Liability
- Collision and jetty damage
- No legal obligation
- Often required by the marina
A sloop on the pleasure craft insurance
A sloop sails a handful of days a year and lies in a berth or at a jetty the rest of the time, and that is precisely where most damage arises.
- several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
This page in another language: Nederlands
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.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
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.
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Sloop: what is covered?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Own-damage cover
Damage to the boat, the engine and the fixed equipment.
- Fire, storm and sinking
- Theft
- Collision and grounding
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.
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.
Why arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is my canopy covered?
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.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare pleasure craft insuranceThe main page
- Insuring a fishing boatEquipment, electronics, mooring
- Insuring a sloopInland waters, mooring, outboard motor
- A console boat on the pleasure craft insuranceOpen boat, motor, equipment
- Insuring a jet skiSpeed, boating licence, liability
- Insuring a yacht and motorboatOwn-damage cover, sailing area, winter storage
- Insuring a yachtValuation, sailing area, crew
Read more
Ready to compare?
Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.
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 compiled by Finass Verzekert (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.