WhitCo Insurance Boat Insurance: Your Ship Could Be Sunk Without It
If you’re a responsible Florida driver, you wouldn’t get behind the wheel without proper auto insurance coverage. If you own a boat, watercraft, or jet ski, hitting the water without adequate boat insurance is no less risky.
Memorial Day (end of May) is traditionally considered the start of boating season. Here in Florida, it starts earlier than that. It’s never too early to start preparing for a great boating season, as owning a boat comes with unique risks and liabilities. As a responsible boat owner, you need to make sure you’ve got sufficient coverage to protect yourself, your family, property, and investments.
Boat & Watercraft Insurance: Coverage for Your Fellow Floridians
You have a responsibility to your water-faring neighbors, too. What would happen if you were found legally liable for an accident on the water involving damage to another’s person or property? Without adequate boat liability insurance, a cash judgment against you (along with associated legal fees) could easily force you into bankruptcy. This could hurt you and your loved ones greatly.
What Does Florida Boat Insurance Cover?
A Typical WhitCo Insurance Insurance Policy Covers the Most Common Risks Associated With Physical Damage to Your Boat:
Typical boat coverage also covers damage to a range of boat-related items and property. Such property includes the boat itself and motor and the trailer used to haul the craft to water. Equipment permanently affixed to the boat is also routinely covered, along with anchors, oars, trolling motors, extra fuel tanks, tools, removable canopies, seat cushions, life jackets, etc., preservers, skis and tow ropes, dinghies, and more.
Many insurance policies also cover labor costs for repairing and/or replacing your boat and associated equipment. And most policies provide basic liability coverage. Liability isn’t required by Florida law, but you risk losing everything without some degree of liability protection.
Bodily Injury Liability is an important coverage when you're on the water. If you get into an accident and injure someone, this is the coverage that will protect you. It will pay for the other party’s medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. The cost for your legal defense can come out of this coverage amount also. WhitCo Insurance can help you check your Florida boat coverage policy to ensure you have enough coverage to protect your assets.
Some boat and watercraft policies also cover damage done by uninsured boaters, akin to auto insurance. Uninsured Boater coverage protects you, your resident relatives, and occupants of an insured boat in the event of a bodily injury, including any resulting death sustained in an accident caused by the owner or operator of a boat that does not have insurance (Uninsured) to cover your injuries.
How Much Does Boat & Watercraft Insurance Cost?
Premium costs for a boat, jet skis, and watercraft policy will depend on the policy's agreed-upon values, chosen deductibles, insurability, and other factors such as size, type, and cost of the boat. These limits can be critical in the event of severe damage or of a total loss, so it’s important to choose carefully. In this way, boat coverage is quite similar to other insurance policy types, and WhitCo Insurance can help you in every way.
Does Florida Law Require Boat Insurance?
The short answer is “no.” However, Florida state law isn’t the only consideration here. For example, if you purchase your boat on loan, your lending institution will probably require you to carry boat coverage. If you store your boat at a marina or boatyard, said facility might require you to maintain a certain level of boat insurance. WhitCo Insurance is here to help you find the right insurance policy at the right price.
Why Comprehensive Insurance from WhitCo Insurance? It’s the Right Thing to Do
Finally, if you’re a responsible Tampa, Florida boat owner, carrying adequate insurance just makes sense. Protecting your passengers and your water-going neighbors with adequate insurance coverages is the right thing to do. Plus, a boat can represent a sizable investment. Even if you bought your boat with cash, could you afford just to throw that money away and buy a new boat if something happened?
Discounted Boat Insurance with Multiple WhitCo Insurance Policies
If you purchase boat coverage through WhitCo Insurance, you may qualify for discounted rates if you already have other insurance policies. Whether you’re already a WhitCo Insurance policyholder or not, ask us about multiple-policy discounts for bundling insurance with other policies. Some additional discounts and coverages may include:
- Accident forgiveness
- Roadside Assistance
- Boat Removal
- Boating Safety
