Your Boat insurance Information

You might not have realised it, but boat insurance is the oldest kind of insurance there is. People have been insuring their boats since the 17th century, and over time a number of standards have arisen. The chances are, though, that youre probably much more familiar with car insurance  so the good news is that car insurance and boat insurance are actually very similar.

Basically, there are three situations you can be insured against: your boat (or its cargo) being damaged, your boat sinking, and your boat hitting another. Although few countries make it a requirement that your boat must be insured (considering how many boats sail in international waters), you would be very wise to at least buy the third party insurance, in case you hit a boat that is very much more valuable than your own. You will probably find it quite unnecessary to insure your boat against total loss unless it is very valuable  it is mainly practical for large ships, and especially for ones carrying valuable cargo.

As with car insurance, policies come with an excess to discourage small claims  for boat insurance, this is usually quite a large sum of money, as the intention of the insurance is to cover you against substantial losses instead of just scratches and dents.

There are also a few kinds of insurance you can buy that are unique to boating, although it is unlikely that you will ever find yourself in need of them. If you get Increased Value insurance, your policy will pay out at your boats market value if it is more than the amount you insured it for  only useful if you expect your boat to go up in value. Finally, if youre thinking of sailing into a warzone, you might want to get war risk insurance. Of course, you might also want to get your head checked out, if you know what I mean.

With the vast number of yacht insurance and boat insurance providers out there, choosing a policy that best suit your needs can be a discouraging view. Here are some pointers you may consider in choosing your yacht insurance or boat insurance policy:

Financial Stability always make sure that the yacht insurance or boat insurance company you are signing up with is financially stable. The financial stability of that yacht insurance or boat insurance provider speaks much on the security of your own insurance. Try searching the internet for top rated yacht insurance and boat insurance providers. They are the ones with a great base of policy holders and which are most likely financially stable yacht insurance and boat insurance providers.

Customer Service Should the time come that you need to get a claim from your yacht insurance or boat insurance, a good, fair and quick customer service pays a lot. Choose a yacht insurance or boat insurance provider with a large network of claim centers, emergency services, agencies and helpful representatives to serve you in times that you need them the most.

Good Reputation Nothing beats a good reputation when it comes to yacht insurance or boat insurance providers. It is the insurance providers reputation that will give you the idea how well you will be covered should your needs arise.

Available Coverage options There are several coverage options that you can choose from. Make sure that your yacht insurance or boat insurance provider gives you a wide selection of options to choose from.

Reasonable Price Look for the best yacht insurance or boat insurance protection at the most reasonable price possible. Try comparing and analyzing the price of different yacht or boat insurance providers before you finally commit.

Yacht insurance and boat insurance policies have a very complicated nature. And deciding on which policy to sign up with is indeed a very troublesome business. Focusing on the few very important things enumerated above can help narrow down your choices of yacht insurance and boat insurance policy providers. Consider these important things first then go into the details when you have short-listed your choices. Doing this will not only help you save money, time and effort but will give you better security and peace of mind if you have wisely and carefully chosen your yacht insurance or boat insurance policy provider.

Many boaters cover their boat insurance needs by declaring the boat on their homeowner’s insurance policy. This may or may not be a good idea!

Having your boat under the ‘Umbrella’ coverage’s of your homeowner’s policy tends to provide you the security and safety of a large liability policy normally associated with a homeowner’s policy. It affords you a degree of ‘Cross Risk Insurance’ where the risks associated with the boat are so different than other, homeowner’s risks that the likelihood of claims from more than one risk hitting simultaneously are very low. If you are in the enviable position of having very significant assets to protect, it may be a good idea to have a separate boat owner’s policy as well as having the liabilities related to your boat declared on your homeowner’s policy.

Standard property and casualty (P & C) insurance companies that provide most of the homeowner’s coverage tend to not understand the marine issues, values and considerations of a boatowner. Their claims adjusters, for example, are typically not aware of the many intricacies related to repairing or replacing a damaged or lost boat. Most specifically, they tend not to understand the damages caused as a consequence of the sinking of a recreational boat. There can be very serious and expensive electrical and mechanical problems resulting from a boat being submerged, many of which won’t show up for quite a while after the boat has been dried out, freshened up and restored to service. Electrical contacts can corrode and cause short circuits as well as exacerbating any electrolysis issues in the boat. These are very subtle and normally not understood by adjusters without marine background or experience. Marine insurers, on the other hand, deal with boating issues regularly and their adjusters are savvy to the problems and values of the boat business. Many marine insurers use the services of marine appraisers to do their claims adjustment work. They are true professionals who are dedicated to the marine industry and serve the boat owner well.

In my experience as a marina operator, there were several occasions in which, for one reason or another, one of our customer’s boats was damaged or sunk by collision, carelessness or nature. Forgetting to put the plug in before launching was number one on the list. At times, a customer would leave his/her boat tied to a dock without a cover and when enough rain entered the boat to cause the bilge pump to run long enough to drain the battery, the boat would then fill up and sink. When the P & C insurance adjuster would come to assess the damage, they would only see the water damage to the upholstery, etc. and would value the cosmetic items that were lost or damaged. We were never able to convince them of the hidden electrical and mechanical and fuel system damages involved and there frequently was bitter disputes between the boat owner and the insurance company for months before resultion.

Conversely, whenever an adjuster from a marine insurer would come to assess the damage, they would first evaluate the systemic electrical and mechanical issues and often gave us the authority, on the spot, to perform the extensive electrical system diagnostics, hull evaluation, and mechanical item replacement (all fluids, filters, anodes, etc). We never knew of a dispute between the boatowner and the marine insurer.

Another issue that few people consider is the insurance of the boat while it is stored and not operational. Most people assume that the insurance of the marina or boat storage facility will cover their boat while it is stored there. That is only partially true. If the marina operator were to drop your boat or otherwise cause damage by negligence, their liability insurance would surely cover this. On the other hand, if a hurricane, fire, flood, or other natural disaster were to cause damage to the boat while it is stored, the insurance of the boatowner would be responsible. Many boatowners who lost their boats when Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf of Mexico were very surprised to learn that the marina’s insurance did not cover their boats. Many were a total uninsured loss.

Some marine insurers even offer a discounted rate for times of prolonged storage vs the assumption that the boat is operated year round. Many times a boat is really only used for 5-6 months of the year during the summer season and then it is stored at a marina or in the garage for the remainder of the year. You might check with your marine insurer to see if they offer a notification system wherein you can report the boat in a storage status and receive a reduction in your liability rate and premium as a result.

Be sure to investigate the cost and coverage’s of boat insurance offered by marine insurers and compare those to those of your homeowner’s policy before singing up. Be certain to ask about the marine qualifications of the adjusters used by the carrier. This will be critical should you happen to have a claim.

Like most things, it pays to do your homework!

Defensive driving is an important issue for everyone out there on the road. In order to avoid a collision, at least one of the drivers approaching each other needs to think and drive defensively. But how? What have you learned what to do in driver education, but could have been awhile ago, or so recent that did not sink because I was very excited to have his license.

The good news is that you do not need back to school to receive these tips and pointers. It is relatively easy to find a driving course online fordefensive that gives you what you need to know through a Web-based program. Although sometimes these courses are known as “traffic school” and used by people who received a moving violation and have an order from a court to take adefensive driving class can also be used by ordinary people who simply wants to be more effective on the road.

Perhaps you have recently had a close call. Someone almost ran into you on the way home from work, and that blew through a stop sign, or if he approached the rear ending someone in traffic. Also might want your child to drive takedefensive before they are permitted to borrow the car. Or you could have a new employer who does not like the look of your driving record and wants you to take an online course defensive driving to supplement their education while taking the company car as part of their work.

Whatever your reason for improving the study of safe driving is important to find a course that gives you everything you need. Verify before registering the course has been designed by professionals in ceramic design course, with input from experts on security issues in the management who know the most conventional wisdom about how to avoid an accident with another driver.

Before enrolling in a course like this, be sure to give your auto insurance provider a quick call. They can offer a discount on their insurance premium for the additional driver education, and they may prefer or have an exclusive arrangement with one school over another. In this way, you’re getting the same training, but will add the benefit of a discount on top of the knowledge they receive.

When you register for these courses, you are allowed into and out of them as his schedule permits, do as much or as little of the courses in one session as is appropriate for you. In general, you will have to pass a final exam to receive your certificate of completion, because such classes are also used to satisfy court requirements. Once
finished, however, you receive the certificate in the mail and can return to driving with confidence that even if the accident has been the fault of another driver, there was no accident at all because they prevented with their extra training.