Im Confused If insurance covers outboard?

[brandenjg]

Hi everyone

I've been looking for insurance and was recommended to go for Noble Marine. I'm slightly confused as to whether my outboard will also be covered in the insurance. On the application form it asks you to fill in details on outboard including hp and price but in the small print it says...

Section 1.7.2: Excludes theft of outboard motor(s) unless secured, by an anti-theft device or unless following forcible entry into a locked compartment or locked place of storage.

Does this mean if i attach a lock to the outboard it'll be covered but if i don't it wont?

Any help would be appreciated

[Antares_9]

That's a standard endorsement for marine policies, make sure you also give them the serial #, it has always been a mater of contention as to whether "anti theft device" means a proprietry lock intended for O/Bs or just a lock, personally I would just use a good quality lock and take a photo of the set up locked and keep it filed on your computer for possible future use, but then I'm a bit anal about stuff like insurance. Fact is if the scrotes want it they wil have it, we had a little 4hp nicked about 15 years ago and it was fixed with a proprietry lock and on a kicker bracket on the main boat and it was afloat so had to be done from dingy.

[Guest]

Antares has just beaten me to it, and more eloquently too..

Thinking about it further, and thinking about the level of risk that the insurance company is trying to reduce, locking a tasty outboard firmly to a lightweight inflatable would probably increase the chances of the whole lot being stolen instead.

You need to check what conditions the insurance company imposes on the security of the craft "whilst left unattended", in case that needs to be in a locked building or compound or something.

[MBA Marine]

your outboard is tiny and i doubt your leaving it attached to the boat, does the boat live in the water or do you slip it? if you leave the boat and take outboard home the wouldnt you want to list the outboard on home contents insurance?

[brandenjg]

The boat and outboard are kept in my shed and are covered by my home insurance. The issue of theft will only really matter to me when im out on the broads and moor up somewhere (Public mooring) to head into a village or pub.

If someone wanted to they could easily deflate the boat and stick it in their van with the outboard in under a minute, but im sure the insurers would know that. That's why i want to make sure i can do all i can so if it does happen i'd definately be able to claim. For the sake of say a £20 lock meaning i can get some money back compared to having no boat outboard or money, i know which i'd prefer

I'll definitely take a photo, pictures speak so much more than words when it comes to insurers.

[Guest]

Thinking along the same lines as has already been said, I always carry a simple and cheap 3 metre long insulated steel bike security cable in my dinghy.

They're no deterrent to anyone with bolt cutters or grinders, but for a casual daytime stop at a Staithe, it makes it harder for someone to steal the boat or engine without needing cutting tools and thus drawing attention from any onlookers.

It has a large loop at each end, so I pass it through a mooring ring and back through it's own loop, then back to the dinghy, through a u-bolt on the transom and then lock it onto the motor with a padlock.

No deterrent to a determined thief, but far more secure than just the mooring ropes, and very cheap and easy to carry and use.

[Guest DAYTONA-BILL]

About the only thing you can really protect your property from these days is the "opportunist thief". Those that see something that can easily be taken, but any work involved in somethings removal is reasonably safe deterent. However, those that steal to order, or are the more determined thief, will always come prepared. One of the forum members has had the misfortune to suffer the more determined scumbags recently, and his property was well and truly locked up, and away too.

[Palmtree]

Hi,

I was just looking at a policy with Craftinsure and that has an age wear and tear deduction for the outboard of 10% per year from new. This is up to a maximum of 70% deduction.

So the payout for my 8 year old outboard if nicked will be about the same as the excess

Ian

[Antares_9]

A very good point Ian, for low value items it really isn't worth claiming, in fact you could probably save money by not including them and "self insuring", our policy with GJW allows for no exess and no loss of NCB if the insured event happens in our marina, and, as that's where most boats spend most of their time is statistically the most likely place theft or malicious damage and impact damage would occur. The marina we were in when the outboard was half inched was not on their list and one of the reasons we moved to GMS as they are.