Archive for September, 2010


Canalboats are fun for navigating the canals around the U.K. but you must make sure you have proper insurance coverage if you plan on owning one. Canalboat ownership is a major investment and you want to protect it to the fullest. When you decide to purchase one you will need to contact a canalboat insurance agent to get your insurance coverage in place.

There are features of your insurance policy that you need make sure are in place and that you have enough coverage. These include coverage for loss or damage, whether by fire, theft, malicious damage and negligence; coverage for theft of machinery onboard generators; the contents of the boat, including a boat cover; third party liability coverage and use on inland waterways.

Knowing what is covered is all well and good. However, it is just as important, if not more so, to know what is not covered. Most policies typically exclude these:

• Using the boat as a houseboat;
• The loss of value of your boat after it has undergone repairs;
• Loss of value to due age of boat and use of boat;
• Corrosion of any type;
• Wear and tear

If any of these are needed you should speak to your canalboat insurance agent and get quotes for them.

Your insurance should cover your boat and your liability to others including people who are on your boat. You coverage is for when the boat is in use or in storage. You should also make sure you indicate what regions you intend to use the boat in as it is not covered if you are out of those areas and damage occurs.

You need to make sure you are covered for items that are not included in the policy such as coverage for personal items on the boat or injury to someone who has paid to use the boat; There are many exclusions and limitations that are only revealed through a thorough reading of the contract documents.

You can go online and search for canalboat insurance; a few of the companies have samples of their contract documents available for you to read. These list the exclusions and limitations along with the details of what the policy includes.

Enjoy your canalboat every opportunity you get and make sure you are insured to the fullest by reading the details and knowing what is and isn’t included in your policy.


Water sports and recreation vehicles have climbed in popularity and owning your own jet ski is a fun and exciting prospect. Before you go out and purchase your first Jet Ski you need to look into the different aspects of personal watercraft insurance and find out what you need to purchase. The first thing you have to understand is that your homeowner’s and automobile insurance do not cover your jet ski. You will have to purchase a different policy.

There are several areas of coverage you need to consider when purchasing your Jet Ski insurance, they are physical damage and theft; liability and bodily injury coverage; and medical payments for bills that are a result of an accident on the jet ski.

Physical damage and theft coverage should be an amount that will cover any repairs that need to be made should your Jet Ski be damaged and enough to replace the Jet Ski should it be stolen. You can make the decision as to whether you want coverage for full replacement cost or just a partial cost. Your premium will be determined by how much you choose to insure the Jet Ski for.

Liability and bodily injury coverage and medical payments coverage should be a primary concern. If you or someone you have taken out on the water are hurt or killed this coverage needs to be high enough to keep your personal assets from being sought in a settlement. Don’t skimp on this coverage as you never know when an accident might occur.
If the accident happens to you then you just need to make sure your coverage is enough to take care of medical bills.

However, you have to consider other people on the water and if you are the cause of the accident then you could be held liable for their medical costs as well any time lost at work and even compensation for pain and suffering.

Other coverage you might consider for your Jet Ski insurance include roadside towing in the event your vehicle breaks down and you need to tow it to a shop; insurance to cover any fuel spills in the waterway or wreck removal from the water should you be unable to get the Jet Ski out on your own.

Jet Skis are fun but they also come with a responsibility. Make sure your insurance coverage will keep your personal properties from becoming part of a settlement by having enough coverage for any incident.


Boat owners want to know that if something happens to their boat they are covered and that they don’t lose the use of their boat due to not being able to have it repaired. Boat insurance comparison websites are important particularly due to the fact that the variation in costs can be drastic from one company to another, unlike homeowners insurance which is usually fairly close in cost across the board.

When comparing boat insurance there are a few things that should be kept in mind. First, ask your friends and other boat owners who they are insured with and what they pay. Ask them if the company is everything they expected it to be and if they had it to do over again would they. If they say no, ask them why.

Research the boat companies you are considering insuring your boat with. You can check insurance companies ratings at www.ambest.com and you are looking for companies with an “A” scoring. This is indicative of the company’s financial strength.

Check with your homeowner’s insurance and find out all of the details concerned with adding a boat to the policy. Some homeowner’s policies have limits on what they will cover, especially when it comes to salvage work or wreck removal. Keep in mind that your boat coverage needs to cover not only the cost of the boat but also the cost for any work related to removing your boat from the waters if it is wrecked or damaged and you can’t get it out.

Ask the insurance agent what the boat policy covers. Is it going to cover your gear? Do you fish commercially and need extra coverage? If you participate in fishing tournaments and carry expensive fishing gear you might need to consider additional coverage for the equipment.
There are other special situations you need to consider such as storage. If you store your boat away from home you might need cruising extension insurance; if you live in hurricane prone areas is the policy going to cover damage from hurricanes? These are questions to consider when searching for the best policy.

Finally, any boat insurance comparison should take into account the amount of coverage. Are you covering the full value of the boat or a depreciated value over time? If you don’t pay attention to this you could wind up with a policy that doesn’t cover your boat in full.
Boat insurance comparison should be an important aspect of insuring your boat. Don’t accept the first company’s price; shop around for the right one.


Insurance for boats is cover that protects boat owners against the costs of having your motorboat or yacht repaired or replaced. The cover means that you should not lose out financially if a disaster happened to your yacht.

The benefits of boat insurance should apply to the hull itself, sails and rigging, and outboard motor if appropriate. If you boat is moved around on a trailer or a trolley, this should also be included for the purposes of completeness.

Getting the best deal
The price of the premium will depend on a number of factors, including the model, make and age of your boat. The insurer may also enquire how experienced you as the policyholder are on the water.
Apart from issues specifically related to insurance for boats, a standard approach is taken by providers to determine the cost of your premium.
First, you insurer will ask if you have a no claims bonus. The higher number of years that you can state that you have been claim free, the larger the discount you are likely to get.

Also, the premium will depend on the conditions in which you keep the boat. Generally speaking, a boat kept in a secure well maintained area will be less expensive to insure than a craft that is kept on a trolley at the water’s edge. Given that the cover will extend to sails and accessories, a lockable trolley box for these items could be a sound investment.

Is there anything else that you can do to bring down the price of your premium? You could volunteer to have a higher than standard excess on your policy, so you limit your own ability to bring smaller value claims under the cover. This way the insurer sees you as a customer who would not bother them with vexatious claims for trifling sums – you would only make a claim when absolutely necessary.

Looking beyond the cover
When considering which insurance for boats is the best, it is easy to become fixated on price alone. Whilst you understandably do not want to pay a penny more than you have to for the cover, cost is not the only issue. The quality of service that you will receive will be the most important consideration, if you ever have to make a claim. This is where a specialised company can come into its own, with staff who are used to dealing with marine issues day in day out.

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