Is Canoe and Kayak Insurance right for me?
Our flexible Canoe and Kayak Insurance will cover most types of canoes and kayaks including options for both non white-water and white-water use across inland and coastal waters of Europe.
Benefits of our Canoe and Kayak cover
Loss and damage cover
- Loss or damage to your equipment.
- Loss or damage whilst in transit by road.
- Loss or damage to personal effects up to £250.
Liability cover
- £5 million third party liability cover as standard.
- Cover up to £1,000 for medical expenses following an accident on board the vessel.
- Personal Accident cover up to £25,000 for death or permanent total disablement as a result of an accident on board the vessel.
Excess waivers for our small craft insurance
- Non-fault excess waiver - no excess to pay where deemed not at fault and third party details are available.
- No excess to pay if your vessel is damaged while in a marina
Racing cover
- Racing and competition cover available.
Conditions apply.
FAQs
To make sure a trailer is secure whilst carrying your canoe or kayak, we ask you ensure that a wheel clamp or hitch lock is fitted to the trailer whilst it is unattended. Not only does it help to deter theft of your craft and trailer, but it also means your insurance will be valid if the craft is stolen.
If you are using your kayak on white-water, then all you need to do is let us know. Whether you are setting up a policy online or over the phone, you will be given the option to choose white water cover. Similarly, if you would like to add this on mid-way through your policy, you are more than welcome to do so by giving the team a call. Bear in mind that prices differ according to craft type.
Our policies cover grades 1-5 defined by the British Canoe Union (all white-water grades). To learn more about water grades read our guide to water grades.
Some insurance policies may add or build in cover for a canoe. For example: your home insurance may cover your canoe because it is stored in your garage at home. So, if your canoe gets stolen from your home (or sometimes even away from the home), your policy may cover you to get a replacement. However, you’ll usually find this cover does not insure your canoe while in use. For example, if you're out on a river and your canoe gets damaged, or you damage someone else’s property while canoeing. It’s worth checking your policy wording to see what applies and if there are any gaps in cover. Specific canoe and kayak insurance is designed to make sure you have cover in place while your canoe is in storage, in transit or speeding down some white water rapids (depending on the level of cover you choose).
When purchasing or renewing home insurance make sure you double check what is covered and what isn’t. You may find that cover for your canoe is no longer included. If your home insurance doesn’t cover your canoe, read our guide to canoe insurance for more information on insuring it on its own policy.Some kayaks could be classed as sports equipment under one insurer but not another. So always check the terms.
Be clear about what you want and get it in writing.If you are advised that your watercraft is covered under your home and contents insurance be sure to make a note of the time and date of the call as well as the adviser you spoke to. This could help you when you come to claim at a later date in case you are told that you aren’t covered.
No matter how distinctive your vessel may be it doesn’t mean that it is easily traceable if it is stolen. Don’t assume that it will be easily recovered if there are only a few of them in the country.
If you do find yourself in the unfortunate situation where your watercraft is stolen make sure you contact the police as soon as possible to get an incident number to enable you to claim for the theft.
It is also beneficial to set up email alerts on Gumtree, eBay and other listing sites for the next few months so if the thief tries to sell it on you may be able to catch them.
Register your property at Immobilise, which is designed to work with your local authority which could help to flag up your stolen item and stop the sale from happening.
Don’t just insure your larger vessels separately and leave your smaller craft overlooked, you could insure your canoe or kayak for under £50.00 a year which could save you hundreds.
We understand that the two are not the same, but whether you canoe or kayak our insurance policies can provide cover.
Public liability – As we mentioned earlier, if you were to buy a canoe license from BCU you would receive £10million of public liability insurance cover. However, it’s important to have public liability insurance even if you are not intending to paddle on waterways that require a license. Public liability will cover injuries or damage to members of the public or their property, caused by your negligence directly linked to the use of your canoe.
Cover whilst in transit – Our policies can cover your canoe whilst you transfer it from A to B but each policy provides a different level of cover. Our policy will cover events such as theft, fire and stor with the addition of accidental damage too. Transportation could be by trailer (provided it is fit for purpose) or on a roof rack.Racing cover is also available just select the cover best suited for your style of paddling - there are options for non-racers too.
European cover – If you fancy paddling to a few foreign shores, our cover will insure for 30 days per trip in Europe. Provided you do not exceed the 30 days during any one trip you can paddle in Europe as many times as you like per year.
There is no legal obligation to have canoe or kayak insurance in the UK so it is up to you whether you choose to insure yours. What’s important to remember is there are some places you may wish to paddle where the waterways authorities will require you to have public liability cover in place. It’s worth checking before you paddle to make sure you have the correct level of liability cover for the area.