“
the boat. You may be covered only when
towing in your home state, for example,
or certain adjacent states. If you have an
accident while towing, your boat policy
pays to repair or replace the trailer. Ifyour trailer causes injuries to people or
damage to property — say you back into
the bait shop — your auto policy should
cover the liability. Check both policies to
make sure you are covered.THE RISK OF A
LIABILITY-ONLY POLICYM
any boaters opt for a liability-
only policy if they think the
value of their older or smaller
boat doesn’t warrant full coverage. Such
a policy should obviously cover prop-
erty damage and bodily injury to others,
but consider coverage for salvage and
removal of a wreck, and that separate
coverage is available for fuel-spill inci-
dents, any of which could drain a bank
account. Remember the boat that ended
PHOTO: FREEPIK.COM (GLOBE) up on a football fi eld.
Most boat-insurance policies require
an extension for traveling in areas
beyond home waters. BoatU.S. says
the most popular cruising areas
requiring an extension are the
Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska and
Nova Scotia. Many multiline (car/
home/boat) insurance companies
only offer extensions for U.S. and
Bahamian waters. If cruising outside
these regions is in your future, you’ll
have better luck with a marine
specialty insurer.
The Caribbean cruising season
starts November 1 and runs through
June. During hurricane season, most
insurance companies will require
the boat be brought back to home
waters or stored on land. Be pre-
pared to answer questions about
your boat’s hurricane plans. The
Alaska and Nova Scotia cruising
seasons traditionally begin
May 1. For offshore passages, some
insurance companies require a
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crew. For boats with older owners
who may have physical limitations,
insurance companies also like to
see a balanced crew. Have a safety
equipment list ready when applying
for a cruising extension. The basics
include an EPIRB, electronics (SSB
radio, radar), life raft, harnesses and
select spare parts. Some insurance
companies will require a condition
and value survey, a rigging survey
or an engine survey before they will
issue an extension. All boats cruis-
ing Mexican waters are required
under Mexican law to have liability
insurance issued through a Mexican
insurance company. Ole!BE AWARE
OF CRUISING
GROUND LIMITS
IT’S NATURAL TO
ASSUME THAT THE
COST OF SALVAGE
IS COVERED BY THE
BASE INSURANCE
POLICY, BUT SOME
POLICIES WILL SUB-
TRACT SALVAGE
COSTS FROM THE
INSURED VALUE OF
THE BOAT.
BOATINGMAG.COM | FEBRUARY 2018| 89