Where can one find insurance which actually provides cover?

D

Donheist

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 Mar 2012
Messages
266
Location
Marina Sant Elmo Alghero Sardinia
Visit site
I am with HJK and understand the problems which have been discussed on other threads. I am tempted to quit the cover early as it does not provide what I need. I went to Y yachts for a quote which is an improvement (in terms of exclusions) but not by much.

I know they have the same underwriter, so I may have been unlucky in my research so far but wondered who does provide cover which does not include pages of onerous exclusions and deductions?

I'm looking for genuine all risks cover and I am prepared to pay for peace of mind. I am currently paying around £500 but it's not cheap if you're not covered...Basically, if my boat sinks/burns/collides with a whale/is nicked I would like a cheque for the value of the boat, not months of dispute about the small print followed by a small cheque released at the discretion of the broker. Equally, proper cover for injury to my family and guests (non-paying) is a must.

Is this expecting too much? Any suggestions?

I have a 1989 Beneteau 390 in Greece which spends 48 weeks in a marina and 6 weeks cruising Corfu and the Southern Ionian.

Thanks in advance...
 
Donheist said:
I'm looking for genuine all risks cover and I am prepared to pay for peace of mind. I am currently paying around £500 but it's not cheap if you're not covered...Basically, if my boat sinks/burns/collides with a whale/is nicked I would like a cheque for the value of the boat, not months of dispute about the small print followed by a small cheque released at the discretion of the broker. Equally, proper cover for injury to my family and guests (non-paying) is a must.
Click to expand...

The one company which consistently seems to attract positive recommendations is Pantaenius - more expensive, but could suit your needs.
 
Just had a look at the Y yachts pdfs- from a cursory read they don't seem to discount DIY moorings- now that's something I haven't been able to find anywhere else. Mind you with a special policy for Oyster owners I'm thinking they are probably out of my league price-wise...
 
Donheist said:
Is this expecting too much? Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

There are loads of companies offering good insurance cover so your post leaves me wondering if your expectations are unrealistic. You should expect any insurance company to look at the details before parting with a large cheque - how much time they spend doing that depends on the circumstances and whether they are starting to wonder if the claimant is on the fiddle. Because insurance companies have a mojor problem with fraudulent claims even before they get to the claims that arent covered in the policy.

And yes you should expect a load of legal stuff about what is covered. Its a contract between you and the company. They say what risks they will cover you against and you pay the premium. Dont expect them to cover you against things they have not agreed to do and which therefore are excluded in the contract. Thats not reasonable.

Try using a decent broker by which I do not mean one of those call centre types. I used to use Heath Lambert in Liverpool, found them very good and a real broker who knew all about yachts - you might expect that but a lot of call centres with bimbos on line do not know what they are talking about. Tell them exactly what you want cover against.
 
Mavanier said:
Just had a look at the Y yachts pdfs- from a cursory read they don't seem to discount DIY moorings- now that's something I haven't been able to find anywhere else. Mind you with a special policy for Oyster owners I'm thinking they are probably out of my league price-wise...
Click to expand...

Contact them, you may be pleasantly surprised, I was.

From One happy (Non-Oyster Owning) Customer
 
Thanks for replies. Utterly ashamed at my arithmetic...maths degree clearly worth the money...

Tried pantaneius for a quote although it isn't all risks but is not so far away from the "all risks" cover from the two I have tried already. Lets see what they send.

I don't know what a good policy looks like but given the responses from other forum members re HKJ , I am clear that mine is not it! I don't think I am unrealistic - I expect a bit of claim scrutiny - my comment about a cheque was me trying to make my point with brevity...I get the insurer's angle. But some of these policies exclude so much that they are effectively third party fire and theft. Tried y yachts - good price but the exclusions and deductions don't work for me.

Hence the post...it's clear that there are bad policies out there. I will keep reading through ts and cs, but just trying to get a bit of a head start on separating good from bad.
 
The RNLI and RYA use Bishop Skinner. I have been insured through them for many years and their premiums have always been competitive. If you need to extend your cover for any reason a quick phone call is usually all that is needed to agree any additional premium or excess.
Their main scheme is underwritten by AXA.

Good info and on-line quotes here:

https://www.bishopskinner.com/webapp/boat-insurance/yacht-insurance/

No connection, other than as a satisfied customer, although I have yet to make a claim.
 
I have all but stopped reading small print, there is more to life... It seems over the last 10 years and 3 boats later my policy had "drifted" away from where it was... As I pointed out to the insures (who have insured all my boats since I was 11) if they change the policy and I have to read the policy every year I might as well change insurance companies every year.

All put to right now including "club" racing and solo after dark with no increase in premium...
 
my renewal was £322 (Old Oyster Owner- boat that is )


Mavanier said:
Just had a look at the Y yachts pdfs- from a cursory read they don't seem to discount DIY moorings- now that's something I haven't been able to find anywhere else. Mind you with a special policy for Oyster owners I'm thinking they are probably out of my league price-wise...
Click to expand...
 
sailorman said:
i changed last march from HKJ due to the policy wording, the premium was then £415, Y ins was £398
Click to expand...

I think we're both paying a sensible premium for reasonable cover. I changed a couple of years ago as the boat was 20 years old and the insurer (Craftinsure) wanted a survey, new insurer didn't want a survey until the boat's 25.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

J
Which Goose Neck ?
Replies
0
Views
131
JCPPH
J
mogmog2
Maxwell windlass 10 VW looks interesting (to a windlass noob)
2 3
Replies
59
Views
1K
mogmog2
mogmog2

Share this page

Top