Flat or wild
- Calm water: normally covered
- Rapids: white water
- Water levels after rain change the class
Raft on the river · flat or moving water · hired equipment
Flottage and your insurance
Flottage is drifting downstream on a raft or floating material. On calm water, insurers treat that as an ordinary recreational activity; as soon as rapids are involved, it shifts to white water.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Flottage en uw verzekering.
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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
In flottage you float down a river on a raft of logs or floating structures, often in a group and with a leader. On flat or gently moving water , insurers see this as ordinary recreation: injury falls under personal accident and travel cover, just as with canoeing or rowing on a calm stretch.
The picture changes as soon as the route contains rapids . The policy then speaks of white-water rafting, and above a certain difficulty class that appears on the list of excluded sports. Two practical risks also weigh heavily: cold water and and getting trapped between logs or under the raft. Both lead to injuries that quickly call for professional help.
What is covered in flottage?
Three things determine your cover: the type of water, the supervision and the status of the equipment you use.
Organised or on your own
A licensed provider improves the chance of acceptance.
- Wearing a life jacket is compulsory
- Follow the leader's instructions
- Home-built rafts often excluded
Hired raft and equipment
Damage to hired items rarely falls under your policy.
- Care, custody and control exclusion on the AVP
- The hire company's deposit arrangement
- Wet phones and cameras covered only in part
What is covered
| Situation | Standard | With extension |
|---|---|---|
| Injury on a calm, supervised route | Yes | Yes |
| Medical costs after hypothermia | Yes | Yes |
| A route with rapids | No | Provided that |
| Taking part in a race or time trial | No | Provided that |
| Damage to a hired raft | No | No |
| Going out without a life jacket or under the influence | No | No |
What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) that you receive before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Two points that determine whether your policy pays after an incident on the water.
The river determines the risk class, not the name
Insurers look at the route: gently moving water or rapids. The same trip can fall into a higher class after a spell of rain. Above a certain difficulty class, white-water rafting appears in the exclusions, even on an organised excursion. Ask the provider what class the route is and have that recorded with your insurer, because the duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code rests with you.
Liability on the water is only partly arranged
If you cause damage to someone else, Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code applies and your liability insurance comes into play. That policy has two limitations that often arise here: liability for craft is only included for small, unpowered craft, and damage to items in your have in your care (hire, loan) is excluded. So you pay for a damaged hired raft yourself, usually out of the deposit.
What does your premium depend on?
- Difficulty class of the water — flat, moving or white water
- Organised or under your own steam — supervision is taken into account
- Destination — Europe or far beyond
- Duration of the trip — a day trip or a multi-day expedition
- Sums insured — injury, recovery and luggage
- Swimming ability and experience — a condition of acceptance with some policies
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, risk and wishes.
- We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
- You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
- We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
Is flottage a risk sport?
On calm water, usually not; it then counts as ordinary recreation. As soon as the route contains rapids, it falls under white-water rafting and the exclusions that go with it apply. The difficulty class of the river is therefore decisive.
What if I end up in cold water?
Treatment for hypothermia falls under the medical costs section of your travel insurance, on top of your health insurance. Call the emergency assistance centre before you incur costs, certainly if ambulance transport or repatriation is needed.
Who pays for damage to the hired raft?
As a rule, you do. Liability insurance excludes damage to items you hire or have on loan. The hire company sets that off against the deposit; ask in advance how high it is and what excess applies.
Does a raft race count as a competition?
Yes. As soon as you are racing against the clock or for a place in a ranking, the competition exclusion found in virtually every travel and personal accident policy applies. That is also true of a village event or a company outing with timing.
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Similar pages
Are you going down the river?
Have it confirmed in advance which class of water is included; we will record that with the insurer.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
About our service
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
This page was written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.