean up. Boats sink at the dock too. A buddies brother had a 50' Sailboat sink at the dock in LB. Environmental cleanup crews showed up, diesel fuel everywhere.
Big Scene.

My old boss was at the Colorado river with a family back in 1984. He was driving the boat when his hat blew off. He turned the boat at the same time the guys daughter stood up. She went over and the prop hit her leg. Almost bled to death and broke the leg, many months in the hospital.

Possible Scenario;
Say your hoopnetting, get a line on your prop. Next thing your on the rocks. You get off safely but your boat is on the rocks, gets a hole and sinks.

Environmental clean-up co comes, guess what ? $$$$$$$$$$.

Possible Scenario;
Say your fuel line fails while you are motoring around a lake, you just dumped 5 gallons of gas.

Environmental clean-up co comes, guess what ? $$$$$$$$$$.

[DockRat]

Care to share what insurance they are dealing with?
I know Boat US covers everything (good theft coverage too). I pay about $150 a year and a extra $125 for Vessel assist (40 mile tow plan covers Catalina) Towing is not cheap on the ocean.

[kaneo]

Care to share what insurance they are dealing with?
c.b. i will try and see who they had ? getting old. my memory is shot !

[kaneo]

c.b. i will try and see who they had ? getting old. my memory is shot !
one of them was nationwide, have not got to ask the other guy yet...

[jerryG]

I recently shopped boat insurance and there are several considerations one should be aware of when getting boat insurance.

-Make sure the policy covers your boat on the water and on the road. If someone hits your boat on the trailer you want it to be covered.
-Make sure your policy also covers damage, theft, vandalism, to your boat and TRAILER. Galvanized are valuable so if your trailer is worth it make sure its included.
-Make sure your policy covers loss of gear including tackle, electronics (sonar, chart plotter, radar if you got it).
-Unless your boat is a beater insure your boat for a set amount or if its stolen and not recovered you might end up with settlement amount that is based on the average cost of replacing a 20 year old fishing boat. Especially when your boat was a custom built fishing machine. You can say I want to insure my boat for a policy that pays me 10k in the event of a total loss (stolen or damaged beyond salvage)

Now for those of you fishing saltwater don't leave the dock with out having Vessel assist. Its not really the same as insurance but its a must in assuring that you won't be in trouble not if but when you break down.. If you go out often sooner or later its going to happen. If you don't use your boat very often then you are even more likely to break down when you do use it.. The best way to keep a boat in working order is to use it and it goes without saying don't leave the dock with out at least one working marine radio aboard.. I've been on several trips fishing aboard friends boats in which Vessel Assist got us back home safely.

One time they came and got us a long way in to Mexican waters and thankfully my friend was a platinum member because when it was all said and done they had towed us 99 miles back to the dock. He was covered for 100 miles. We had limits of tuna on board and we hooked up the captain of the tow boat with fish. We tried to giving him a tip which he refused to accept. We ran in to trouble right after an epic to tuna stop that put limits on the boat. We were headed back to SD at about 9 am with limits of tuna and the engine cut out after we were about 15 minutes under way. The tow boat was dispatched immediately and got to us at about 4 pm. We got back to the dock in SD at about 1 am.. It was a long trip but at least the fishing was good. My buddy took his boat to the shop the next day and they didn't even charge him for the repair. The cable from the igniter coil to the distributor was loose and we had checked it but the cable was pushed too far up in the boot that fit over the cap to make a strong enough spark so they had just pulled the boot back up the cable a little bit put the cable back on and fired right up... Oh well live and learn. That was the furthest I've been towed but this story is just one of several. I think its worth it to get the vessel road side assist too. Never had to use that one but they will tow your boat home if your vehicle breaks down on the road. I sure would be glad to have it if I needed it.


Jerryg

[muskyman]

Dude Boat U.S. and the towing option is awesome. If your trailer takes a crap on they come out and fix it on the spot or put it on a flatbed and take somewhere for you. Quick responses too. The only thing I can say is as a boat owner.....pay your welder well and keep him in your back pocket !

[DockRat]

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There is no right answer when someone asks which boat insurance company is the best. There are so many choices available that it is hard to determine the very best. It really all depends on what the specific needs of the person wanting to insure the boat are.

Facing the facts, there are pros and cons about every insurance company that you will deal with. After all, insurance companies are in business to make money, not to pay it out. This means that they will do anything in their power to not have to pay for claims, as this is the way they make money. If they do happen to pay for a claim then they will raise the rates on your insurance to help cover the loss or they will simply cancel the policy, whichever best suits their needs. For an insurance company to cancel a policy they have most likely determined that the policy is too much of a risk to continue to prevent any further claims. Having a policy cancelled can make it difficult to get insurance elsewhere.

BoatU.S. has been insuring boats, and only boats, since they opened in the late 1960's. They are said to offer some of the lowest rates and best coverage depending on the craft covered. Their web site offers free instant quotes.

National Marine Underwriters is another strictly boat insurance company. They offer insurance in the 48 contiguous states with some limited territory extensions from time to time. In business since 1983, they offer lower rates and comprehensive coverage for all risk factors.

Progressive Boat, a division of Progressive Auto is one of the cheaper boat insurance companies but they are said to not offer nearly as many services and less comprehensive coverage. They do offer free online instant quotes and their staff is said to be one of the most knowledgeable and friendly groups in the business.

American Boating Association is also an option in the boat insurance world. They offer competitive rates that are comparable to Progressive Boat but they are a little shy in the services area. Free instant online quotes are available. Quotes are also available by telephone but it you should expect a long wait on the line. Their staff is professional and friendly.

To determine the best boat insurance for you then go to a site that offers multiple quotes from several different insurance companies. This will provide you with the best basic information about several companies at the same time which will save you time versus calling all the individual insurance companies.

Many sites offer guaranteed rates if you accept one of the quotes they provide but this is not a widely accepted practice. Keep in mind that insurance companies are not necessarily bound to a quote they provide. Insurance companies will want to verify all information provided to them before making a policy available for purchase. This is required to protect against insurance fraud, which is quite commonplace in this world sadly enough.

[flyhigh123]

AAA has an additional option to aaa membership:

Optional RV and Motorcycle Towing and RV Tire Change Service for $37 per member household per membership year, Up to 4 additional service calls per household for RV, motorcycle or recreational trailer. RV Tire change and RV and Motorcycle Towing up to 100 driving miles.

[See Chris Fish]

I have a policy with BoatUS. It's a little more, but they cover all kinds of things that most insurance won't. Worth checking out. My biggest fear is a spill of any type on the water. That's a BIG fine and cost. I'm covered with my policy.

[anderson]

I have my boat insured. I think most insurance coverage providers are prob the same. The vessel, movie trailer and engine are all detailed separate on the plan. I have a $250 deduct. They will substitute if it can't be set.

[gonzo]

I have West-Mar, which is now Norman Spencer. They cover spills and trailer and it's a little over $300 a year. Well worth it.

[one long cast]

Just get it.