Liveaboard / Extended Cruising

[mikewilkes]

Some friends of ours have come up against a problem with insurance. They live aboard their boat full time and a couple of companies have already decided that is a no go. Questions for the learned panel, please.

1. How long do you have to be off your boat to be only classified as extended cruising? It would seem to me that if you are onboard full time your boat is safer. There is a boat on another pontoon in this marina that to our knowledge has had nobody on it for 2 years!!!

2. The other thorn in the side seems to be this survey deal. I have been quoted €600 plus cost of ultra sonics plus cost of giving a valuation figure. This probably brings it up to in excess of €1000 on a current premium of about £250.

Your thoughts and suggestions o learned ones most gratefully accepted.

 

[RonPimm]

Can only help with No.1.
We found the following would insure liveaboards:
Giles; Yachtmaster; GJW; St Margarets. Sorry, don't have addresses etc to hand. I think my wife found them all on the internet.
Ron

 

[AndrewB]

1. Insurance rates aren't usually set by how long you are cruising for, but by how far you are proposing to go. (Except there will be a small premium if the yacht is never 'out of commission'). I understand the world is divided into 'zones' for insurance purposes, the cost will be quoted on the basis of the ones you propose to visit.

2. Most, but not every insurer will demand a full structural survey prior to a long-distance cruise. (Most now also demand this before first insuring an older boat for any purpose). It pays to contact as many insurers as possible, up to twenty. You'll need to do this anyway if you intend cruising beyond the usual UK cruising range, as many insurers will not quote you for this.

Incidentally, in my experience yacht insurance policies do not exclude or penalise liveaboarding as us yachties understand the term. What they won't cover is a houseboat - but that is different.

 

[Das_Boot]

If you take out third party only there is usualy no requirment for a survey. I have the attitude that my boat wont sink. I drove a car for 20 years in SA where only third party was compulsory and in England for 10 I have never made a claim I have never had an accident. I have never been broken into.
I have in fact over my life time saved thousands and thousands of pounds on house contents car and boat insurance I could probably buy three boats with the money I have saved.

 

[mikewilkes]

From the experience of trawling through insurance companies and talking to people who are living aboard their boats here it seems to be that the "british" insurers demand surveys whereas there "european" counterparts do not.

As regards liveaboard / extended cruisers (that is time onboard as oppossed to area cruised) there appears to be " we dont admit to how long we are onboard / we dont tell them we liveaboard" attitude. If you look at the small print quite a few exclude "liveaboards", what ever that definition is.

The cruising bit for most med sailors, I would suggest, is considerably less days sailing than probably there counterparts in uk waters. OK they may go over to the islands then anchor up for a couple of months / they may change areas from west med to east med then stay there for a few years.

 

[moodycruiser]

Jeez, i think you're brave to make a statement like that - tempting fate.
"Well, I'VE never seen any indians around here" - Colonel Custer /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[robind]

How about trying a dutch insurance company. A friend of mine did exactly that and all they wanted was a photograph of his boat (an old Dunkirk little ship) and his premium. His cruising area was the UK and France (mainly the UK) and the premium was very cheap.
Rob

 

[absit_omen]

We have 3rd Party ´never out of commision´ with St Margarets. We limit ourselves at present to Med from Gib to 16 deg east.