Insurance companies that cover winter swing mooring

[Goonerboy]

Hi all,

My son has agreed a price on a 18ft motor boat and secured a swing mooring on the River Fal. However, we cannot find an insurance company that covers winter in-water mooring - they all want the boat ashore overnight: can anyone recommend an insurance company that covers in-water mooring in the winter please ?

Thanks in advance
Paul

 

[Tranona]

Welcome to the forum

I think you have answered your own question. There probably is not an insurer that will cover winter afloat in that location. They all work to the same basic rule so if you have been rejected by several that is probably a good indication that the risk is too high.

 

[ashtead]

Insurance is about a balanced portfolio of risks -if generally the market doesn’t cover then if the insurer accepted it would soon have an unbalanced portfolio of risks as all sorts would be piling in. You see this particularly in motor insurance and modifications for example -keeping you boat on the mooring is the marine equivalent of rechipping and large exhausts with altered suspension and tyres to summarise so deeply worrying to underwriters. If you visit Portchester or parts of Chichester harbour after a storm in the winter you can often seen the vessel ashore still attached to the concrete block and I guess this doesn’t make it attractive proposition.

 

[oldbloke]

I know that plenty of boats stay afloat through the winter along the south west coast, although I can't speak for Falmouth as I haven't been there in the winter. I would speak to a local insurance broker who will know what is what

 

[Snowgoose-1]

If acceptable, and dependant on UK area, you may be able to get third party insurance.

That and using scrubbing posts for maintenance was my case in the early years.

 

[Goonerboy]

Welcome to the forum

I think you have answered your own question. There probably is not an insurer that will cover winter afloat in that location. They all work to the same basic rule so if you have been rejected by several that is probably a good indication that the risk is too high.

Location isn’t (yet) the problem - the companies that come up in google all seem to have the same exclusion without even putting any details in

 

[Hacker]

I used to keep our Crabber on a swing mooring off the Greenbank. When I first tried to insure her (with Y yachts) they wanted her out between Oct and March. I said that it wasn’t what we wanted, they then offered Nov to Feb. I said we wanted her all year and we were on an all-chain mooring. They agreed and didn’t increase the premium. Moral; try asking and see what they say.

 

[B27]

It varies a little from company to company, but also location and type of boat.
where I am, I can get 12 month insurance for a sailing yacht, my mate's outboard boat has to come out.
Where I am, the club asks to see insurance cover, so a discreet enquiry about who other people insure with might be useful.

 

[webcraft]

If acceptable, and dependant on UK area, you may be able to get third party insurance.

That and using scrubbing posts for maintenance was my case in the early years.

I have 3rd party insurance all year round all European waters £160

- W

 

[Goonerboy]

I have 3rd party insurance all year round all European waters £160

- W

If you don’t mind me asking, which insurance company did you use for this ?

 

[webcraft]

If you don’t mind me asking, which insurance company did you use for this ?

Bishop Skinner

 

[Tranona]

Location isn’t (yet) the problem - the companies that come up in google all seem to have the same exclusion without even putting any details in

That is normal. Computer algorithms only accept the simple enquiries and insurance of any kind on a swinging mooring in winter is exceptional. I assume you are a first time insurer and if so you will find a small motorboat on a swinging mooring difficult to insure even in summer. As suggested use an independent broker rather than trying to find an insurer direct.

 

[oldbloke]

The marine insurance business is not like car insurance, the companies are actually quite small and approachable. As has been suggested, speak to a local broker, but even if you ring Noble or Craftinsure etc you will speak to a knowledgeable person, not a call centre in Mumbai, to discuss the issue

 

[chris-s]

Our boat is kept on a swing mooring in the Fal for half the year, just off Pill Creek, no way would I want it left there over the winter once those southerly blows roll thru, they can be bad enough in the summer.
I would se if you can keep it in or around Falmouth/Penryn area for the winter, a lot more protected.

 

[Laysula]

Some years ago we moved our boat to Holyhead marina. Our insurer at the time declined to cover us during winter and wanted the boat either ashore or somewhere more secure.
As it turned out.................How right they were.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/catastrophic-failure-led-holyhead-marina-14364280

Lesson to be learn't
If insurance companies don't want to insure you in a particular location then it's probably best to moor somewhere else.

 

[Goonerboy]

Our boat is kept on a swing mooring in the Fal for half the year, just off Pill Creek, no way would I want it left there over the winter once those southerly blows roll thru, they can be bad enough in the summer.
I would se if you can keep it in or around Falmouth/Penryn area for the winter, a lot more protected.

 

[Goonerboy]

Thank you for the intel. The mooring is with Greenbank hotel - looks more sheltered on map view but I don’t know the weather patterns etc - do you think that is sheltered enough ?

 

[Graham376]

Winter cover increasingly hard to find these days. We have fully comp on mooring 12 months in service but not UK, with N & G via Topsail. Not cheap though £500+ with double excess Oct - March was cheapest quote this year.

 

[stranded]

This was Pants’ reply when I asked about our move to year round trot/swing morning on the Dart:

“Thank you for your email of 08/12/2020. The terms and conditions of the insurance do not specify any particular mooring requirements or restrictions. As such, provided that the vessel remains in the cruising area noted on the policy [Baltic to Black Sea] the vessel remains covered in or out of the water for the 12 month period of the insurance.”

 

[Hacker]

Thank you for the intel. The mooring is with Greenbank hotel - looks more sheltered on map view but I don’t know the weather patterns etc - do you think that is sheltered enough ?

As I said above that’s where we moored. It’s fine unless you get an easterly then it can get bouncy. All the moorings are full chain so chafe isn’t an issue. We had Molly on there when a F8 easterly came through a couple of years ago. I live on the seafront and could see the mooring, so could keep an eye on here. Everything was fine. Which is your boat?