Valuation · sailing area · basis of settlement
Boat insurance through a.s.r.
With a boat, settling a claim is rarely about whether there is cover; it is about the value stated on the policy schedule and the area in which you were allowed to sail.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Bootverzekering via a.s.r..
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The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert.nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
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- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
a.s.r. is one of the insurers Finass can use for a pleasure craft. We compare several insurers objectively; the choice follows from the cover you need, not from a preference for a brand. This insurer's wider range is set out at the overview page; what a boat policy does in general is explained at pleasure craft insurance.
The sharpest point on a boat insurance policy is the basis of settlement. If the policy works on market value, a surveyor determines after the loss what the vessel was worth at that moment, and on a well-maintained fifteen-year-old boat that regularly comes as a disappointment. If the policy works on an agreed value set by an expert, the amount is fixed in advance and there is little to argue about afterwards. Such a valuation has a period of validity; once it expires, you fall back on market value. Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code limits the payment in any event: a claim must not leave you in a clearly better position than before.
The second point is the sailing area. Dutch inland waters, the Waddenzee, coastal waters, the Baltic and the Mediterranean are different risks and appear as such on the policy schedule. If you sail outside that area, there is no own-damage cover, however small the loss. If you take the boat abroad on a trailer, declare that transport too: damage during transport by road often falls not under the boat policy but under the trailer and motor cover, where third-party liability for the towing vehicle is governed by Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM).
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare pleasure craft insurance.
What to look out for
Four points on which a boat claim founders more often than on the question of fault.
Engine damage is usually not own-damage cover
An engine that seizes, a gearbox that breaks or a reversing gear that fails is damage caused by inherent defect and is therefore excluded in principle. Consequential damage can be covered: if a burst hose fills the boat with water, the water damage is a different matter from the hose itself. Ask specifically how your policy draws that distinction.
Theft of the outboard motor
Detachable motors are almost always subject to prevention conditions: an approved motor lock, mounting with a security bolt, or a requirement that the motor is stored indoors outside the season. If those are not met, the claim is refused or the payment is reduced considerably. The same logic applies to a trailer without a hitch lock.
Four common exclusions
Outside the cover are, among other things wear and tear, rust, osmosis and rot, damage during letting or paid transport, damage during speed races and training for them, and frost and ice damage where the water system has not been drained. Sailing without the required boating licence or under the influence also leads to refusal, and deliberate acts remain excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
The duty of disclosure on a boat policy
A conversion, a heavier engine, a different mooring or a criminal record are all circumstances the insurer wants to know about. Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code sets out that duty of disclosure and Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code governs what happens if something is missing: where a circumstance has been withheld that would have led to a higher premium or different conditions, the payment is reduced proportionately.
What does your premium depend on?
- Insured value — valued or estimated, including the engine and fixed equipment
- Age and material of the hull — polyester, steel, aluminium or wood
- Engine power and top speed — decisive for the pattern of damage in a collision
- Sailing area on the policy schedule — inland waters, coastal waters or a wider area in Europe
- Mooring and security — supervised marina, your own bank or storage ashore
- Excess — often separate for collision, theft and sail damage
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
What is covered
| Situation | Third-party, fire and theft | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| You run into a moored boat and damage its hull | Yes | Yes |
| Fire on board caused by a short circuit in the vessel's wiring | Yes | Yes |
| A collision with a floating tree trunk that cracks your own hull | No | Yes |
| The boat fills with water because a cooling water hose bursts under the floor | No | Provided that |
| Navigation equipment disappearing from the cabin with no signs of forced entry | No | No |
| Injury to someone on board who slips on the wet side deck | No | Provided that |
Third-party, fire and theft cover lists the events that are covered; comprehensive cover pays unless the damage is expressly excluded.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
Market value or agreed value: which do I choose for my boat?
With market value, a surveyor establishes after the loss what the boat was worth at that moment, with a deduction for age and condition. With an agreed value, that amount has been set in advance by an expert and applies for the term of the valuation. For older or restored vessels a valuation usually produces a considerably more predictable outcome.
Are my sails covered?
Sails, covers, and the spray hood and canopy work almost always have their own arrangement. If a sail tears while it is set, many policy conditions call that damage caused by wind or by an inherent defect and it stays outside the cover. If the sail is damaged by fire, theft or a collision, there is cover, usually with a deduction for age.
Is the boat insured during winter storage?
Yes, provided the insurer knows the storage address and the boat has been made ready for winter. Cover for fire or theft at the yard continues; damage from freezing of the engine, the cooling water system or the drinking water pipes is not covered, because that is regarded as negligent maintenance. Also ask who is liable for damage during lifting: that is usually the yard itself.
Do I have to settle damage to another vessel myself?
No. Report the collision to your insurer and leave the question of fault to them. Do not admit liability on the spot, because that is for the insurer to do. Do record the situation with photographs, the name of the other vessel and any witnesses. Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report the claim in good time and to provide the information needed to assess it.