BoatUS Freeze insurance

Strecker25

Strecker25

Well-Known Member
SILVER Sponsor
Nov 20, 2014
4,920
Rochester, NY
Boat Info
2002 410DA
Engines
Caterpillar 350HP 3126
Looks like BoatUS amended their policy so that the freeze protection only covers winterization if performed by a “commercial marine facility”

I’ll be officially dropping them now, but I do like to have the peace of mind for freeze protection since I do it myself. Anyone know of a provider who would insure DIY winterization?
 
I am interested in the answers. I can't imagine, if I were an insurer, how I would ever get comfortable with the risk level that this coverage provides.
 
Leardriver said:
I am interested in the answers. I can't imagine, if I were an insurer, how I would ever get comfortable with the risk level that this coverage provides.
Click to expand...

yeah, I was always surprised but I had it documented that with receipts and best practices were followed they would cover any issues. I took pictures/videos of my process (brief ones) and kept AF receipts in case.
 
I have been winterizing my boats for 51 years now. Never had a problem.

One single freekin' year that I was traveling a lot for my job and i had a dealer do it for me he screwed it up and damaged the engine. Canvassing all my friends the only blocks I ever heard of freezing were the ones done by dealers.

Personally, I think Boat US is tops and I will always have them as my carrier. Also, I'll never have an authorized dealer do my work for me.
 
I’ve always done it myself and (knock on wood) never a problem - but I’ll be calling an agent tomorrow to discuss. I see why they would change it, it’s a lot of risk, but it’s part of the reason I kept them through the most recent rate spike
 
I have insurance with Chubb. They require the vessel be "maintained for the conditions reasonably expected" during the layup period. I switched a couple of years ago when I discovered the previous insurer required professional winterization.
 
Leardriver said:
I am interested in the answers. I can't imagine, if I were an insurer, how I would ever get comfortable with the risk level that this coverage provides.
Click to expand...

The risk level of coverage when performed by a professional marine service provider, or the risk level BoatUS assumes when people self-winterize?

The former almost seems like a non-risk to insurers -- if you paid someone reasonably claiming to be able to winterize your boat and you have freeze damage, I can only imagine the insurer doesn't lose much because they can go after the entity who failed to winterize it properly. It seems like an impossible case to lose for the insurer in that case because of the negligence exposure of a person claiming professional expertise. The professional is buying new engine(s) no matter what -- either to protect their business reputation, keep a customer or just avoid a losing battle with the limitless resources of an insurance industry legal team.

I'm surprised they ever covered individuals who self-winterize given that there's nobody to go after unless they can prove the owner was grossly negligent, which is probably tough to do if the boat's been under continuous coverage more than a couple of seasons. Plus it seems like they would have a lot of exposure to fraudulent claims -- what easier way to get new motors than by an intentionally sloppy job of winterizing.

I actually switched to BoatUS for the freeze coverage, as I'm stored outside, shrinkwrapped in Minnesota. It's not my favorite storage choice, but heated, indoor storage for a 310 Sundancer is extremely expensive and hard to come by. The plus side is I get my boat back in the water fast and it's a lot cheaper than offsite storage.
 
If shopping for insurance stay clear of PREMIERE MARINE after 12 years I received a non-renewal notice. I went to the Seattle boat show last month and talked with several insurance brokers and all told me the Premiere is greatly reducing their portfolio for whatever reason and thousands of policyholders are receiving the non-renewal notification.
 
I have secured new insurance with Travelers and had the marine surveyor on board yesterday... He came up with, my inverter batteries have wing nuts on the posts and they should just be nuts so they can be torqued down. I hope my insurance doesn't deny me for this blatant violation.
 
I’ll be officially dropping them now, but I do like to have the peace of mind for freeze protection since I do it myself.

Your peace of mind comes knowing that you did it correctly. If you cannot follow the proper procedure then hire someone.
The individual doing a winterization is the one responsible
 
I'm not sure why any insurance company would cover winter damage from someone winterizing their boat themselves. If they did, someone with 2000 hours on their engines could simply not winterize them properly, and then have the insurance company pay for two brand new ones. This makes no sense.
 
I’m kind of surprised by the responses here. Over the years I’ve noticed that one of the common attitudes expressed by the CSR membership has been personal accountability and responsibility for one’s actions.

A boat that has damage related to a freeze problem, whether engine or house water, is the responsibility of the party doing the winterization. It’s pretty simple, if something freezes in the winter it’s because it wasn’t properly winterized. There is no “act of god” aspect to it. It is a predictable outcome; water below 32 degrees F turns to ice.

Insurance is in part based on the principle of compensating an insured for a loss that occurs through no reasonable fault of the insured. Another core principle is subrogation, or the insurance company’s ability to get reimbursement from the party responsible for the insured’s loss.

If you winterize yourself and it fails; you are responsible because you failed to take reasonable steps to prevent it. Further under subrogation, rather than pay your claim and then sue you to get it back, the insurance company just refuses to pay the claim.

I personally would rather have insurance from a company that does not pay out claims to those who shoot themselves in the foot simply because it means my premiums that are based on claim payouts, will be lower. So we will be renewing our BoatUS policy this year.
 
Guys, it was a ~$50/yr add on. Why wouldn’t I do it? I’ve never had a problem with my work but for that kind of money it was a nice benefit of their policy.

My premium also went up nearly 20% this year. No claim, no change in declared value, etc. so I’m shopping around for a new provider.
 
Keep in mind if you have an all risk policy freeze damage is covered unless it’s specifically excluded. My policy with AIG does not exclude freeze damage but it’s not a big issue in NC. We don’t winterize but instead rely on bilge heaters and the reverse cycle heat pump to keep things toasty. LKN water temp is 54 today.
 
Strecker25 said:
Guys, it was a ~$50/yr add on. Why wouldn’t I do it? I’ve never had a problem with my work but for that kind of money it was a nice benefit of their policy.

My premium also went up nearly 20% this year. No claim, no change in declared value, etc. so I’m shopping around for a new provider.
Click to expand...

Not trying to be a smart a$$. Just really wondering what the fine print might say.
Would they pay all freeze damage claims, or just some?
I’m wondering if the company would have only paid a freeze damage claim if the winterization was done by a paid technician knowing that they could seek reimbursement from that tech’s insurance company.
But on the other hand, would they deny a freeze damage claim if the winterization was done by the boat owner?
 
JVM225 said:
Not trying to be a smart a$$. Just really wondering what the fine print might say.
Would they pay all freeze damage claims, or just some?
I’m wondering if the company would have only paid a freeze damage claim if the winterization was done by a paid technician knowing that they could seek reimbursement from that tech’s insurance company.
But on the other hand, would they deny a freeze damage claim if the winterization was done by the boat owner?
Click to expand...

I’ll pull the old policy and look. I recall it being quite shocking how specific it was that they would actually cover diy work. I called the agents at BoatUS and they also confirmed (of course that phone call wouldn’t help in a claim, it was just for my verification)
 
This was the previous endorsement once the freeze protection was added.


THIS ENDORSEMENT CHANGES THE POLICY. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. FREEZE STATE – ICE AND FREEZE COVERAGE
In consideration that an “insured boat,” its engine(s) and systems will be winterized in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications and when an “insured boat” is laid up afloat a de-icing or bubbler system will be used.
Under SECTION IV – COVERAGES, A. HULL AND EQUIPMENT, 5. Exclusions, “b. any loss caused by or resulting from ice or freezing;” is removed in its entirety.
All other terms, conditions, and agreements of the policy remain unchanged.
 
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