Boat insurance, towing etc

[glasgowdan]

Who do you use to insure your boat while towing?

I know the following:

Third party damage caused by the boat/trailer: Car policy.

Damage to the boat/trailer when parked, stored or at sea: Boat policy.

Damage to the boat IN TRANSIT (this isn't towing, but freight/haulage transit): Boat policy.

BUT, cost of damage/loss of the boat/trailer whilst towing due to trailer failures hitch failure etc... ???

The latter is NOT covered by standard marine boat or car insurance. E.g. Porthcawl do NOT cover damages to the boat/trailer while being towed. Someone I know had their boat turn into a fireball on the road and had zero recourse despite having a comp car and boat policy.

I see insure4boats can add this as an extra. Anyone else?

Thanks

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by glasgowdan

Who do you use to insure your boat while towing?



I know the following:



Third party damage caused by the boat/trailer: Car policy.



Damage to the boat/trailer when parked, stored or at sea: Boat policy.



Damage to the boat IN TRANSIT (this isn't towing, but freight/haulage transit): Boat policy.



BUT, cost of damage/loss of the boat/trailer whilst towing due to trailer failures hitch failure etc... ???



The latter is NOT covered by standard marine boat or car insurance. E.g. Porthcawl do NOT cover damages to the boat/trailer while being towed. Someone I know had their boat turn into a fireball on the road and had zero recourse despite having a comp car and boat policy.



I see insure4boats can add this as an extra. Anyone else?



Thanks

Mercia Marine.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Mercia Marine.

I was insured with Bishop Skinner for a few years, & then one day whilst reading the policy (slow day) I noticed a clause that said that damage to boat whilst being removed or recovered onto its conveyance, wasn’t covered. I.e. they didn’t cover damage sustained during launch & recovery. So they got binned. I’ve been with Mercia ever since. They are “proper” underwriters that can tweak their policies to suit. They have been very good, not the cheapest but you get what you pay for with insurance.

[beamishken]

Just looked at my rib policy with Craftinsure.com & it states the boat is covered while being towed & during launch & recovery. It doesn't cover third party damage whilst being towed but that should be covered by the car insurance. I've also needed extra cover from craftinsure & a quick call & they have covered things not in their standard policy. They are cheap but we've also had a couple of claims which they settled promptly & fairly.

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[fastasfox]

I have been around long enough to know that there is no more crooked organisation than an insurance company.
I too am insured with insure4boats.. I must check my policy.

[beerbelly]

Originally Posted by glasgowdan

Who do you use to insure your boat while towing?

I know the following:

Third party damage caused by the boat/trailer: Car policy.

Damage to the boat/trailer when parked, stored or at sea: Boat policy.

Damage to the boat IN TRANSIT (this isn't towing, but freight/haulage transit): Boat policy.

BUT, cost of damage/loss of the boat/trailer whilst towing due to trailer failures hitch failure etc... ???

The latter is NOT covered by standard marine boat or car insurance. E.g. Porthcawl do NOT cover damages to the boat/trailer while being towed. Someone I know had their boat turn into a fireball on the road and had zero recourse despite having a comp car and boat policy.

I see insure4boats can add this as an extra. Anyone else?

Thanks

im in the process of insurance renewal and had a very easy very low quote from insure4boat after answering about 4 questions on there online quote page . so cheap i checked out reviews on trustpilot lots of very positive reviews mainly from new customers praising how easy it was to take out a policy then checked the 1 star reviews and these were mainly from folk who held insurance and were either trying to make a claim without success due to small print issues one being a guy in Scotland who found out he was not covered because he did not boat out of uk water so put England down as his mooring area there was no uk option and Scotland is not England so the claim was refused and policy cancelled .and folk complaining the monthly payment option was through a 3rd party loan company with less than honourable methods if a payment was late . all in all ill pay a hundred or so more and go elsewhere

[fastasfox]

Originally Posted by beerbelly

im in the process of insurance renewal and had a very easy very low quote from insure4boat after answering about 4 questions on there online quote page . so cheap i checked out reviews on trustpilot lots of very positive reviews mainly from new customers praising how easy it was to take out a policy then checked the 1 star reviews and these were mainly from folk who held insurance and were either trying to make a claim without success due to small print issues one being a guy in Scotland who found out he was not covered because he did not boat out of uk water so put England down as his mooring area there was no uk option and Scotland is not England so the claim was refused and policy cancelled .and folk complaining the monthly payment option was through a 3rd party loan company with less than honourable methods if a payment was late . all in all ill pay a hundred or so more and go elsewhere

The thing is you can go ahead and get more expensive insurance and they will still pull your pants down.

In truth most of us don't go over our policy small print in any great detail wiith the hope we never need to make a claim.

I'm with insure4boats and read in the small print that between November and March the boat must be kept in a secured compound and not on a mooring...not a problem for me but those of you that live by the coast I guess this could be inconvenient.

[A1an]

Originally Posted by beamishken

Just looked at my rib policy with Craftinsure.com & it states the boat is covered while being towed & during launch & recovery. It doesn't cover third party damage whilst being towed but that should be covered by the car insurance. I've also needed extra cover from craftinsure & a quick call & they have covered things not in their standard policy. They are cheap but we've also had a couple of claims which they settled promptly & fairly.

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Cheap?

I’ve just had a quote off them and I thought I was buying shares in the company!

[spartacus]

Originally Posted by A1an

Cheap?

I’ve just had a quote off them and I thought I was buying shares in the company!

Knock-off your Axminster deep pile and the gold leaf lettering and ask for a re-quote!

I’ve always found them pretty reasonable, and usually no overnight berthing, but they have covered me on overnight mooring for a fortnight at a time at a pretty reasonable cost.

Back to the OP, if the worst happens and you have a knock while towing, and either the car or the trailer isn’t going anywhere, then car cover as in breakdown cover is just as crucial. I’ve got AA Relay which will take me and the trailer anywhere in the UK.

[fastasfox]

Originally Posted by spartacus

Knock-off your Axminster deep pile and the gold leaf lettering and ask for a re-quote!

I’ve always found them pretty reasonable, and usually no overnight berthing, but they have covered me on overnight mooring for a fortnight at a time at a pretty reasonable cost.

Back to the OP, if the worst happens and you have a knock while towing, and either the car or the trailer isn’t going anywhere, then car cover as in breakdown cover is just as crucial. I’ve got AA Relay which will take me and the trailer anywhere in the UK.

Just a footnote but you say your breakdown service will recover you and your trailer which they will.... but if it's your trailer that has the fault then you're on your own.
I would double check With the AA and if your right let me know because I had a hub collapse (just purchased) and the RAC left me my wife and young son stranded on a small cornish country road.

[spartacus]

Originally Posted by fastasfox

I would double check with the AA and if your right let me know because I had a hub collapse (just purchased) and the RAC left me my wife and young son stranded on a small cornish country road.

Details here:
https://www.theaa.com/breakdown-cover/how-our-cover-works

Relay will take car and trailer to any mainland UK destination (7 people). Restrictions, quarter mile away from home on breakdown, doesn't cover ferry fares, commercial towing, livestock, etc.

This was me last year. Broken coil spring. I'm spanner handy, but no tools, on west coast. Quattro drive so need flatbed. Lucily managed to get it fixed in a few days.

[fastasfox]

Originally Posted by spartacus

Details here:
https://www.theaa.com/breakdown-cove...ur-cover-works

Relay will take car and trailer to any mainland UK destination (7 people). Restrictions, quarter mile away from home on breakdown, doesn't cover ferry fares, commercial towing, livestock, etc.

This was me last year. Broken coil spring. I'm spanner handy, but no tools, on west coast. Quattro drive so need flatbed. Lucily managed to get it fixed in a few days.

5 year's back I came across one of the RAC sales reps in the entrance to Asda and as I needed cover i took out a policy I told him I do a lot of towing so needed cover on both trailer and car no matter which breaks down...he said i would be covered. And like I said a hub collapsed. I called them and after first setting the recovery up they then called me back to say I would have to pay for the recovery....long story short they shafted me.
I'm now with the AA so what you stated interested me as I now know no matter if it's my car caravan or boat trailers they breaks down I know I can get home....cheers Bud.

[Limecc]

Originally Posted by fastasfox

I'm now with the AA so what you stated interested me as I now know no matter if it's my car caravan or boat trailers they breaks down I know I can get home....cheers Bud.

Bigplumbs had a wheel fall off his boat trailer and the AA charged him £954 to recover it.
Bought a New to me Boat and the Wheel Fell Off


AA are no better than the RAC. Therefore this year I switched to Autoaid as recommended by moneysavingexpert Martin Lewis. Green Flag also cover trailer breakdowns.

https://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/p...eakdown-cover/
https://www.greenflag.com/breakdown-...aravan-trailer

[Peter_C]

Originally Posted by Limecc

Bigplumbs had a wheel fall off his boat trailer and the AA charged him £954 to recover it.

A spare hub, spindle, bearing(s) and tools are a heck of a lot cheaper. Plus you can be back on the road in half an hour. Unless one owns a tandem trailer, a spare tire is pretty nice to have. With the spare tire mounted on the spare hub, mounted to the trailer frame on a spare spindle, I can change a hub/tire about as fast as I can change a tire.

Here in the USA I had to carry an additional policy to cover the Correct Craft Nautique Super Air for towing on the road. The policy wasn't cheap but the boat was expensive too, and my bigger fear was hitting something with the trailer/boat, not a break down as it was a tandem axle. Tie one wheel up with a ratcheting tie down and continue on...I've also been carrying a small compressor and a plug kit for decades in all our vehicles, and used them a fair amount mostly helping friends out, but have done a few repairs for ourselves. Better than putting a mini spare on when traveling long distances at high speeds. The plugs can always be removed to insert a plug patch down the road, if one desires.

Insurance is a gamble. How many times have you had your vehicle towed in the last 10 years? Now compare it to the cost of paying towing over 10 years, vs paying for a tow if needed? For most folks the insurance companies win or they wouldn't offer free towing. If one owns a jalopy then the tow insurance makes sense.

[beerbelly]

i have mayday personal cover through the caravan club. its through greenflag .i had only taken the policy out a week and lost a wheel off my boat trailer between ullapool and lochinver and they sent a truck out that recovered my boat and trailer to a compound in ullapool while i continued to the campsite .i returned to the compound the next day with a borrowed hub and took the boat to the campsite for the fortnight then they came and picked it up from the campsite and it was relayed home for me at the end of my holiday. fabulous service that i have renewed every year since

[Pikey Dave]

Re. Breakdown cover. We have Green Flag. If you buy direct from green flag retail, it will cover any trailer being towed by the covered vehicle as long as it’s legal.
If you buy as a bolt on to your car insurance or buy via a price comparison site, trailer cover may not be included. The bolt ons/comparison site policies are “Green Flag lite”, whereas if you buy direct from GF, it costs slightly more, but you get the “Full Fat” version. We’ve had very good service from GF in the past, including abroad.

[A1an]

My AA policy came up for renewal last week, it was up to something like £29/month, been with them since 2007 but never needed their assistance. I phoned up to cancel the policy and move to green flag, they reduced the cost to £18/month there and then. I still cancelled, as a long time member with no call-outs I should’ve been paying that anyway.

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by A1an

Cheap?



I’ve just had a quote off them and I thought I was buying shares in the company!

Thats weird I just put the details of both boats I currently have insured with craftinsure into insure4boats (who claim to be the cheapest), the rib was more expensive as was the hard boat. The hard boat is insured with craftinsure for a swing mooring here in Scotland & insure4boats would only qoute for a marina berth which was still more expensive heres my two policies which I think are pretty reasonable considering. I also have the peace of mind that I know of 5 claims they settled very fairly. Heres the details of my cover as examples top one is the rib bottom is cruiser

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[glasgowdan]

I've been through the details now.

I got a quote from craftinsure for £150 for my 15ft cuddy boat, and £200 from insure4boats.

Both of these include cover for loss/damages to the trailer/boat. The craftinsure cover I had to quote based on it being a speedboat as their dayboat speed limit is 23 knots and my wee boat will do 28


Porthcawl simply do not cover this at all.

Very tricky getting underwriters to stop saying "in transit" and say "while towing"!

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by glasgowdan

I've been through the details now.

I got a quote from craftinsure for £150 for my 15ft cuddy boat, and £200 from insure4boats.

Both of these include cover for loss/damages to the trailer/boat. The craftinsure cover I had to quote based on it being a speedboat as their dayboat speed limit is 23 knots and my wee boat will do 28


Porthcawl simply do not cover this at all.

Very tricky getting underwriters to stop saying "in transit" and say "while towing"!

You can ring craftinsure & speak directly to a knowledgeable person and discuss options of cover. As standard they don't cover swing moorings in Scotland but I rang them & for a small increase in premium they gave me the extra cover. I wouldn't hesitate to ring if you have specific requirements or want clarification.

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