A Guide to Insuring your Personal Watercraft

If you have been searching for insurance to cover your Personal Watercraft or Jet Ski, you will have seen a variety of alternative policy wordings, from a number of insurance companies. Noble Marine's Guide to Insuring your Personal Watercraft may help you decide the sort of policy you need.

Both the cover provided by different insurance companies and the service they offer, can vary greatly and so you should carefully check whether the policy has any significant exclusions, before buying cover.

Q. What should I look out for?

A. Everyone's needs are different, and only you can decide what cover is important to you. It is essential though, to understand what is being offered to you, before being able to make an informed decision.

• Comprehensive Jet Ski Cover - will provide cover for your ski against accidental damage, theft, fire and vandalism, plus third party liability risks.
• Third Party Liability - You should not consider going afloat without liability insurance, which will cover you if you cause damage to another craft or worse still, cause injury to another person.
• Policy Excess - You will be required to pay the first £x of any claim.
• Theft cover - The policy will require you to secure your equipment, but each company's requirement may be different. Check carefully to ensure that you can meet these requirements or you may be left uninsured.
• Cover whilst towing - Most Jet Ski or Watercraft policies can be extended for use while towing waterskiers, kneeboards or inflatable toys, however restrictions may apply, so check these carefully before getting out on the water.

Q. Do I need to use a specialist marine insurance company?

A. No - Many High Street Insurance Brokers will be able to arrange your jet ski insurance, but they may not have the necessary expertise to advise you correctly. Ask yourself whether the company been able to understand your needs and will they be in a position to advise you correctly if a claim should occur?

Q. Why do I need third party liability cover?

A. £2,000,000 Third Party Liability is usually compulsory before you launch anywhere in the UK and you should not consider going afloat without this cover as a minimum. A policy providing third party liability should cover you if you were to cause damage to property or injury to another person, with your jet ski.

Third party risks whilst in transit would be EXCLUDED as this is normally covered by your motor insurance policy.

Q. Should I expect a standard policy to cover me while my PWC is not being used?

A. Comprehensive policies should cover your ski against accidental damage, theft, fire and vandalism, whether in use or not; however there may be restrictions on your policy. There may be restrictions on where your jet ski should be kept and how it should be secured. Some companies may insist that the ski is kept in a locked building, or that the seat is removed and kept separately. Some companies may impose certain policy terms such as a higher policy excess that would become payable if the Jet Ski was stolen. These details should be clearly listed on your policy.

Q. Does it matter who is in charge of the Jet Ski?

A. Yes - You may be required to list each user on the policy schedule or there may be age restrictions for users. Most insurers will expect each driver to have a minimum level of experience or to have passed the RYA Personal Watercraft proficiency certificate.

Q. What is legal protection?

A. Upon payment of an additional premium, some insurance policies can be extended to include legal representation if your jet ski is involved in a collision or other accident and you suffer financial loss or injury. If you are injured, it is even more important that you receive expert help so that any claim for damages is pursued quickly and efficiently.

Q. What about cover for Jet Ski or Watrcraft useoutside the UK?

A. This will vary, depending on the policy you have chosen and the cruising range will be shown on your policy. Before venturing abroad, contact your insurers to establish whether cover can be given and whether any additional restrictions will be imposed.

Q. What should I do in the event of a claim?

A. You should always submit your claim as soon as possible after an accident. After all, the faster you make the claim, the faster you can get back on the water.

Any incidences of theft or criminal damage should be reported to the police - remember that you'll need the Crime Reference Number for the claim form.

You will be required to provide at least one estimate for the repairs or a written quote for the replacement items if a repair is not possible. Your Insurer may ask to inspect any equipment damaged, before authorising its replacement or send a Loss Adjuster or Surveyor to assess the damage.