Yacht and Catamaran Insurance

Essentially, yacht insurance aims to protect your craft, other craft on the water and of course, you and your passengers. The idea of insurance is to put you back in the financial position you were in before you experienced a loss of some sort.

This financial loss could come about in the form of damage to your boat, a third party claiming against you for damage to their craft or in the worst case, loss caused by injury to you or one of your passengers.

Towergate yacht insurance covers all the areas mentioned above. Though it isn’t necessarily a legal requirement, many marinas require a minimum of third party cover if you’d like to use their facilities. In any case, it is strongly advised you have insurance in place due to the high value of the yachts themselves and the potential for injury.

Moor in a marina - Our policy offers extra benefits for mooring in a marina as mooring at a berth in a marina is typically safer and more secure than a swinging mooring.

Use Smart Water - Mark your equipment with a Smart Water kit purchased using your unique Towergate code and you can receive a further 10% discount.

Get a survey of your craft completed if it’s over 25 years old

Let us know if you have RYA qualifications - We like to reward those who try to develop their own sailing competence as this only makes them safer on the water. Let us know if you have a RYA qualifications and we could award you another 10% discount.

Let us know if you’re planning on racing

Not all of us are lucky enough to use our yachts all year round. There are likely to be times when the weather is too rough or your yacht is in need of essential maintenance. During these times, you may wish to take your boat out of the water and store it in a dry dock or stack storage.

It's also a strong possibility that your boat will need to be out of the water if you're selling it on. It's a good idea to take it out of the water to allow potential buyers to fully inspect the hull, keel and other components which sit below the waterline.

As well as covering your yacht when it's in the water, Towergate can also apply laid up cover for when it is out of the water and not in use for an extended period. This cover will insure your yacht against theft, damage, vandalism and third party cover whilst it is off the water. It won't cost you any more money, you just need to let us know that you're taking your boat off the water and how long for.

It’s very important to read your policy documents in detail, so you understand what’s covered and what could void your cover. Listed below are a few key exclusions you should be aware of. Check your policy document for a full list of exclusions.

• Mechanical failure is not covered if your craft is over three years old.
• Personal accident cover won’t cover individuals over the age of 76 - If you are over the age of 76 the personal accident aspect of our cover will not apply. All cover relating to the craft however, will still apply.
• Wear and tear and mechanical failure are not covered - If your craft is under three years old, we can provide mechanical failure cover. Wear and tear however, is not covered.
• Replacements beyond the sums insured on your policy - Our policy works on a market value basis. Therefore, it’s important to know the true replacement value of your yacht. You will be unable to claim for a replacement yacht above the value you give us. If you’re unsure of the value of your yacht, a marine surveyor will be able to make an assessment and give you an accurate value.

Our yacht insurance comes with a few different options allowing you to get the cover that’s right for your value of craft, level of sailing experience and mooring arrangements. Listed below are just a selection of our best features and how they can benefit yacht owners just like you.

• £3,000,000 third party liability included as standard - The waterways, rivers and seas can be tricky places to travel around on and sometimes mishaps occur. Add to that the fact that yachts and other craft tend to carry a hefty price tag and you’ve got a recipe for some expensive accidents. Our yacht insurance policy includes £3,000,000 third party cover so if you accidently cause damage to someone else’s property whilst on the water your insurance will cover the cost of that damage.
• Personal accident cover (optional) - If you enjoy challenging yourself with rough seas and high speeds, we advise you add personal accident cover to your policy. Our personal accident feature will cover medical expenses and emergency treatment.
• Protected no claims bonus (platinum level cover) - Take out our highest level of cover to have your no claims bonus protected year on year even if you have to claim (No more than two claims per year).
• Marina benefits (platinum level cover only) - If you permanently moor your boat on a marina berth or keep it ashore at the same location, we won’t charge your excess on any claim made while it’s moored or stored. This also won’t affect your no-claims bonus.
• Failure of machinery (on yachts less than three years old) - You’d hope that newer yachts wouldn’t have too much trouble with the machinery on-board. Never-the-less, we include cover for this should you be unlucky.
• Legal expenses cover - Should a third party bring charges against you for damage caused to their craft or personal injury caused by you, our legal expenses cover can help with your legal fees up to £100,000.
• 24 hour legal and claims advice line - In addition to covering legal fees, we also offer legal advice to guide you through what to do if you get involved in a legal dispute.
• Travel concierge service - Part of the joy of owning a yacht is the ability to travel to new places. The travel concierge service can arrange; local hotels, restaurants, theatre tickets and more.

Our yacht insurance covers a number of items, including things you’d carry on your person such as digital compasses or pocketknives. These smaller items do have a single article limit of £300. However, you can also cover more expensive items such as on-board GPS equipment and outboard motors. All you need to do is let us know what you’d like covered so we can include it in your sums insured. Please let us know if you would like to cover any items over the £300 single article limit.

Unfortunately, we can’t cover you in the Caribbean or the Baltic seas, though we can sometimes refer this to our underwriters. As a rule, we do not cover any cruising more than 35 degrees east in the Mediterranean. Again though, you’ll need to let us know if you want to change your cruising range from what you originally agreed when you set up your policy. See the question below for more detail.

Things never stand still in the world of boating. So, if you’ve installed the latest gadget and you need your sums insured amended or you’ve changed your mooring arrangements or cruising range, give us a call and we’ll update your policy. There is an administration fee charged to change the details on your policy plus any premium increase related to the additional cover you require.

Yes, we also provide liability for those actively using older yachts or launching onto the water. This third-party cover product includes the removal and disposal of wrecked craft, as well as the re-floating and removal of damaged craft.

In some ways, yacht insurance works like car insurance. If you’re an experienced sailor, your premium might work out cheaper. Contact us to see if any discounts apply.

If you would prefer to spread the cost of your yacht and catamaran insurance policy, you have the option of setting up a Direct Debit to pay your premium in monthly instalments through our preferred provider, Premium Credit Limited (PCL).

To find out more about PCL and direct debit payments, select Direct Debit.

To understand more about how PCL work together with Towergate, please read our Regulatory Information.