We will find you comprehensive protection that protects you, your friends and family, your watercraft and your boating equipment with a boat insurance policy that fits your needs best. The average boat insurance policy costs less than a dollar a day to insure. You’ll enjoy being on the water even more when you aren’t worried about your safety, the safety your passengers, or your investment.
Do you know what to look for in a watercraft insurance policy?
We can help you determine the right amount of coverage to meet your specific needs. Just give us a call to get started. Here are some items you’ll need to consider when shopping for boat insurance in California.
- Navigational Area:– Know where you are covered in the water. Some companies, such as Safeco Insurance, offer protection that covers you up to 75 miles from the U.S. coastline; into Canadian coastal or inland waters; and into the Pacific coastal waters of Mexico. In California, Florida and Oregon, additional coverage area can be purchased.
- Agreed Value Coverage: – Watercrafts depreciate just like automobiles. Actual cash value policies can make it difficult to replace a boat that’s been stolen or destroyed. This means that if your boat is a total loss you will get the value you insured it for, minus any deductible.
- Liability – Like car insurance, personal liability coverage provides coverage to other boaters and boat owners in the event you are at-fault for an accident on the water. This coverage will pay to repair or replace the property of someone else as well as for their medical care, lost wages and other costs incurred as a result of a boating accident for which you are at-fault.
- Medical Payments – Medical payments coverage will pay for the cost of needed care that is the result of a boating accident. This coverage is available from $500 to $10,000 and covers you, your passengers, and even your water skiers/tubers, regardless of who is at-fault.
- Physical Damage Coverage– Physical damage coverage pays for the cost to repair or replace your watercraft, its motor, any permanently attached equipment, and your trailer, if it is stolen or damaged.
- Uninsured/Underinsured Watercraft Bodily Injury – Since boat coverage is not always mandatory, many boaters choose not to get insurance. If you are hit by an uninsured or underinsured boater, and you are injured, this type of coverage pays for medical treatment, lost wages, and other costs associated with the accident.
- Fuel Spill Liability and Wreckage Removal – Should your boat sink or be seriously damaged, there is a chance that it could leak oil or fuel into the water. As the boat’s owner you are required by law to have this cleaned up, which can be time consuming and expensive.
- Personal Effects – Your policy can provide coverage for many personal effects, including clothing, jewelry, cell phones, scuba/snorkeling and other sporting equipment, and fishing equipment. Limits vary by state – check with us for information. Personal effects coverage does not include jewelry, watches or furs.
- Unattached Equipment Coverage – This pays to repair or replace equipment that isn’t permanently attached to your boat or personal watercraft, but is designed for use primarily on a boat. This includes items like lifesaving equipment, water skis, anchors, oars, fire extinguishers, tarps etc.
- Emergency Assistance – The Emergency Assistance Package provides coverage for towing, labor and delivery of gas, oil or loaned battery if the watercraft is disabled while on the water.
Frequently Asked Questions about Boat Insurance
What is the average boat insurance cost?
Never guess what an insurance policy might cost. The average cost to insure a boat depends on the type of boat you want to insure and how much coverage you need. Additionally, your credit and loss history can factor into the price. The best way to get an accurate quote is to reach out to us for a quote. Quotes take just a few minutes and we can run you through several great companies.
Does boat insurance cover mechanical issues?
No, boat insurance will not cover mechanical issues such as a blown motor. However, if the mechanical issue is a result of a covered loss such as a collision with another boat then there likely would be coverage for the mechanical failure that resulted from the covered loss. *All coverage situations are subject to claims verification and no information here is suggesting coverage would exist.
Is boat insurance required?
Some states do not require boat insurance, but if you are operating a boat in open waters without it, you’re putting yourself at financial risk. If you have a loan on your boat or if you moored your boat in a marina, then the lienholder or marina may require you to carry insurance.
