Boat Insurance

[John Berg]

Helmar Had mentioned to the captain that it is hard to insure some of the larger boats that marinas require. What issues keep boats from being insured? And are there issues on trailerable boats that need to be addressed? John

[Sammamish1]

All of our boats and trailers except Rhapsody are insured under homeowners and auto policy's with U.S.A.A. as an addendum, not a bad deal.

Rhapsody is covered by Hagerty as a classic reproduction. The insurance is exorbitant, but it includes replacement cost. Don't ask! shocked4

[Helmar]

Big Boat Insurance

Hi John.

For the most part it was Safety violations.
I seen boats that either the fuel systems were failing or bulge pumps running too often. Police

Not to sure about the trailerable boats.
Don't know of any reason the insurance companies would not take your money on that.Skipper

[John Berg]

Thanks Guys, One of thes days I would like to own one of these 30' for a summer and than get rid of it because a dont like the morrage costs. Ill just get a clean one. John

[FINS]

Our 32' Trojan was $780/year for full coverage including the dinghy. It was a glass boat, but still required a current survey in order to get the policy started. That is the biggest hurdle for a wood boat. Most insurance companies are not going to jump in on a boat that could sink at moorage, let alone while under way. If you have a clean, well kept boat that can pass both safety and survey inspections, it is not a huge issue. Once you have the initial policy, just keep it current and you are good to go.

The moorage and fuel were the other big money suckers. We paid $325/mo for uncovered moorage next to Delta Marine on the Duwammish. I found it as cheap as $150/mo in Tacoma, but the salt water and distance made the extra money worth it. Fuel was a real eye opener!! Ours held 240 gallons at close to $5.00/gallon when we sold it.

The cost of a big boat can add up quick. When it was used every weekend during the summer, you don't notice the money at all. When it sits 9 months a year without moving, you start thinking...

[skagit 25]

I got a quote from BOATUS insurance for the Express 25'. Great rate, full coverage, but wanted a survey. Hard to justify $600 survey to get a $250 insurance policy.

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Insurance and Surveys

Robert -

I'm surprised to hear the $600 survey figure, since I've never paid more than $300 to $350...especially for a boat as relatively straightforward as your Skagit. Try shopping around--you ought to be able to find a cheaper surveyor.

Most marinas today require proof of insurance, at least up here. A lot of the old boats that have been cut up either failed to pass a survey, and/or their owners decided the boat wasn't worth the cost of survey and insurance on top of the monthly moorage fees. (Several years ago, when the Port of Port Townsend started demanding insurance coverage, a lot of old fishboats and liveaboards were chainsawed as a direct result. Too bad, but that's been the trend--more restrictions, higher costs, fewer old boats surviving.)

As old, uninsured boats were driven away from commercial marinas, many owners started anchoring them out in various bays and backwaters of Puget Sound. Currently, the State of Washington Dept. of Natural Resources, backed by federal water-quality standards and with the support of local county agencies, has started cracking down on boat owners who have gotten free (or nearly free) moorage...either by anchoring on their own hook or renting legal mooring buoys from waterfront property owners.

Here in the middle of nowhere on Marrowstone Island, the State of Washington has decided to use little Mystery Bay as a testbed for new enforcement measures, protecting our local commercial shellfish harvesters by kicking pleasure boats out of the bay...suggesting in the process that fecal contamination from anchored-out boats might become a problem for the shellfish industry. I can tell you--since we know virtually every boat anchored in Mystery Bay--that fecal contamination is not and has never been an issue here (no liveaboards, and hardly anyone even using the anchored boats, let alone dumping sewage from them), but the State is hell-bent on reducing the number of boats in the bay. They've removed some mooring buoys and boats already, and plan to pull more buoys and tow away more boats following the April 15 deadline that's been set for certain boats to be moved or face being towed away.

When the State confiscates a boat from our little bay, it's towed over to Port Townsend, hauled out by the Port's Travel-Lift, destroyed by chainsaw and/or backhoe, and taken to the county dump in little pieces. The boat owner is then billed for the total cost of removal, demolition and disposal of the remains. (One old cruiser that was hauled off by the State early this winter has reportedly accumulated a bill now totaling $22,000, with interest and penalties. The owner apparently hasn't paid, so the invoices keep getting larger and larger.)

I've got two boats in the water here. Will Kersten and Roger Beachy, who work with me, each have one, so we're all nervous about where all of this is heading--even though we're "legal" right now--but suffice to say that owning boats that need to live in the water is getting trickier and more costly every year.

It's enough to make me yearn for the quiet and mostly bureaucrat-free waters of Southeast Alaska, where you can still enjoy a bit of boating freedom.

- Marty

[Tim_Mattson]

Remember when the King County decided to collect a "Moorage Fee " for ALL boats registered in King County,EVEN when on a Trailer?
The License people loved calling it "the Moorage Tax" just to get under your skin.
It was like $30.00 on TOP of our normal fees......around $60.00 was the cheapest tab.
Then they taxed all boats over 16`,a "Luxury tax" ,resulting in a bunch of 15`11` models that were too stubby to work well.
See many new 15` Arimas lately?
People would buy a new short boat to save $60-80/year.
The County basically taxed away the future and past Boat owners.
Now you see empty parking lots in August at every public launch.
Wonder what they spend to keep those nice new Launch ticket machines running......think it was like $2 of every $5 collected.
Des Moines sling will be gone this year.....condos coming.
Almost time to buy my $40.00 fishing license.....with $15 "Puget Sound Enhancement fee" still being collected though it ended 10 years ago......fishing
Back to mooring.....
Guess it could be worse.....don`t need a survey on anything we own.
I bet Lynne Reister of the Lake Union/Seattle area could do the survey for a bit less.I can look her up if anybody needs.
TimM

[ChuckB]

So Marty:
Is that 21' Glasspar Meridan still moored at the Nordland dock? Is it in danger and does he want to sell it?
ChuckB