If you love the water, chances are that owning a boat is a dream of yours. But what kind of boat will you choose? Here are just a few options, from A-Z:
Barge, Cabin cruiser, Canoe, Catamaran, Cruise ship, Dinghy, Dragon boat, Ferry, Fishing boat, Folding boat, Gondola, Houseboat, Hovercraft, Hydrofoil, Ice boat, Jet boat, Jet ski, Junk, Kayak, Motorboat, Pontoon, Riverboat, Runabout, Rowboat, Sailboat, Schooner, Ski boat, Skull, Steamboat, Sloop, Speedboat, Sport-fishing boat, Submarine, Surfboat, Towboat, Trimaran, Trawler, Tugboat, Wakeboard boat, Walkaround, Water taxi, and Yacht.
That’s a lot of variety! Once you’ve found your perfect watercraft, however, you’ll need to ask yourself some questions to protect your investment.
Do I need insurance? In most cases, yes. Even if your boat was cheap to buy and you could easily absorb the cost of its total loss, you’ll likely want some kind of liability insurance to protect you if your boat causes any damage to another boat or is involved in an accident that injures you or someone else.
What kind of insurance you’ll need depends on the boat. If you own a sea kayak, chances are you won’t need insurance for passengers. But if you own a yacht, you’ll almost certainly need insurance to cover your liability to the crew. If you store your boat at home, you may need a different insurance policy than if you store it at a dock. The same goes if you transport your boat on a trailer rather than keeping it in the water. If your boat is also your business – let’s say you operate a water taxi – you’ll need to take that into account, too.
Of course, not every insurer will know what to do with a hovercraft, which is why you should discuss your needs with your insurance agent. They’ll be able to tell you exactly what kind of insurance you need to protect your investment and yourself in the case of an accident or incident involving your boat… or should we say gondola?