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
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
On a sloop the centre of gravity shifts from sailing to lying still. The boat has a permanent mooring, sits open or under a canopy, and is used only a limited number of days a year. The pattern of damage follows that pattern: collision damage from another user in the marina, storm damage to a canopy left up, ice pressure in winter and vandalism to a boat that nobody is standing next to.
The second thing that sets a sloop apart is the propulsion. Electric propulsion is now common on this type, and that means a battery pack on board that is charged ashore. Insurers set conditions for this: charging with the charger supplied with the system, and sometimes a ban on charging unsupervised. Damage caused by a non-original charger or by an installation modified by the owner is generally excluded.
Hiring out sloops is common and changes the policy entirely. As soon as you lend the boat to others for payment, that is commercial use and private cover lapses. For an open boat that is mainly kept on a trailer, see insuring a console boat.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Liability
Liability
Damage you cause to others with the vessel.
Collision and jetty damage
No legal obligation
Often required by the marina
The vessel itself
Own-damage cover
Damage to the boat, the engine and the fixed equipment.
Fire, storm and sinking
Theft
Collision and grounding
Extensions
Extensions
What you add separately.
Trailer on the road
Occupants
Salvage and wreck removal
What is covered
Situation
Liability
Own-damage cover
Damage to another vessel or a jetty
Yes
No
Theft of the boat or the outboard motor
No
Provided that
Fire and storm damage in the berth or ashore
No
Yes
Sinking through a leak or through rainwater
No
Provided that
Salvage and removal of the wreck
Provided that
Provided that
Osmosis, wear and deferred maintenance
No
No
There is no statutory insurance requirement for pleasure craft. The WAM applies only to motor vehicles. Marinas, harbours and hire companies do generally require liability cover. Pay attention to the sailing area described and to the lay-up or winter storage period: outside the sailing area or during undeclared storage, cover may lapse.
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The mooring is the risk for most of the year
In a berth or at a jetty your sloop suffers damage without your being on board: a neighbour coming alongside badly, vessels breaking free in a storm, or ice pressing against the hull. Declare the exact mooring and check whether damage from drifting ice is excluded in your policy conditions. If damage occurs in the marina, record straight away who was lying there, because recovery from a third party requires a name.
The canopy, cover and hood are a separate item
Canopy and cover work falls under loose items with its own sub-limit in many policies, and storm damage to a canopy that was left up is regularly refused for insufficient care. Declare the value of the canopy work separately and fold the canopy down when you leave the boat. The frame and the bows fall under that item too, while repairing them is bespoke work.
Electric propulsion brings a battery pack with it
On an electric sloop the battery pack is both the most expensive component and the biggest source of fire. Policy conditions almost always require you to charge with the charger supplied and to have the installation fitted by a professional. Home-built systems, a modified charger or charging from a socket not intended for it lead to exclusion, including for consequential damage to the rest of the boat and to neighbouring vessels.
Lending is not the same as hiring out
If you let family or friends use the sloop free of charge, cover usually remains in place as long as the user meets the requirements of the policy. If you ask money for it, including through a hire platform, that is commercial use and private cover lapses entirely. If you want to hire the boat out, have the policy converted in advance to one that covers that use.
What does your premium depend on?
Sum insured including the inboard engine. The hull, the propulsion and permanently fitted equipment together determine the hull value.
Propulsion and battery capacity. An electric system with a large battery pack is assessed differently from an inboard diesel engine.
Type of mooring. A berth in a supervised marina is judged differently from a municipal mooring at a public quay.
Canopy and cover work. The declared value of the canopy, cover and frame counts, because that is the most common item of damage.
Winter storage. Whether the sloop stays afloat or goes into a shed makes a big difference to the risk of frost, ice and theft damage.
Excess and claims history. Damage in the marina is common. The excess you choose determines whether small collisions are still reported.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your 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.
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.
Usually only up to a sub-limit and only if you declared the value when you applied. Damage to a canopy that was up or open during a storm is regularly refused because the insurer regards that as insufficient care. Stow the cover and the frame if the vessel is left unattended for longer periods, and declare the value of replacement canopy work after you buy it.
Is damage caused by ice covered?
That differs from insurer to insurer. Some policy conditions expressly exclude damage from drifting ice and freezing, others do cover it but set requirements for the winter mooring. If your sloop stays in the water over the winter, check that passage before the season ends. Frost damage to a system that has not been drained counts in all cases as deferred maintenance and is not covered.
May I hire out my sloop?
Not on a private pleasure craft policy. As soon as you ask for payment, there is commercial use and you also become liable for the conduct of hirers you do not know. There is separate hire cover for that, with requirements on instruction, boating licences and the number of people on board. If you hire the boat out without declaring it, you risk every claim remaining uninsured.
Is a fire caused by the battery pack covered?
Fire is covered in principle, but not where the cause lies in a prohibited act. Charging with a non-original charger, an installation fitted by the owner or charging from a socket not intended for it appears as an exclusion in many policy conditions. Have the installation fitted by a professional and keep the installation report with your policy documents.
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.
