Does Boat Insurance Cover Your Boat in Winter Storage?

Many boat policies do cover your boat while it is in winter storage. But not every policy covers every risk, and some damage is never covered. The time to check is before the boat comes out of the water, not after a storm.

Here is what to look at this fall.

What can happen to a boat in storage?

A boat on a trailer or in a storage yard is not out of harm’s way. Here are the claims we hear about most after a long winter:

• Fire in a barn, garage or storage building.
• Theft of the boat, the motor or the trailer.
• A tree or branch that falls on it in a storm.
• Heavy snow that tears the cover or breaks the frame.
• Freeze damage to the engine.

Is freeze damage covered?

This is the one that surprises people most. Some policies do not pay for freeze damage if the engine was not winterized.

Read that part of your policy, or ask us to read it with you. Then winterize the engine before the first hard freeze.

Can you lower the price while the boat is stored?

Some policies have a lay up period, the months when the boat is off the water. A few companies lower the price for those months.

Ask whether your policy has one, and what you give up during it. Some lay up plans limit coverage if you take the boat out early.

Does your storage spot change your coverage?

Yes. Tell your agent where the boat will spend the winter. A locked garage, an outdoor yard and a marina are each a different risk.

If you store it at a marina, ask whether the marina’s insurance covers your boat. It may cover the marina and not your boat.

What should you do before you store it?

• Winterize the engine and drain the water lines.
• Take photos of the boat, the motor and the gear.
• Remove electronics and anything easy to steal.
• Check the trailer tires and lock the hitch.
• Call your agent to confirm your winter coverage.

Boat insurance help in Schaumburg

Whether your boat spends the summer on the Chain O’Lakes, the Fox River or Lake Michigan, we can look at your policy before winter. Read more about our boat insurance in Schaumburg.

Call us at (847) 238-3861, in English or in Spanish. We are open Saturdays too.