Should you add ice and freeze coverage to your boat policy now?
by BoatUS on 25 Sep 2015
Boaters in northern states may want to look at adding freeze coverage to their boat insurance policies, especially if the boat is stored inside and there is no generator to back up winter power BoatUS
Many boat owners think they don’t have to worry about freeze damage if they live in temperate states or if they keep their boat in an indoor, heated storage area in Northern climates. But they may want to rethink that.
Every year, the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) Marine Insurance Program gets freeze damage
insurance claims for boats in Southern states hit by a hard freeze, and claims for boats stored indoor in Northern states where storms took out the electrical power – which usually means no heat. So the first rule of winter storage for any boat is to winterize properly.
Even then, small winterizing mistakes like not draining all of the areas of the engine raw water system can easily destroy an engine. For that reason, BoatUS says ice and freeze coverage may also be a smart option for do-it-yourselfers who want peace of mind, or for trailer boaters who store their boat in a heated garage or travel between warm and cold states.
Typically offered as a policy “rider” to boats stored in northern climates, it’s inexpensive –BoatUS offers the add-on coverage for as low as $20. However, there is a deadline to purchase this coverage as most insurers don’t offer it once temperatures get cold, usually the end of October.
BoatUS says the good news is that boats in warmer, temperate states often have this feature added to their policy automatically, but boaters should check with their insurer.
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