Charter Boat Insurance Basics

Maritime law broadly defines the responsibility of charterboat operator as being responsible for all damages resulting from "negligence". This all-encompassing definition leaves the operator exposed to the possibility of costly and endless court cases.

This why the value of selecting a charterboat insurance policy which protects your legal rights, property and that ensures damages to your boat are reimbursed, can not be underestimated.

How can you identify which components should be in your policy? First, identify all your business activities and the risks involved in operating your charterboat business. This information will help you decide the types of components, the range, and amount of coverage needed.

Hull and Machinery Clause

This refers to the coverage of the vessel, and all its' parts. Its' main purpose is to quickly get your business and boat operational after accidents. If you afford to pick a policy, which covers the following damages your charterboat, can sustain:

· Combustion, sinking or collision of your boat.

· Deck machinery, boat engines, and electronics.

· Coverage for an engine that breaks.

However, the following are not included in the hull and machinery component: Damage to your engine due to inappropriate use or neglect, wear due to every day use of the boat or reimbursements because your engine broke down.

Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Clauses

These clauses enable you to pay passengers and other people who could have suffered personal injuries or property damage caused by your vessel.

The basic clauses you should consider are the following:

Coverage limit

How much is your business worth? A wise agent will tell you, the best coverage limit is one that you can get. It does make sense since marine P&I policy covers you on a per incident basis, not for each person.

Shore excursion

If your insurance policy doesn't have this clause, your passengers are not insured once they get off your boat.

Crew coverage

You must pay coverage for each crewmember, or you will be liable for the uninsured crewmembers' injuries in the performance of their duties.

Passenger medical payments

A good clause to have, for you're protected from irate passengers who even if they have suffered minor injuries, will file for big damages.

Personal effects

The loss of clothes, fishing equipment or cameras might seem a minor inconvenience, but not to the passenger who suffered the loss. This clause ensures that you are properly covered and your passenger's leave happy.

However, talk to your agent so that you know what items are covered in the personal effects clause and if these are appropriate to include.

Remember, the right charterboat insurance policy for you is one that insures both your boat and charterboat business.

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Boat Insurance Online

When buying online boat insurance one should get proper coverage for man-made catastrophes, burglaries, or natural disasters. By taking advantage of certain offers, one should be able to obtain a discount on online boat insurance rates.

A marine insurance expert may be able to bargain for lower premiums. Depending on lesser loss ratios, one can shun payment of insurance deductibles and depreciation allowances sustained by losses, and an individual can play a role in minimizing the damages.

Boat insurance is often overlooked by boat owners. It is not mandatory, and is only imposed on consumers if there is an outstanding loan on the boat.

Nevertheless, online boat insurance has turned out to be a reasonably priced means for boat owners to safeguard their assets. It is important to get liability coverage and property coverage at a minimum; one can also get further coverage like towing coverage and trailer coverage.

Boat insurance should be procured with the help of a veteran insurance agent or broker, who has expertise in writing boat insurance. There is no substitute for knowledge, where searching for a source of boat insurance is concerned.

Premiums depend on the size of the boat, its horsepower and navigational range, and the experience of operator. Boats which are over 25 years old are usually written under a different category of boat programs, and a majority of insurers will need a survey for boats and yachts over 10 years old.

Some insurance carriers impose a surcharge of up to 30% because of the disastrous loss character of a specific region. Yet most online insurers offer discounts and anti-burglary plans.

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Motor Boat Insurance Basics

Sailing off into the blue yonder, has the salutary effect of blowing cares and stresses away with the winds. However, before you sail away in your new boat, consider the merits of these questions. Do you have boat insurance? Moreover, are your insurance needs fully met?

Marine insurance defines vessels according certain measurements. A boat is defined as one measured between 16 feet and 25 feet, 11 inches in length. If that's the length and width of your seaworthy vessel, then you have a boat.

Here are the pertinent components your boat insurance policy should have:

Physical Damage Coverage

The insurer pays you for the repair or replacement of your boat, under the following circumstances: Theft, vandalism, lightning, fire, tornadoes, or hurricanes. Included in this coverage is the boat itself, outboard motors, engines, and your boat trailer.

Excluded from the coverage are the following items, which are not, considered a part of your boat's operations: camera or video equipment, clothing, fashion accessories, or jewelries, food or beverages, cell phones, stereo equipment, portable television, personal computers or scuba gear. Alternatively, you can ask for separate coverage for these items.

Tip. Read the fine print and so that you know what restrictions could apply to your coverage. Can your boat be stored at your place of residence? Alternatively, should the boat be at your vacation spot? Where does the coverage begin? Some policies specifically limit the uses of your boat and list the exceptions.

Liability Coverage

You'll find this coverage quite useful. You may also wish you'd paid a bigger premium, when there's an accident and your boat is liable for damaging another boat, property, or injury.

Uninsured Boat Coverage

This is the marine insurance equivalent of the road vehicle's uninsured motorist coverage. In this case, your boat's repairs are covered, in the event the owner of the property your boat collided with has expired insurance or worse, doesn't have it.

Passenger Medical Coverage

This coverage pays for the medical expenses incurred by people on your boat. This is a must-have clause and the limit can be inexpensive, from $450.00 to $10,000.00, is quite common.

Towing & Assistance Coverage

With this coverage, you'll get reimbursement for the costs you've incurred for availing of emergency services. Examples of these, your vessel breaks down, and a commercial outfit tows your vessel to the port, you've paid for delivery to replace your fuel, oil, or engine parts, or for someone to repair your engine.

The bottom line to all this? Be pro-active and arm yourself with knowledge, which among the different policies possible, your boat insurance should have.

Then, you'll sail confidently into the sun, because your insurance policy will cover you where it's most necessary.

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Your Boat Insurance - Key Considerations

Sailing off into the distant blue, has the favorable effect of blowing away your life's strains and cares with the blowing wind. Yet, before you voyage off in your attractive boat, take five and think about the merits of these questions. Do you have marine or boat insurance in place? Even when the response that that is 'Yes' at that point are you confident your insurance essentials are being fulfilled?

Marine insurance groups crafts according to a kind of dimensions. "Boats" are described as measuring anywhere between 16 feet and 25 feet 11 inches in length. Under that size then you are catalogued as small boat namely dinghies, personal watercraft and so forth. If your boat is 26 feet and above in size then you may most likely need expert insurance. Right now let's check out some of the ins and outs as applied to regular boat insurance policies.

Physical damage insurance coverage

The insurance company reimburses you for the replacement or recondition of your boat, resulting from the following conditions: boating mishap, vandalism, fire, burglary, lightning, hurricanes or tornadoes. Incorporated in this policy are the watercraft itself, its power train or outboard motor and your trailer. Normally the following items are omitted from the dinghy insurance coverage, as they are not thought of as being a part of your boat's operations: clothes, video or camera equipment, precious jewelry or fashion adornments, cell phones, beverages and food items, diving gear and portable electronics such as TV set, hi-fi equipment or laptops. You may discover they are included on your normal house insurance coverage or you may ask for separate insurance coverage for some of these.

Tip: I know it's a pain but - always study the fine print at the bottom. Then you will realize what restrictions have been placed on your protection. Can you boat be kept at your home? Otherwise, should the boat be at your vacation place? Where does the protection start and end on the waters you can make use of? A few policies specifically list the assumptions and restrict the use of your craft.

Individual Liability Coverage

We hope you will never ever need to find out how important this coverage is. Typical marine boat insurance cover here ranges upwards from $ 3 million and may compensate you when there's a collision and your boat is held responsible for harming another property, boat or injury.

Uninsured Boat Protection

This is known as the marine insurance equivalent to the road vehicle's uninsured motorist insurance coverage. For instance, in the circumstance that the proprietor of a boat who damages yours has run out insurance coverage or worse yet, does not have the money, your boat's repairs will certainly nonetheless be paid for.

Passenger Health Insurance coverage

This insurance coverage will pay for the medical expenses sustained by any people carried on your boat. You will definitely discover that generally there is one more provision on your policy regulating the quantity of individuals who can be aboard at any one time-- make sure you do not bring more as the insurance will at that point be invalid.

Help & Towing Protection

This component of your insurance coverage will recompense you for the costs sustained should you have the requirement to call on the emergency services. You might have motor breakdown or additional mechanical failure or damage your boat on stones requiring a tow back to dock.

What's the base line to all of this? Be insurance conscious in advance of you start your boating season. Take a while to get hands-on and acquaint yourself with understanding so you can easily decide on the right insurance option, terms and coverage which your boat insurance should include. Then you can set off into the blue knowing you are effectively prepared for any scenario.

To Your Boating Enjoyment!

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Boat Insurance Policy Limitations

Boat insurance is an important asset for those who own and operate watercraft on either a regular or seasonal basis. The degree of protection afforded to those who purchase damage policies can remove the worries of an accident and even assist in the overall process of repairing the vehicle. However, there are certain limitations commonly put on the average boat insurance policy, requiring boat owners to recognize what kind of vehicle they are using and what kind of insurance policy applies to that watercraft.

For some insurers, size or value may immediately disqualify a vehicle from receiving coverage. This largely becomes an issue because of the cost of repairs on these vehicles, which can easily become prohibitively expensive for insurers who offer comprehensive damage coverage. Although insurers may determine what they are willing to take a risk when setting these limits, large boats or vehicles worth greater than $250,000 may need specialized insurance policies that handle more valuable or massive vehicles. Similarly, personal watercraft can occasionally be assigned a limit on worth.

The age of the boat may also be a concern for some insurers. Generally speaking, a hazardous collision is more likely in an older vehicle, as there is a greater chance for a malfunction to occur either with old propulsion systems or worn down navigation systems. Particularly, a company may have a policy range between 15 and 20 years, making any boat that is older than that limit ineligible for certain types of coverage or policy options.

Finally, boats must fit legal standards and expectations, as well as insurance definitions of a boat. This immediately disqualifies houseboats, as they generally do not fit the insurance industry's concept of a vehicular boat. Instead, these boats may be treated differently altogether. On the other hand, boats that violate state or federal regulations for watercraft may be treated likewise, and may not be given an insurance policy.

To learn more about boat insurance options and limitations, contact an auto insurer.

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Super Yacht Insurance

Super yachts are some of the most luxurious marine vessels that exist today, often being equivalents of a five star floating hotel. Usually super boats like this come with plasma screen TV's, internet connection, jet skis, wind surfers, scuba gear and even personal cooks. Knowing what a huge investment a super boat can represent, one should definitely insure it with super yacht insurance. Having your super yacht insured will provide you with peace of mind because in case of accidents that might cause losses you will be covered by the insurance company.

It is important to know what exactly super yacht insurance can cover for. Basically this type of insurance will provide the necessary coverage for any injury or damage caused by accidents that might affect your super yacht. Other perils that might be covered include explosions and fires, sinking and theft. As you never know what lies ahead, you can also choose a policy that covers for natural disasters such as storms and lighting. Depending on what your need is you can basically tailor super yacht insurance to fit your specific needs. For example you can choose a policy that will cover for the items that you have on your super boat. Considering that those items are usually very expensive, adding this kind of coverage will prove to be very wise. You can also add a third party liability clause in case your yacht might cause damage to a third party.

In order to get the best out of your super yacht insurance, you should have a clear mind about what all the things you want the policy to cover for. Once you established that, you can start searching for companies that offer super boat insurance. Never choose the first policy you find as you might miss out on better offers. Always compare policies before buying one so you know you made the best choice. You can compare various policies by going online. There you will get all the information you need and if you buy the policy online you might get discounts as well.

If you wish to obtain lower quotes on these insurance, make sure that your boat is in perfect condition. Also make sure you have safety equipment on board, best would be fore extinguishers and life rafts. Try to hire people that have been trained by a recognized institute and that have experience in sailing. All these things will attract discounts and lower premiums for super yacht insurance.

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