These days buying boat insurance does not have to be a hassle. If you have all of your owner information, title, and registration, you may be able to buy a boat insurance policy online. Most auto insurance companies also sell insurance for boats, motorcycles, and other recreational vehicles. The process is similar to purchasing car insurance online. You will be asked to fill out information pertaining to your boat, your driving record, and the types of insurance you are looking for. Depending on the age and condition of your boat, insurance will vary in overall price. read the full article at Boat Insurance 

Purchasing a houseboat is guaranteed to give you years of unlimited pleasure. Provided, however that you’ve insured your houseboat properly. Otherwise, you could lose your life’s savings and in the worse case scenario, and be forced to file for bankruptcy.

In the marine insurance industry, houseboats are categorized together with jet boats, ski boats, sailboats, cabin cruisers and party boats as a pleasure boat. For this reason, this kind of coverage is not generally handled by regular insurance companies. You should carefully shop for underwriters who specifically handle these policies.

The first houseboat insurance tenet you must follow is to find a reliable insurer who’ll service your needs. Conduct the search both ways.

· Word of mouth
Ask boating friends for insurance recommendations.

· Conduct research on the recommended insurance carriers, the company in-charge of providing you coverage.

The following facts (as provided by the Insurance Information Institute) about your houseboat, such as horsepower, size and age of your boat, the type of craft and where it is used (i.e. moored in a river or hurricane prone area), determines coverage and premium you will pay for your houseboat.

Once that’s done, you can now carefully consider which of these policy clauses can help maximize your coverage and accurately answer your particular needs.

Hull and Machinery Clause

Because your houseboat is placed in the same pleasure boat category as a cabin cruiser, certain rates, coverage, restrictions, and terms will be similar.

Still, there are differences. The function of a houseboat is different from a cabin cruiser. The construction of a houseboat reflects this. They are normally flat-bottomed and designed to navigate slowly through the waters.

Many houseboats are bulkier, since they come equipped with bigger sleeping & living areas, full galley, and enclosed head. A race boat or cabin cruiser is smaller, more seaworthy, and easy to maneuver and built for speed.

Liability and Medical Payments to Others

Pays for bodily injury or property damage you are liable for.

Physical Damage Coverage

Pays for the damage your boat, motor, and trailer sustain.

Uninsured Watercraft Coverage

Pays for personal injury damages you are entitled to recover from the owner or operator who have not insured their vessel.

Medical Payments For The Insured

Covers you and your family’s medical fees, if you sustain accidental boating injuries.

Towing and Assistance

This coverage pays for the expenses you incur when you request a towing service to deliver the fuels and replacements parts, or fix your engine.

Additional Living Expense

you’re reimbursed for expenses incurred by living in a hotel, because your boat had to be repaired.

Be a responsible houseboat owner. Customize your houseboat insurance to safeguard your personal well-being, finances, and protect your investment.

As with all vehicles a boat is legible for an insurance policy, under the Marine Insurance Act. While some small boats kept on your premises can be covered by home insurance, Marine insurance can cover not just a seafaring boat but also the goods, as throughout marine history ships have been lost with very expensive cargoes aboard, due to the dangerous nature of sea voyages.

Boat insurance is often cheaper than car insurance especially for a small boat. A comprehensive plan will cover damage to the hull, the machinery and the parts. It is also worth checking if the plan covers theft, injury and any specialist equipment on board like fishing tackle.

Insurance varies a lot depending on the boat. Narrow boats, speedboats, dinghies, yachts, rowing boats and motorboats all have different systems for working out a quote. A fibreglass boat (usually GRP, glass reinforced plastic), like most speedboats, is in a higher insurance band than a wooden or steel boat such as a narrow boat. This is because fibreglass hulls can be damaged or dented very easily while steel hulls for example are very hard to cause any significant damage to. You can get cheaper insurance for diesel powered boats, as they are less likely to explode, and also for using coast guard approved fire extinguishers. A certification in a boat safety course may also reduce insurance.

It also depends on where you intend to sail the boat. The boat will be in a different insurance category depending on whether you intend to sail it in canals (least expensive), rivers, lakes and tidal waters (more expensive) and the ocean.

There are also insurance policies for special circumstances. You can have a boat insured for damage while it is being built, or for a vessel sailing into a war zone or terrorist associated waters, or for specific cargoes such as highly perishable goods that may fail due to delays.

A boat makes any owner proud. One can rule the ocean with ones own boat. Commanding a boat transforms man to pass as the ruler of the high seas and terrible winds. Boats have caught the fancy of man since time immemorial. Possessing a boat however, is costly and has its own perils. Boats are an expensive asset, and they need to be protected. Boat insurance is one such method to protect you as the owner from damage or loss.

Constituents of Boat Insurance:

Boat insurance has two major components; the first one being Legal Responsibility/Security and Insurance, and the second being Property Loss. The insured sum is based either on Actual Cash Value or on the Sum Agreed Over.

A boat insurance policy is based on the agreed value; there is a certain amount of money printed in the policy, which is the sum compensated in the case of a complete loss. Limited damages are provided at new prices, implying that there is no reduction imposed, apart from high wear matter like sails and some machinery. This is the costly form of insurance. An authentic cash value policy is one where if your boat is lost completely, you will get the existing market price, without any deductible and suitable reduction for the age and state of your boat during loss.

Finding an Insurer:

Finding a boat insurer online is extremely easy, with many insurers vying for this market. If you as the boat owner are already familiar with a trustworthy company, then you can just visit the company’s website and buy the insurance online. If you go for online insurance, you may get some discounts as well, especially if you choose to enroll for seamanship training through the Coast Guard classes, or membership in one of the U.S. Power Squadrons groups throughout the country.

A boat insurance policy offers broad navigational limits when a trip to distant ports is on the cards. The agreed or cash value of your boat is covered, along with rig coverage, scheduled tenders, and outboards. Most states require at least the watercraft liability insurance coverage for every boat. An insurance agent can usually help you out with all the necessary legal requirements and insurances. Once you get the required cover, you may buy more as per your convenience or requirement.

Since medical expense due to any boat accident maybe very high, it is wise to buy medical coverage also. Then there is an insurance cover against uninsured boats. This means that if you are hit by an uninsured boat, you will still be able to get compensation for replacing the boat or getting medical treatment.

Boats are great assets, but without proper insurance, they can be quite hazardous to own and sail in.

Most insurers have websites as well as offices. You can just simply click and buy any policy you require, or you can visit the office to speak and discuss with the insurance agents. These agents can assist in fulfilling the legal requirements of insuring your boat as well.