Insurance for cruising

[Cpt Mark]

My insurance policy is coming due in September by which time I will have begun my cruising.

I am not planning on insuring the boat at this time however, in the USA it looks like you need to have 2-3 million dollar liability insurance if you want to dock.

My 3 questions are

1. After I leave the USA do other countries require this? I plan to be at anchor almost all the time.

2. Are there companies who write only liability?

3. Would an umbrella policy suffice?

Thanks

[model 10]

Before anyone goes on about insurance, you could sail all the way from Florida to California before anybody would ask for insurance.

[john61ct]

long's you're not stopping in marinas on the way

[CassidyNZ]

In New Zealand you will rarely be permitted to enter and definitely won’t be permitted to stay in any marina unless you have substantial public liability insurance. My policy provides for NZ$5m cover which is pretty standard here.

[roverhi]

Marina's in the States seem to like at least $500,000 liability coverage. I'm in two marinas and both raised their minimum limit to that figure recently. Don't know where you'd get liability coverage worldwide but Progressive gave me liability only at a good price in NorCal. Can't remember whether there were coverage area limits. Current boat in California is limited to 50 miles offshore for full coverage and boat in Kona to the principle Hawaiian Islands. Can see why an insurance company would want those limits for full coverage but no reason for liability only.

If you don't want to eat, drink and party at the local hot spots, really easy not to hit marines once you are out of the US. Really not that hard in the US if you don't hang out for more than a couple of days in one spot.

[model 10]

Originally Posted by john61ct

long's you're not stopping in marinas on the way

Name a marina between Florida and California that cares about insurance. Nada.

[Sailmonkey]

Berthed in Texas, any marina we’ve been in has required 300k liability, but once we left the US no-one cared if we were insured. Not in Mexico, nor in Belize, nor Guatemala.

I just recently tried to acquire a global liability policy.....no one was interested in talking to me. So in a few months when we’re off again, we’ll be uninsured!

Real bugger is I couldn’t find any sort of medical policy either, not even the be that excluded US coverage.

Meh......

[Nicholson58]

We sailed to the Caribbean from Muskegon, Michigan four years ago. Never asked for insurance cruising Michigan for four years or all of the way to the Caribbean. Three years in the Caribbean now one finally were asked to show insurance to moor in Bonaire.

We use Geico

[jrp]

In Oriental NC Pecan Grove marina wanted a liability policy to lease me a slip whereas Henry at Sailcraft just across the channel did not. I got a basic $300k liability policy from geico for $150/y but only because that include TowboatUS at that price -- so I guess there is whole spectrum of insurance requirements/availability out there

[Mike OReilly]

I’ve travelled the length of the Canadian Great Lakes, all the way to Newfoundland. I have never, ever, been asked about insurance when entering a marina as a transient. Not once.

Now, I tend to avoid marinas as much as possible, so my sample size is small. But I certainly stopped at a number of them.

The only time I’ve been asked to produce insurance is at my home ports when my boat was being hauled/stored/launched.

It’s interesting that American marinas appear to have a high demand for liability, yet the standard coverages tend to be pretty low compared to other countries (Canada is $2-$5M).

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Ecos

Name a marina between Florida and California that cares about insurance. Nada.

Every marina I have ever stayed at long term has required me to have Insurence and usually to have them named as additionally insured on the policy.
I don’t do overnight stays in a marina, but if you take a mooring in KeyWest, your going to have to show them your Insurence, and I believe Sarasota as well.
Oddly Brunswick didn’t ask.

Requirement is usually $500,000 I think and it’s not expensive at all really

[model 10]

I thought it was clear, leave Florida and you won't need insurance again until you reach California. Going the other way, they have a racket going. They make all the boats get MX liability insurance when you check into MX. Then you won't need it again till you get to KW.

[Dave_S]

Mine is just comming up, renewal arrived today. We have 10million liability in Australia.

For the first time I'm using a broker, let's see what he can do for me.

[alctel]

You really should get liability - what if you hit someone elses boat and wreck it?

It's a lot easier to get liability as well than full insurance, even I managed to get some as a single-hander doing open ocean stuff.

Also, all the marinas I went to in Mexico asked for proof of liability insurance before they let you stay (this is on pacific side)

[CassidyNZ]

I believe the big fear of marinas is fire. Your boat catches fire and sets fire to the nearest six of the million dollar boats around you . . . . .

Generally liability insurance even in the inflated market of NZ, is inexpensive. Am surprised that litigation-heavy climate apparently prevalent in the US is quite relaxed about boat owners not being insured.