Insurance for tropical waters Australia

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by ahun

Well, what is the definition of 'living aboard'? If you just cruise around for 1-2-15 years, without owning a house, that's not necessarily living aboard...

you raise an interesting point...but truely, if you stay constantly full time on a boat, and have no other residence, how can you argue that you do not necessarily living aboard ?

i can't see any, but if you can i'd really like to know because it might be some argument that we can put up to an insurance company next time

nb : we are not willing to tell an insurance co that eg we live with our daughter, when that is easily shown to be false. it would be too easy for an insurer to walk away from a claim

cheers,

[Moana Bella]

We have insurance through Pantaenius, and are listed as "permanently cruising" rather than having a nominated location. Not sure if that makes a difference.
We have extra deductable for named cyclones if in the northern cyclone zone in summer, but they do cover us if we are in a marina or "out at sea".
Seems like they make it all up as they go along.
I have a good broker who specialises in "hard to place" insurance, and looks like we all qualify for that.
Suggest you try Heather Coutts at Capstone Insurance. If its out there, she will find it. And she's there for you if you have to claim as well.
'Heather Coutts' <heather@trustcapstone.com.au>

[Galumay]

Well the news isnt getting any better! I contacted Heather Coutts as recommended by Moana Bella in the post above, Heather has spent a week searching high and low to try to get us ANY form of insurance.

No company she tried was prepared to cover our boat for even Public Liability. No 3rd Party, no comprehensive, no insurance of any form for a boat kept on swing mooring in NT.

Hard to believe no one would even do Public Liability at any price!

[billgewater]

Nhulunbuy probably has lots of chaps who will lay a great massive mooring for you. Contact some of the heavy engineering workshops for a few old engine blocks and some land clearance drag chain etc. Probably much cheaper and better than any insurance policy, plus you could probably sell it when you leave Nhulunbuy. Just make sure you have a good radar reflector and mooring lights and you are in a designated mooring area.
It's hard to find a good word for marine insurance companies, so avoid them where possible.

[billgewater]

Originally Posted by ski69sail

Hi There... I was with Edward Williams last year...After renewing our insurance with them for another year I recived a notice telling us that the underwriter had gone broke. So now I had no cover and no refund or redress.

Moved insurance to Pantanious

thanks

My QLD marina has accepted Edward William Marine now for many years, so maybe it depends on which marina you are dealing with. It may also depend on how keen the marina is to fill all the berths as well.

Also Edward William Marine may have a poor reputation for paying up and the D & G agents in Australia lost the agency here, and the underwriters were in trouble, but they are certainly now still in the market. They are actually now a brokerage arm for Northern Lighting as I recall.

What Edward William do offer is insurance without a prior survey. That may raise some eyebrows, but assuming you understand that insurance is not really a mutually beneficial arrangement, that could make sense.

[Galumay]

Originally Posted by billgewater

Nhulunbuy probably has lots of chaps who will lay a great massive mooring for you. .....
It's hard to find a good word for marine insurance companies, so avoid them where possible.

I have a good mooring, the frustration is not being able to find anyone to cover public liability and or 3rd party, makes it near on impossible to get a boat hauled out or to visit a marina for refuelling etc.

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by billgewater

My QLD marina has accepted Edward William Marine now for many years, so maybe it depends on which marina you are dealing with. It may also depend on how keen the marina is to fill all the berths as well.

Also Edward William Marine may have a poor reputation for paying up and the D & G agents in Australia lost the agency here, and the underwriters were in trouble, but they are certainly now still in the market. They are actually now a brokerage arm for Northern Lighting as I recall.

What Edward William do offer is insurance without a prior survey. That may raise some eyebrows, but assuming you understand that insurance is not really a mutually beneficial arrangement, that could make sense.

The chandlery in my marina used to be an agency for Edward William but ditched them when the marina decided not to accept them anymore, below is the email i received from EW when i informed them of the marina's new stance back in April 2018, I've been with Club Marine ever since with no geographical limits during cyclone season.

Hi John

Thank you for your e-mail. I am very sorry to hear that you won’t be continuing your cover through ourselves. Unfortunately, there are one or two marinas in Queensland that now insist on an Australian based Insurer for whom they offer cover, so in this case our hands are tied. Thank you for your custom over the past years and we wish you all the best for the future.

If you have any queries or we can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us, we look forward to hearing from you.

Kindest Regards
Toni
on behalf of Edward William SL
Follow us on Facebook
Contact us via our online chat
www.edwardwilliam.com
Tel: 01692 630530 or +34 951 250 931
Fax: 01692 678165 or +34 951 250 957

[ChrisJHC]

Might be out of left field, but have you tried the “mainstream” insurers like CGU, RACV, NRMA etc?

They all seem to offer boat insurance but I guess they are aimed more at the smaller end of the market.
Might be worth a call and reporting back.

[TabbyCat]

Originally Posted by billgewater

Try Edward William Marine. Yes. They are still operating. You can chat with them. Office is in Spain, so about 8 hours behind.

Please stop promoting this ! It is posts like this that keep the Ponzi scheme going!

[wmgysi]

Try Dolphin insurance in Canada. If you only need liability usually no survey is required for world wide coverage. There is however a clause that any claim for named storms/hurricanes are not covered. Hope that helps.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by IslandHopper

The chandlery in my marina used to be an agency for Edward William but ditched them when the marina decided not to accept them anymore, below is the email i received from EW when i informed them of the marina's new stance back in April 2018, I've been with Club Marine ever since with no geographical limits during cyclone season.

Maybe you should ask the marina themselves why they refuse to accept EW "coverage". At least in Bundeburg it was because they refused to cover damage to boats in the yard after a storm.

[Davidla]

I live in Cairns and keep my boat in Marlin Marina, the main State run marina in town (read expensive and usually 30% occupancy). I moved insurers from Club Marine to Pantaenius to reduce costs (approx $1k PA).
I note you cannot get insurance in the Cairns inlet whether on a swing mooring, nor I believe a fore and aft pile mooring.
I am required to have a cyclone plan but this consists of following the Cairns cyclone management plan issued by Ports North (State owned corporation above). Ironically, this plan requires me to vacate the marina and take shelter in the local creeks ALONG WITH all of the boats on moorings in the inlet who must take shelter there also.
As for all of the other traditional insurers NRMA etc. They do not insure yachts they only insure trailer boats.
Insurance in Australia is a joke played upon us by politicians and the BIG insurers and re-insurers. A simple law requiring all Insurers to cover all areas for each category of insurance is all that is required to ensure coverage for all. Don't look for it any time soon. Insurance company lobbyists have deep pockets and great influence.

[Paroo2020]

I currently have third party Liability insurance with Topsail, just in case I sink a supertanker!! in a marina berth Bluewater Marina Cairns.
The whole insurance industry is in a complete mess and they have no real idea about cruising folk who don't intend to loose their boat, but need some insurance to cover major mishaps.
I believe most if this came about when the happy folk at Port Hinchinbrook Marina decided to chop of the top of the piles so they could have a better view, well Yassi made short work of that!!
Ever since then insurance companies have been running for the hills and it has become more impossible to get any reasonable insurance.

[Davidla]

Originally Posted by Paroo2020

I believe most if this came about when the happy folk at Port Hinchinbrook Marina decided to chop of the top of the piles so they could have a better view, well Yassi made short work of that!!
Ever since then insurance companies have been running for the hills and it has become more impossible to get any reasonable insurance.

I was a land and marina berth holder in Port Hinchinbrook and on the PHS committee and nobody chopped the top of the piles off. Keith and Ben Williams simply built i on the cheap. Yasi was a 5 meter storm surge and that on top of no previous dredging for five years was the primary cause. If you believe Blue Water and Yorkeys will take a direct hit from a Cat 5 with a 5 meter storm surge then sit and wait it out! i'll be gone.

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Maybe you should ask the marina themselves why they refuse to accept EW "coverage". At least in Bundaberg it was because they refused to cover damage to boats in the yard after a storm.

I know what the reason was i was here for the storm (boats falling over in yard) and have been for a long time before it, there are also unpaid claims from the 2013 Bundaberg floods, I just didn't elaborate as it makes no difference to the outcome of the thread