Insurance Recommendations

[Portofino]

Just used Craftsure as well for the first time this week closed the deal .
Yes a nice lady picks up the phone and they do ping info within mins across .
Once you get used to the “ e” ness of the thing navigating the web site once logged in it’s a delight to use .

Colemans ( been with them 16 yrs two boats ) £1100 at renewal . N+G ( Zurich) with the important for me anchor left unattended on recognised anchorages - marked on charts etc .ie not silent assumed in the catch all “ all risks “ #

Craft sure £620:+ an endorsement for Ligurian marina + Italian translated cert a tenner = total under £790 for virtually the same policy from N+G policy the anchor thingy identical.Minor changes I can live with as zero claims EVER .eg marina excess is £100 not zero, no pet insurance etc . But I added an extra £30 K value on to cover .
Not just staycation effect but gen Itama prices anyhow before all this market phrenetic activity.

GJW £950 for I think the std N+G with a £1000 excess .
N+G direct - eventually £1390 .Not sure what happened there ? I did recheck the info given .Can’t be bothered re contacting them to clarify .It took two hits to get that far and an apology for the delay a week before coming back with “ do you still want a quote “ Said yes and £1390 came back ! Quite a distinctive boat name , would have thought they would found other brokers quoting less ?? Held in the system? Dunno ?

Went back to Colemans laying out the other quotes for near as dam it same policy from same underwriters N+G ( Zurich) plus the extra 30 K s worth of cover .
4 days later they came back with the GJW identical £950 but I would need a brokers letter verification of the uplift in value .

The others never asked for the Bos .Problem is when I bought it winter 2014 , Coleman’s at the time requested the bos or I showed them it .Anyhow they know how much I paid .

I have been quite conservative with the value as regularly get offers either with walk by s in the marina or via the Itama club on social media .Even PYB of this parish has been in touch with buyers .

It would be impossible for me to get another using the 2014 bos as the payout limit .
And the hassle of sorting out a valuation FWIW on somebody’s official headed note paper .


Normally I do not spend a lot of time with this , but this year I have as previously insurance threads suggested it pays to shop around .They all seem to be peddling the N+G ( Zurich) .
Any minor changes which there are are insignificant to me .

 

[DavidJ]

Portofino
Ive been looking for some decent wording for the at anchor etc and not found one to my satisfaction. Topsail very vague and “It will be alright on the night” kind of approach. Curtis same.
sound like the words you have are exactly what I want.
Can I trouble you to cut and paste the words you have so I can take them to the broker.
I really don’t understand boat insurance where some folk can get the wording they want and others not but insured by the same company but different brokers.

 

[Portofino]

Portofino
Ive been looking for some decent wording for the at anchor etc and not found one to my satisfaction. Topsail very vague and “It will be alright on the night” kind of approach. Curtis same.
sound like the words you have are exactly what I want.
Can I trouble you to cut and paste the words you have so I can take them to the broker.
I really don’t understand boat insurance where some folk can get the wording they want and others not but insured by the same company but different brokers.

From the master policy https://www.zurich.co.uk/navigators-and-general/-/media/uk-nav-gen/docs/our-cover/722191.pdf
Craftsures version below the same .


2nd bullet point UP from the bottom ^ the “ recognised mooring “ bit In blue ink .




Unattended definition ^^^


Recognised “ mooring “ which inc “ or sheltered anchorage which appears on a marine publication …../ ……” etc etc .
Which for Med users going ashore as a family or U.K. its there in black and white .

My issue with the old Amlin based when i enquired through the broker Coleman’s they put me in touch with the underwriters who came back with a 1/2 way house .They played the “ good seaman ship “ card against in the sense it was bad practice to leave it unattended, but recognised say a family trip ashore so said depends .Depends on a lot of circumstances.I pushed them and yes played back returning the “ all risks“ JFM and others mocked me on .
Remember unlike JFM the rest of us are have zilch adversarial lawyers experience and unable to stomach a weasel word bun fight in a court .
They compromised with that within 1/ 2 hr to return and the vessel must remain in sight at all times they might consider it not bad seamanship.Might ?

Renewal followed with Coleman’s and presume they had on file my email chain + copies into Amlins .
They had a look around and found the N+G ( Zurich ) which as you see writes something in .

The problem I have and the brokers is calling the line between “ all risks “ and “ poor seamanship “
The “ poor seamanship “ is as open ended to cocking off to the underwriter as the “ all risks “ seemed to placate the forum as dustbin for any claim that’s not in exclusions .Many on here thought it’s ( anchoring and all doing ashore into town to a restaurant etc ) was not written as a exclusion so thus one is covered .
Thats not what Amlin said .They said they can’t list every excursion ad infinitum …..babbling on about common sense and “ good seamanship “ .

This anchorage is marked on charts / publications etc .
Picture the scene here in this vid a typical Med day out .

Mrs P + me take the tender for a trip ashore or round the island . Momentarily our of “ line of sight “
Friends arrive and anchor on the other side and invite us to lunch ( we are out of sight for an hr or so ) Too busy to move loose our spot .
Friends turn up and he lends Mrs P + I his jet ski …..we bomb off innocently for 1/2hr

An idiot smacks into my boat and dislodges its anchor ………..while we left the boat “ unattended “:
I write up the claim………..and the previous ins co starts to wriggle out .

Thing is we had no intention of leaving the boat “ unattended “;when we woke up , LIFE just happens .

 

[DavidJ]

Than you so much Portofino
I can pick out from that by substitution.
We will not pay out any claims arising from being stranded sunk or swamped or breaking adrift while not being in a position to monitor the insured property and be not in a position to go to its immediate aid in the event of an incident or external interference except on a recognised mooring, sheltered anchorage which appears in a chart, almanac etc.
I guess that’s as good as it gets

Thanks

I edit
So to put it another way
As long as you are on a recognised mooring we will pay out for being stranded sunk etc whilst unattended……Oh no!! that‘s far too straightforward to be acceptable

 

[dune16]

I actually signed up with craftinsure when my new med boat arrived but the main policy showed the boats home berth as the UK. I tried to get them to change this to Spain but they were unable to. Instead they said the supplemental endorsement document overrides the main policy document. I didn't fancy any possible complication of explaining this to Spanish authorities if required so cancelled the policy with the 14 day cooling off period and went with Bishop Skinner. Craftinsure were super helpful....until that point

 

[ontheplane]

I have used GJW when I needed to claim and they were excellent. Can't say more than that!

 

[Elessar]

I actually signed up with craftinsure when my new med boat arrived but the main policy showed the boats home berth as the UK. I tried to get them to change this to Spain but they were unable to. Instead they said the supplemental endorsement document overrides the main policy document. I didn't fancy any possible complication of explaining this to Spanish authorities if required so cancelled the policy with the 14 day cooling off period and went with Bishop Skinner. Craftinsure were super helpful....until that point

I had exactly the same when I bought my boat in Corsica. Clear endorsement to cover it there until I brought her home.
How much extra did you have to pay to have exactly the same thing but on one piece of paper instead of two? I had no problem in any port.

 

[DavidJ]

I actually signed up with craftinsure when my new med boat arrived but the main policy showed the boats home berth as the UK. I tried to get them to change this to Spain but they were unable to. Instead they said the supplemental endorsement document overrides the main policy document. I didn't fancy any possible complication of explaining this to Spanish authorities if required so cancelled the policy with the 14 day cooling off period and went with Bishop Skinner. Craftinsure were super helpful....until that point

Thanks
Thats not something I would normally check.
I‘ll ask the question when I’m next getting quotes and I would be happy to go to another broker and pay a little more not to have that complication because at the end of the day the UK is not my home port so I shouldn’t agree to it.
With Brexit and EU VAT and all I really don’t need a certificate showing UK being my home berth. My Spanish is not good enough to explain to the Guardia Civil that the endorsement overrides the certificate.

 

[Portofino]

I actually signed up with craftinsure when my new med boat arrived but the main policy showed the boats home berth as the UK. I tried to get them to change this to Spain but they were unable to. Instead they said the supplemental endorsement document overrides the main policy document. I didn't fancy any possible complication of explaining this to Spanish authorities if required so cancelled the policy with the 14 day cooling off period and went with Bishop Skinner. Craftinsure were super helpful....until that point

When was this ?
They as my post explained do an endorsement to change the home port / cruising ground to where ever .
Clearly say in the no nonsense T+c s somewhere £10 for a another language cert .

Also the nice lady on the phone when I came to pay up said two ways ….
1- I can do it now over the phone
2- I can send you a email and you click on the payment link and save £10 ie get a £10 reduction.
This is because you are not tying up staff phaffing on the phone doing something these days tech can do on line .


Additionally with the low overheads techi solution you can log in and amend details on line .

No need to phone the broker = less staff overheads = less % cut commission of the chuffing same N+G ( Zurich) policy they are all touting about .

Think travel agent buying BA flight tickets in the 90:s .Now think easyjets buying experience with the internet the staff overheads etc etc .A flights a flight same 737 same destinations etc .But different prices .

 

[Portofino]

Thanks
Thats not something I would normally check.
I‘ll ask the question when I’m next getting quotes and I would be happy to go to another broker and pay a little more not to have that complication because at the end of the day the UK is not my home port so I shouldn’t agree to it.

Not sure what Dune 16 on about ?
My summary below self explanatory re home port .

Than you so much Portofino
I can pick out from that by substitution.
We will not pay out any claims arising from being stranded sunk or swamped or breaking adrift while not being in a position to monitor the insured property and be not in a position to go to its immediate aid in the event of an incident or external interference except on a recognised mooring, sheltered anchorage which appears in a chart, almanac etc.
I guess that’s as good as it gets

Thanks

I edit
So to put it another way
As long as you are on a recognised mooring we will pay out for being stranded sunk etc whilst unattended……Oh no!! that‘s far too straightforward to be acceptable

Just seen the edit .
Yes .
I pushed them further ( you know me guys ) twisting the knife I said …..” how long ? “
What came back was there words you could leave it , we have clients that anchor up on a recognised mooring on a chart etc a few days would fine say you fly home for a few days for a family bereavement .How ever months left unattended and we would refute playing the irresponsible seaman ship card .Fair enought.

I just want to have lunch or forage for provisions .How ever should something untoward happen and that night you could not return to your boat on a “recognised anchorage on a publication “ Then at least the boats covered one less thing to sort out from your hospital bed after been knocked down by a scooter .


About 10 yrs ago when the kids were @school,and fam hols etc .
First trip out not far May 1/2T to anchor and clean up the sterngear ( Portofino 35 days ) we anchored masked up my son + myself armed with scrapers etc jumped in and low and behold about 1 m under our keel a sunken mobo .Off Theuole sur Mer .

July arrives = fam Hol we pootle to the Lerins islands off Cannes anchor in the middle as above .Yep no kidding another sunken mo bo .

August arrives time for another school hol fam trip .A biggie we shoot off to Corsica in the 37 ft Sun Squeaker .
Calvi is bun fight busy we get in but it’s heaving crowded ( last week in August ) .
Next day all provisioned up we head down the W coast .I studied the charts .By lunch we find a huge wide sheltered bay with a Sandy beach to die for .Hill top village at one end .A v small fishing harbour , you know open day boat type .
No one else .Fine forecast etc .
Perfect place dead calm ideal to spend the night .Anchor up get the tender out etc Geny on to cook etc .
Really hot one of those 40 + *c weeks in Paris where they hire refrigerated trucks as temporary mortuaries to store the dead old folks - that hot ,
Time for a family swim and cool off as the Sun dips .
Yup .Another wrecked mo bo under us .
This one was not “ fresh “ someone had removed the engine cylinder heads .

So 3 out of 3 hat trick of sunk mo bo s .

It happens .

 

[gravygraham]

I’m currently boatless but my last two vessels were covered by CraftInsure. I had a claim (my fault) that was dealt with efficiently. Will probably use them again.

 

[Sandyshore]

Nautical competitive and helpful worth contacting.

 

[dune16]

When was this ?
They as my post explained do an endorsement to change the home port / cruising ground to where ever .
Clearly say in the no nonsense T+c s somewhere £10 for a another language cert .

Also the nice lady on the phone when I came to pay up said two ways ….
1- I can do it now over the phone
2- I can send you a email and you click on the payment link and save £10 ie get a £10 reduction.
This is because you are not tying up staff phaffing on the phone doing something these days tech can do on line .


Additionally with the low overheads techi solution you can log in and amend details on line .

No need to phone the broker = less staff overheads = less % cut commission of the chuffing same N+G ( Zurich) policy they are all touting about .

Think travel agent buying BA flight tickets in the 90:s .Now think easyjets buying experience with the internet the staff overheads etc etc .A flights a flight same 737 same destinations etc .But different prices .

This was about 18 months ago. To be fair to Craftinsure they didn't charge any extra for this endorsement document, I just didn't like the fact the main policy said my boats main mooring location was the UK when it hasn't and is unlikely to ever be in the UK. Perhaps the person I was dealing with didn't understand my concern... I just didn't feel comfortable with the "main" document saying something that was factually incorrect, even if I had a 2nd bit of paper clarifying the true location of the boat

 

[Elessar]

This was about 18 months ago. To be fair to Craftinsure they didn't charge any extra for this endorsement document, I just didn't like the fact the main policy said my boats main mooring location was the UK when it hasn't and is unlikely to ever be in the UK. Perhaps the person I was dealing with didn't understand my concern... I just didn't feel comfortable with the "main" document saying something that was factually incorrect, even if I had a 2nd bit of paper clarifying the true location of the boat

I don’t understand you concern either!

 

[chillee]

Always been very happy with Porthcawl insurance. Small broker I think and v, very helpful and very quick to pick up the phone

 

[sailorman]

Hi All,

Well, I've been busy searching for my next boat. may be getting close now. Can you suggest the 'Go to' insurers that you are all using at the moment. I've seen the following mentioned, Curtis Marine and Topsail. Any others that you could recommend?? Thanks.

I hahve been wirh y yscht ins for many ure . Now tsken over by top ssil. Still same off ice staff who sre very helpfull. Premiun up past 2 yrs for no resl reason

 

[DavidJ]

I hahve been wirh y yscht ins for many ure . Now tsken over by top ssil. Still same off ice staff who sre very helpfull. Premiun up past 2 yrs for no resl reason

The reason is Topsail need to get back the money they paid for Y
Mine went up a lot and out of laziness I paid.
Next year I like the look of Craftinsure

 

[Dipper]

I have used GJW when I needed to claim and they were excellent. Can't say more than that!

Me too although it was for a 26ft sailing yacht. The claim came perilously close to the agreed value but GJW didn't try any shortcuts to save money. I'd lost my mast whilst the boat was on its mooring because the bow had disintergrated due to the mooring chain snagging in a gale. When I said it was a bit rough to try and get out to my boat, I was told not to try because it was easy to mend a boat but not a life.

 

[Bran]

Not sure that Topsail are trying to increase fees to cover their purchase, I had a renewal this year, Thames based, offered a policy with Haven Knox Johnson, nearly 20% cheaper than last year. Includes 60 days coastal cruising, happy days, policy looks OK under scrutiny.