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Author: Casey Yew
If you are out on the water, then you are there
to relax. There is nothing like boating to blow
your cares away and allow you to get a little
closer to absolute bliss. Unfortunately, there
is nothing like a boating accident to bring
all of those worries and cares to the forefront
of your mind, and add to them as well. Boating
insurance is supposed to make your time on the
water less stressful and any accidents that
you might suffer less impactful on your life.
A good boat insurance policy covers
liability, collision, and damage by vandalism.
The coverage itself will vary with the type
of watercraft that you own and operate, but
all of the policies are intended to help you
get underway without fear.
Protection of your boat usually covers damage
to the hull, sails, machinery, furniture, and
most other equipment that is used in the normal
operation of your boat. If your docking procedure
is short a buoy or two and your hull is a casualty,
your insurance company will cover the damages.
Your insurance company should also cover the
damages to the dock itself resulting from you
collision with it, or to any other boats that
you may have collided with. Most policies also
cover vandalism to your boat, malicious mischief,
and often even damages resulting from latent
defects of workmanship.
Your boat insurance policy should also
cover liability losses (like that dock that
you bumped earlier) as well as bodily injury
or death of another person as a result of your
negligent operation of the boat. The insurance
policy will also cover your guests or family's
medical expenses if they are injured while on
your boat, or while boarding it or disembarking.
Don't forget to check to make sure that your
trailer is also covered by your boat insurance
policy, since damage to your trailer can be
both expensive and extremely inconvenient. Loss
of the trailer should also be covered, as it
does no one any good on the bottom of the lake,
damaged or not.
If you own a shipyard or use your boat for
business purposes, then any non-crewmen working
on your boat are covered as well. This includes
mechanics, carpenters or painters and cleaners
who are working on your boat. If any of these
people sustains injury, then their medical expenses
are covered by your boating policy. Crewmen
injured aboard your boat should be covered under
the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation
Act.
If you are a believer in the saying "better
safe than sorry", then you will probably
be interested in insuring your boat against
the little extras that might come along. Extra
insurance can be purchased to insure your boat
against uninsured boaters who might damage your
watercraft.
If you are an avid fisher, or if you like to
bring a few little extras along with you on
long boating trips, then you might want to find
a policy that will allow you coverage of these
things. With many policies, you can add coverage
to insure your personal property, and even your
fishing equipment against damage or loss.
Boating is supposed to be relaxing. Having
your boat and your gear properly insured will
help you to leave the cares of life behind you
as you sail into the sunset.
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