Watercraft & Boat Insurance

If you live in Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, or the surrounding areas you might enjoy cruising the bay on your boat. Don't get caught at sea without good boat owner’s coverage.

Every boat has a different story. You can put together a boat insurance policy that fits your style and your personal watercraft perfectly.

Why do you need insurance for your boat or personal watercraft?
You'll enjoy the water even more when you're not worried about the safety of yourself, your passengers or your investment. Here are a few things to consider:

• If you're in an accident or your watercraft is stolen, it costs money, often a lot of money, to fix or replace it.
• If you or any passengers are injured in an accident, medical costs can be extremely expensive.
• If your watercraft is responsible for damage or injury to others, you may be sued for much more than you're worth.
• Your watercraft also needs protection when it's on land. Accidents can happen while towing a watercraft.

How We Cover You
There's no way around it: When you're out on the water there's always a chance that something might go wrong. One of the most important things you can do is make sure you'll have help with medical bills if you should get hurt in an accident.

Medical Payments Coverage
If you or someone in your household gets injured on a boat covered on your policy, this coverage typically helps take care of the medical expenses.

When you're in the boat, you're covered-and so are your passengers. Water-skiers being pulled behind the boat are also covered. If you or your passengers should get injured by another boat while swimming near your boat, Medical Payments coverage typically kicks in then, too. The limit you choose for this coverage will decide how much that coverage will be.

How We Cover Your Boat
When something goes wrong, good boat insurance coverage could mean the difference between sinking and swimming.

Physical Damage Coverage
This optional coverage typically takes care of your boat, motor, and trailer all the time-when you're storing it, hauling it, launching it, or out on the water. If it's stolen, vandalized, or damaged by wind, hail, lightning, fire, or explosion, this coverage can help. It also covers emergency service (up to $100), wreck removal, and other boat equipment.

You can choose a different amount of Physical Damage coverage for each boat on your boat insurance policy. You'll also need to choose a deductible. (If you have to file a claim, that's the amount of money you'll need to pay before your coverage kicks in.) You can pick a different deductible for each boat on your policy.

How We Cover the Rest: If you're in an accident, there's a good chance someone else was involved. And if you're at fault, you'll want strong liability coverage.

Watercraft Liability Coverage
Even the safest boat operator can have a bad day. And this coverage typically makes a big difference if you or someone else in your household has a boating or jet ski accident that:

• damages a dock,
• damages another boat, or
• injures someone else (including a swimmer or water skier).

Things to consider and questions to ask your agent

Here are a few things to consider as you prepare for the discussion:

• How much can you afford to pay if your boat or personal watercraft is in an accident, damaged or stolen?
• Is my boat or watercraft covered for use year-round?
• What discounts and programs are available?
• How much medical insurance and liability coverage is enough?
• Do I have coverage if I need to have my boat towed in an emergency?
• What's the process for filing and settling a claim?
• Does the insurance company have a good reputation for customer service? Is it known for paying claims fairly and promptly?

Home and auto insurance policies may provide limited coverage for personal watercraft. Talk to your insurance representative about coverage limits. You may want to consider purchasing a personal watercraft policy to protect yourself and your water vehicle in the event of an accident.

The personal watercraft policy covers:

• bodily injury
• property damage
• guest passenger liability
• medical payments
• theft

Liability limits start at $15,000 and can be increased to $300,000. Typical policies include deductibles of $250 for property damage, $500 for theft and $1,000 for medical payments. Additional coverage can also be purchased for trailers and other accessories. You should talk to your insurance representative about the type of coverage that would best suit your needs.