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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Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17

Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Flottage en uw verzekering.

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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.

Cover
Points to note
Premium
Frequently asked questions
Quote

What is covered in flottage?

Three things determine your cover: the type of water, the supervision and the status of the equipment you use.

Water

Flat or wild

The difficulty class of the route determines the risk class.

Calm water: normally covered
Rapids: white water
Water levels after rain change the class

Guidance

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

Equipment

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.

Rafting and white-water boating

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 where your saving is.

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.

Request a quote

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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.

View the reviews at NH1816 · all reviews on our site

Frequently asked questions

This is what people ask us most.

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.

Within Reisverzekering

Service

Are you going down the river?

Have it confirmed in advance which class of water is included. We will record that with the insurer.

Request a quote

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 15 August 2026.

The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.

Flottage and your insurance

In brief

What is covered in flottage?

Flat or wild

Organised or on your own

Hired raft and equipment

Where things go wrong in practice

The river determines the risk class, not the name

Liability on the water is only partly arranged

What does your premium depend on?

How we arrange it

Frequently asked questions

Read more

Within Reisverzekering

Similar pages

Service

Are you going down the river?

About our service

Flottage and your insurance

In brief

What is covered in flottage?

Flat or wild

Organised or on your own

Hired raft and equipment

Where things go wrong in practice

The river determines the risk class, not the name

Liability on the water is only partly arranged

What does your premium depend on?

How we arrange it

Frequently asked questions

Read more

Within Reisverzekering

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Are you going down the river?

About our service

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