Is Motorboat Insurance right for me?
Our Motorboat Insurance policy will provide cover for powerboats, cruisers, sports boats and RIBs over 7.62m or 25ft up to a value of £1million. We offer insurance for wide cruising ranges including Brest-Elbe and UK coastal as standard, with European and Mediterranean extensions available.
Benefits of our Motorboat cover
Motorboat liability insurance
- £5million Third Party Liability cover as standard.
- Liability for towing of water toys.
- Liability for water skiing and wakeboarding.
- Tenders covered even when used independently of the main vessel.
Motorboat medical and rescue cover
- Medical Expenses up to £1,000 following an accident whilst on board.
- Rescue and evacuation cover following an emergency up to £50,000.
- Cover up to £50,000 for family and guests if hit by an uninsured vessel.
Motorboat machinery insurance
- Cover for reasonable cost of repair or replacement to machinery for up to 3 years, from new as standard, where evidence of routine maintenance undertaken.
Excess waivers for our motorboat insurance
- Non-fault excess waiver – no excess to pay where deemed not a fault and third party details are available.
FAQs
Like owning a fast car, owning a motor boat has a few risks attached to it. The value of items like outboard engines for example which makes them attractive to thieves.Additionally, their capability for high speeds means the potential for personal injury and damage to other craft is also a factor. Motor boat insurance aims to provide support by putting you back in the financial position you were in before a loss such as theft from your motor boat. Navigators & General Yacht and Motor Boat Insurance covers personal injury, damage to your boat and damage caused by you to other people or their property on the water.You don’t have to have motor boat insurance by law but some marinas do require third party cover as a minimum in order for you to moor there. Regardless of where you keep your boat, it’s best to get covered.
We offer flexible cover to help you get the insurance which fits the way you use your motor boat. We know you’re as careful as you can be but sometimes, accidents happen. That’s why, as well as covering your craft, we also include £5,000,000 worth of third party cover and Road transit cover for craft under 30ft –If you don’t like staying on one particular stretch of water, you may need to transport your motor boat by road to pastures (or rather, waters) new.
As motor boats are quite high in value, they can be targeted by thieves. Also, as outboard motors are easy to remove (and high in value themselves) on some craft this also makes motor boats easy pickings for thieves.
Underwater machinery cover – Ever gone over a speed hump too quickly in your car and scraped the under-carriage? If you run over a submerged object in your motor boat, it can cause damage to the propeller, prop shaft or rudder. This element of our motor boat insurance covers you should this happen.
We won't charge you your excess on any claim made while it’s moored or stored in a marina.
Personal accident cover (optional) – If you enjoy testing the limits of your craft, we strongly recommend adding personal accident cover to your policy. Personal accident cover will pay for emergency medical expenses. It will pay out in the event of lost limbs, loss of sight and even total disablement or death.
Continental use – You can arrange for cover for your craft in continental waters if it is a UK registered vessel.
Protected no claims bonus to have your no claims bonus protected year on year even if you have to claim (No more than two claims per year).
Marina benefits – If you permanently moor your boat on a marina berth or keep it ashore at the same location, we won’t charge you excess on any claim made while it’s moored or stored. This also won’t affect your no-claims bonus.
Should a third party bring charges against you for damage caused to their craft or personal injury caused by you, our optional legal expenses cover can help with your legal fees up to £100,000. 24 hour legal and claims advice line – In addition to covering legal fees, we also offer legal advice to guide you through what to do if you get involved in a legal dispute.
Consider where you moor your motor boat – Some moorings aren’t very suitable for certain types of craft. It’s worth doing your research to find the right mooring for your craft. If your motorboat is moored on the wrong type of mooring, we may not be able to cover you.
Think about other items you may want insured – We can provide cover for hand held electronics such as GPS or VHF radio. However, you’ll need to let us know that you’d like them covered otherwise they may be over looked.
Tell us about your RYA qualifications – We like to reward people who try to develop their own sailing competence as this only makes them safer on the water. Let us know if you’ve got any RYA qualifications and we may award you another 10% discount.
Our motorboat insurance policy covers a multitude of types of craft. But motorboat is just one overarching term when in fact, we can provide a policy that’s specific to different types of motorboat. Here are some of the different types of boats we cover, to help find the policy which is right for you.
- Sports boat - These tend to be hugely powerful (200bhp engines and above) with long but narrow hulls. Like a sports car, these boats are often two seaters with a helm which also looks similar to the inside of a sports coupe.
- Ski boats - Generally these are used for, you guessed it, water skiing and wakeboarding. The hulls of these boats are designed to create wake and are normally quite powerful in order to tow people behind them. They’re also sometimes modified to hold extra boards or skis.
- Sports cruisers - These are similar to sports boats however, they tend to be larger, able to carry more people and designed more for comfort than out and out speed.
- Fast fisher - These are set apart from your average fishing boat due mostly to their power. They normally have a large outboard motor and a central cuddy.
- Motor cruisers - these are usually inboard powered boats with living accommodation and generally come in Targa or Flybridge Models and in various lengths.
- River cruisers - These are sometimes called gin palaces and are essentially small, powered yachts. Think Henley, on a sunny afternoon, trundling along at a few knots with enjoying the scenery.
RIB Insurance only covers RIBs. RIB stands for ridged inflatable boat. RIBs have both inflatable and solid parts to their hulls and are almost always powered by outboard engines. RIBs could be considered as the 4x4s of the sea.They’re versatile and fast. Though they can be used as straight forward pleasure craft, or used as safety boats by sailing clubs, excursion boats by SCUBA dive clubs and sometimes for thrill rides by tour companies and holiday resorts
Essentially, yacht insurance aims to protect your craft, other craft on the water and of course, you and your passengers. The idea of insurance is to put you back in the financial position you were in before you experienced a loss of some sort. This financial loss could come about in the form of damage to your boat, a third party claiming against you for damage to their craft or in the worst case, loss caused by injury to you or one of your passengers. Navigators & General yacht insurance covers all the areas mentioned above. Though it isn’t necessarily a legal requirement, many marinas require a minimum of third party cover if you’d like to use their facilities. In any case, it is strongly advised you have insurance in place due to the high value of the yachts themselves and the potential for injury.
Moor in a marina - Our policy offers extra benefits for mooring in a marina as mooring at a berth in a marina is typically safer and more secure than a swinging mooring. Get a survey of your craft completed if it’s over 25 years old Let us know if you have RYA qualifications - We like to reward those who try to develop their own sailing competence as this only makes them safer on the water. Let us know if you have a RYA qualifications and we could award you another 10% discount. Let us know if you’re planning on racing
Not all of us are lucky enough to use our yachts all year round. There are likely to be times when the weather is too rough or your yacht is in need of essential maintenance. During these times, you may wish to take your boat out of the water and store it in a dry dock or stack storage. It's also a strong possibility that your boat will need to be out of the water if you're selling it on. It's a good idea to take it out of the water to allow potential buyers to fully inspect the hull, keel and other components which sit below the waterline. As well as covering your yacht when it's in the water, Navigators & General can also apply laid up cover for when it is out of the water and not in use for an extended period. This cover will insure your yacht against theft, damage, vandalism and third party cover whilst it is off the water. It won't cost you any more money, you just need to let us know that you're taking your boat off the water and how long for.