Is Insurance Needed When Sailing or Racing Beachcats?

You need to have your own insurance. If you aren't trying to get damage coverage for your own boat(s) you can usually get the liability coverage you need through your car or home insurance. You still have time to set it up.

matt922 wrote: Is there insurance we can buy through the club on race day or is the only option to go through some other business to get some liability coverage?

Liability-only is dirt cheap. I believe it was this race that convinced me to get it back in the dark ages when nobody even talked about insurance. I decided to try my first port start, and things were looking good until Smythe came flying at me on starboard in his latest/greatest A Class Javelin HT Carbon Go Fast Whatever that cost like 20 times as much as my old Hobie 16. The light bulb went off....

Insurance is not that much, $90 per year thru my auto insurance company.

They gave me some discounts for boater education courses and past ownership.

The 5.0 would be in Open B and the P19MX in Open A. Come on out.

Good to know, still waiting on my registration info on the 5.0 from the state, but it should be in the mail.

I had no idea you needed insurance.. Is this mandatory? 🙁

matt922 wrote: Good to know, still waiting on my registration info on the 5.0 from the state, but it should be in the mail.

All my insurance people needed was a HIN.

landraider wrote: I had no idea you needed insurance.. Is this mandatory? 🙁

I suppose it would have to be in the NOR if it were mandatory. Doubt that's something that can be in SIs that you may not get until skipper's meeting.

That said, it is good form to be covered. No one "expects" accidents to happen. Even very experienced sailors get in situations where they don't see everything that's going on in time to keep clear. And I've seen some relationships ruined when folks didn't hold up their responsibilities after a collision (which presumably would be easier if insured).

I pay more now with full coverage, but when I had liability-only it was only about $50 a year. You're covered all year long, not just while racing, and it includes bodily injury. So you can let coastrat on your boat with his keg of PBR, and you'll be covered if he drops it on his toe!

So you can let coastrat on your boat with his keg of PBR, and you'll be covered if he drops it on his toe!

as if it were even possible for me to spill one drop of my precious necter of the gods!...every last molecule safely delivered to my oversized beerbelly...but i guess i could drop the EMPTY keg on my toe in a hurry to tap the next one...so you got me on that one..touche!

on a related note, i might just make the race afterall...watch out you stragglers! i'll be stalking you 😀

Edited by coastrat on Jun 27, 2013 - 05:21 PM.

[quote=coastrat]

watch out you stragglers! i'll be stalking you 😀

Oh No..... Coastrat's coming, watch out for the lightning.

watch out for the lightning.

my secret weapon...hail zeus!...it really only works when most of the other boats are NOT already safe at the club...i can't feel my legs since..or is it my arms? oh yeah baby.it's on.mayby.

I had no idea you needed insurance.. Is this mandatory?

I had this explained to me a while back. If you have homeowners insurance, it should provide liability for any beachcat that we deal with here. It is based on length of the boat and goes up to 25' or so. Problem is, it does not cover you if you race in a formal event. So if you are in a regatta, you would need insurance that did cover you for that.

Considering the cost of some of the F18s and the like, I would not want to damage one without coverage. I do not race, and I have checked my policy to make sure it contained the provision about boats. If you do race, it should be worth the cost.

[quote=makinmajik]I had this explained to me a while back. If you have homeowners insurance, it should provide liability for any beachcat that we deal with here. It is based on length of the boat and goes up to 25' or so. Problem is, it does not cover you if you race in a formal event. So if you are in a regatta, you would need insurance that did cover you for that.

Not to contradict, but just add a caution to anyone reading this thread.......

Some insurance provisions vary widely among the states and companies, so everyone should be careful to make sure they know what they have or are getting. Any agent worth his salt should not only be able to tell you but show you exactly in your policy what is (and is not) covered.

Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mississippi

 

landraider wrote: I had no idea you needed insurance.. Is this mandatory? 🙁

It's pretty simple - If you can cut a check that will not bounce for 30,000.00 and it wont hurt your bottom line then NO, you dont need insurance....................

Ok, just my opinion get insurance, boat insurance is super cheap, race insurance is not that much more. I had it with my home owners but they called it a hebie cat. I went with Boat US, a little more money and if I wanted to participate in regattas (they knew what a regatta was!) it was more money but not a lot more.

So, if you own anything, I mean any equity in a house or any retirement savings get some boat insurance. When not IF you make a mistake the insurance will save your ass-ets.

Long story short, a fleet was sued when one of its officers was in a car accident, he told the police he was on fleet business. Yup someone not related to sailing got hurt and entire membership of the fleet was sued. Those with insurance were covered and the legal fees were taken care of, those without were paying attorneys out the wazoo. JMHO, YMMV, Ricardo.

It absolutely needed IMO. State Farm for $10k in full coverage is $175 pear year for me. Makes you feel a lot better about what could happen.

I had no idea you needed insurance.. Is this mandatory?

It actually depends on the race

There are many small local or "casual" races (like around here) that may or may not be run by a club or association that don't even create a proper NOR

many of these races and boats do not require nor carry any insurance.

Thank you all for the guidance. I got set up for 100 bucks a year. Super easy. They asked a bunch of questions about where my boat was stored, and "will the boat be raced in anything other than sailing regattas?" Pretty cool that they actually had the Make, and model in a database, and had their own "value" that was not too far out of line. It's prob a waste of $100 bucks, but nice to have just in case.

So. long story short, I'm covered up to 50k. 😎

as i recall, if your boat is at home, a homeowner's policy covers it if something falls on it, like a limb (been there.) if you're pulling it with your car, your auto policy should cover it.

4 years ago, i left my cat on the beach overnight and a storm (derecho) came thru during the night and flipped it off the beach and into the lake upside down, where we found it the next morning (out in the middle) with the mast bent into an 'L', tillers broken, dents and scratches on the port hull. i had just bought boater's insurance 2 weeks earlier and due to the 'act of God' clause, was able to repair, replace and put it back together. $140 gave me over $3,200 of settlement.

i certainly didn't expect that storm. i wasn't sailing or racing (or even at the lake) but i'm really glad i spent the $ for the coverage. i recommend buying it.
j

makinmajik wrote:

I had no idea you needed insurance.. Is this mandatory?

I had this explained to me a while back. If you have homeowners insurance, it should provide liability for any beachcat that we deal with here. It is based on length of the boat and goes up to 25' or so. Problem is, it does not cover you if you race in a formal event. So if you are in a regatta, you would need insurance that did cover you for that.

Considering the cost of some of the F18s and the like, I would not want to damage one without coverage. I do not race, and I have checked my policy to make sure it contained the provision about boats. If you do race, it should be worth the cost.

But.... You still may want to check with your insurance as many homeowners policed have changed...

But.... You still may want to check with your insurance as many homeowners policed have changed...

As a matter of fact John, I am going to be talking to AAA about moving my car and house to them this weekend and that will be one question that gets asked. It is still in my current policy but I do want to make sure it is in the new one also.

I have about $2k in Pooh Cat and full coverage would seem a bit of overkill, but if a storm were to blow it into another boat or camper I would want to know it was covered. I saw a bunch of cats flipped by a storm recently and although the boats sustained a lot of damage, none of them hit anything else. It did get me to thinking though.

makinmajik wrote:

But.... You still may want to check with your insurance as many homeowners policed have changed...

As a matter of fact John, I am going to be talking to AAA about moving my car and house to them this weekend and that will be one question that gets asked. It is still in my current policy but I do want to make sure it is in the new one also.

I have about $2k in Pooh Cat and full coverage would seem a bit of overkill, but if a storm were to blow it into another boat or camper I would want to know it was covered. I saw a bunch of cats flipped by a storm recently and although the boats sustained a lot of damage, none of them hit anything else. It did get me to thinking though.

Let me know what you find out...

Thanks

Here is what most of you seem to be missing - It's not YOUR boat that you need to worry about if you are racing, It's that Damn ACR 22 or some other high dollar boat that you run over in that mess called the Pre Start Jockeying for position. You have 10-60 boats all in a congested area waiting on the gun. Sometimes shit happens and sometimes its your fault!! Remember you need to know all of the rules of the road when in that mess too. Just because you are on a Starboard Tack does not mean you have 'right of way'

How about a link to such rules of the road for a refresher?
Thanks! Curtis 🙂

How about a link to such rules of the road for a refresher?

tons of resources online
http://www.fremontsailingclub.org/sailing/BeginnersGuide.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqTiHosXkqQ

http://www.gslyc.org/PDF/SIMPLIFIED%20RACING%20RULES%20FOR%20BEGINNERS.pdf

Remember you need to know all of the rules of the road when in that mess too. Just because you are on a Starboard Tack does not mean you have 'right of way'

If you are new, and want to race ... and don't know all the rules, you can (and should) still race.
Just let them know you are new, stay back and don't fight for position on the line, and you will probably learn more at every race than you will ever learn reading ....

arch wrote: as i recall, if your boat is at home, a homeowner's policy covers it if something falls on it, like a limb (been there.) if you're pulling it with your car, your auto policy should cover it.
j

There is very limited coverage for a boat in a homeowners policy that is included at no charge ($1,000 in many instances). One could be easily disappointed if he assumes there is coverage on his homeowners. The statement about the car pulling it and it being damaged is usually incorrect. (Sorry to contradict.) The coverage the auto policy extends is usually for liability only, not damage to the boat. Most Homeowners will cover it for collision damage but, again, the limit may only be $1,000 whether it is wind or collision. Theft may have very specific limitations. By scheduling it and paying a premium, it is covered for it's market value and the perils are relatively broad.... "perils of the sea".....just about any thing accidental......I read policies that apply in several states, real exciting , eh?.

Don't expect a boat that is damaged to be covered unless it is scheduled on homeowners policy. Ask yourself this: Would I kick myself for not spending $30 or $70 a year on an item that is worth $4,000 after it is totaled? Costs are geographically specific.

As to Liability insurance on the boat: If your house has a mortgage higher than it's worth, your cards are all maxed, there is no money until next pay day, you are already being garnished .....you don't need liability. If you do, indeed, keep a few bucks in the bank, add money to a retirement account, etc.... you are classified as "collectable" in the eyes of an attorney. The liability premium is cheap when/if some joker decides he's "injured" and you are his lottery ticket.

It is worth a short conversation with your Homeowners agent.

Just my humble opinion; I could be wrong in a few cases, but that's the way many policies read. Racing has it's own set of rules.

I have to agree that for the price you can't beat it. For not a whole lot extra you can add towing insurance for your boat and trailer, so if you break down on land or water there are no worries. I've found that I tend to sail the boat harder knowing that if I destroy it, I will probably get more than what I paid for it:)