Open boat · outboard motor · use of a trailer
Insurance for a console boat
A console boat is open, is often kept outdoors and runs on a detachable motor. Those three features are exactly what determines where the cover pinches.
- Several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Verzekering voor een consoleboot.
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.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- 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 console boat is an open craft with a steering console and an outboard motor, usually used for day trips, fishing and watersports. There is no cabin, so everything left on board sits in the open air. The basis of the cover is the same as on any pleasure craft insurance: liability for damage to others, possibly supplemented by own-damage cover. The difference is in the detail. A fuller explanation of this type of boat can also be found at insuring a console boat.
The first risk is water from above. An open boat lying at a jetty fills up in prolonged rain. If the bilge pump is not working because the battery is flat or the filter is blocked, the boat goes down. Almost every policy calls this inadequate maintenance or negligence rather than an insured event. A sound cover, a working automatic bilge pump and a battery charger are not a luxury here but the condition on which your claim stands or falls.
The second risk is theft of the motor. An outboard motor can be unbolted in a few minutes and is easy to sell on. Insurers therefore set prevention requirements: an approved motor lock, security bolts and sometimes an obligation to store the motor indoors out of season. If those requirements have not been met, the claim is refused. The same applies to the boat on its trailer: without a hitch lock and a wheel clamp on an unsupervised site, theft is not covered under many policies.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare pleasure craft insurance.
What to look out for
Four points that, on an open boat with an outboard motor, make the difference between payment and refusal.
On the water, on the trailer or ashore
The policy distinguishes between those three situations. Damage during transport by road often falls outside the boat policy. If the trailer tips over, damage to others is met by the third-party liability cover of the towing vehicle under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM). Have it confirmed in writing whether the hull remains covered for own damage during transport, because that is not automatic.
Loose items have their own limit
A fishfinder, a chart plotter, rods, a depth sounder, a cool box and lifejackets are not part of the hull. They fall under a section for loose equipment with its own maximum, and theft is generally paid there only where there are signs of forced entry. An open boat almost never has those, so have valuable equipment listed separately on the policy schedule or take it home with you.
Speed, boating licence and people on board
If the boat can do more than twenty kilometres per hour, a small craft boating licence is compulsory. If someone sails without that licence, the insurer can refuse the claim. If someone on board is injured when the boat lands heavily over a wave, you as the skipper are liable under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code; that claim belongs with the liability section of the boat policy and not with your personal liability insurance (AVP), which excludes powered craft.
What is not covered
Permanently excluded are sinking because the bilge pump failed or a skin fitting was left open, frost damage to the engine and the water system, hire or use for payment, including boat lessons and paid fishing trips, and taking part in speed contests. Wear of the gelcoat, the tubes or the upholstery from sun and use is not paid for either. Damage caused deliberately or recklessly is subject to the exclusion in Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
What does your premium depend on?
- Value of hull and motor together: the motor is often a large part of the total
- Engine power and top speed: determines both the collision risk and acceptance
- Mooring or storage: supervised marina, a trailer at home or an unsupervised site
- Security fitted: motor lock, security bolts, hitch lock and a tracking system
- Sailing area: inland waters, or coastal waters and the Waddenzee as well
- Equipment included: electronics, trailer and loose items on board
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Third-party liability | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| A collision in which you damage the hull of another boat | Yes | Yes |
| Injury to someone on board who goes down when the boat lands over a wave | Yes | Yes |
| Your own hull tearing the gelcoat open on a sandbank | No | Yes |
| A boat pounding against the quay wall at its jetty during a storm | No | Yes |
| Theft of the outboard motor while the boat is parked outside your house | No | Provided that |
| A chart plotter taken from the open console | No | Provided that |
Third-party liability deals with what you do to others; everything that happens to your own boat and the belongings on board stands or falls with the own-damage section.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is my trailer covered under the boat policy?
Not automatically. Some policies include the trailer as part of the equipment, others refer you to separate trailer insurance. Liability for damage you cause to others with a coupled trailer runs through the motor insurance of the towing vehicle in any event. Have it recorded which of the two policies covers the trailer itself against theft.
What if my boat fills with rainwater and sinks?
That is judged on the cause. If the bilge pump is faulty, the battery is flat or the cover has blown off, the verdict is usually inadequate maintenance and no payment follows. If the boat has sunk because another vessel ran into it or because it was broken into, there is an insured event. Keep your maintenance records; they determine the outcome.
Am I covered if I let someone water-ski behind the boat?
Only if that is expressly included. Water-skiing, wakeboarding and towing an inflatable are dealt with separately in many policy conditions, with requirements for an extra lookout on board and for the waters where it is allowed. Without that extension you stand alone if the person being towed is injured, and that is exactly where the largest claims come from.
Do I have to report a claim straight away?
Yes. Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report the claim as soon as you can reasonably be aware of it and to provide the necessary information. On an open boat that matters all the more, because after a few weeks water damage and corrosion can no longer be traced back to the original event. Take photographs before you have the boat lifted or cleaned.