Insuring a motorless boat

ckpetrus · May 31, 2013

My wife and I are looking to purchase a 56 foot custom made motor-less trawler as a liveaboard. The marina requires the boat be insured but the insurance companies I've spoken with don't seem to want to touch it. Any advice? We would be willing to settle for liability only though we would prefer full coverage.

Max Simmons · May 31, 2013

Hang an outboard on the stern

Pau Hana · May 31, 2013

Questions:

Is the vessel designed/meant to be engine-less, or is the vessel in a repair status?
Where will you and the vessel be located?
Have you/do you intend to have the vessel surveyed?

Liability only coverage should be easy to obtain; hull coverage will take a bit more information.

Tidahapah · May 31, 2013

I know here in Australia all marinas will require the vessel to have some sort of available power option so that the vessel can be moved in time of emergency etc.
Insurance should not be a problem and the outboard is not a bad solution to that end.
Is that Vic Hislops shark house in the back ground.

Have the insurance companies given reasons for non coverage and if so can these be easily complied with.
Cheers
Benn

ckpetrus · May 31, 2013

Pau Hana said:
Questions:

Is the vessel designed/meant to be engine-less, or is the vessel in a repair status?

Where will you and the vessel be located?

Have you/do you intend to have the vessel surveyed?

1. It originally had two 180hp diesel engines. The original owner planned to convert it to electric drive but was unable to locate a suitable drive system. 2. The boat is located in Port Aransas, Texas. 3. I prefer not to spend money on a survey until I am sure the boat is insurable. In fact, the whole sale is now hinging on the question of insurance since the boat cannot remain in the marina without it.

ckpetrus · May 31, 2013

Tidahapah said:
I know here in Australia all marinas will require the vessel to have some sort of available power option so that the vessel can be moved in time of emergency etc.
Insurance should not be a problem and the outboard is not a bad solution to that end.
Is that Vic Hislops shark house in the back ground.

Have the insurance companies given reasons for non coverage and if so can these be easily complied with.
Cheers
Benn

Adding outboards would be an option but that would mean a large investment (two 200hp saltwater outboards?) for a boat we do not plan to remove from its slip except for its 5-year haul-out. I suppose we could go for some sort of bargain configuration but I have no idea what the minimum horsepower would need to be to safely control a boat of this size (56' 38 GRT). The shark in the photo is one of the tourist shops in Port Aransas, Texas.

Pau Hana · May 31, 2013

PM me your email address- I believe I can help you.

ckpetrus · May 31, 2013

Pau Hana said:
PM me your email address- I believe I can help you.

My email address is ckptemp@mac.com

FF · Jun 1, 2013

IF you can find a marina with a good mooring field , living on a mooring and only using a small slip for say a 13ft Boston Whaler is easily done.

Difficult in hard winters if the bay freezes tho.

ckpetrus · Jun 2, 2013

FF said:
IF you can find a marina with a good mooring field , living on a mooring and only using a small slip for say a 13ft Boston Whaler is easily done.

Difficult in hard winters if the bay freezes tho.

The Texas gulf coast has no mooring fields of which I am aware, and I'm happy to say we don't have freezing bays either!-)

FF · Jun 3, 2013

In a protected area either purchasing a mushroom anchor and installing a mooring is fairly easy.

My favorite for a season is a 3 point moor using 3 Danforths.

Takes a couple of hours to deploy , but fairly easy to recover when you move on.

In a tidal river only 2 will work fine.

You might look for a local 'yacht club" as many frequently have moored boats.

BobH · Jun 3, 2013

I can't imagine why you cannot insure an engineless boat. We looked at some marinas around New Bern, NC, that had a requirement that you move the boat out of the marina in case of a hurricane but I never heard of that in a TX marina.

Bob
Clear Lake, TX

ckpetrus · Jun 5, 2013

BobH said:
I can't imagine why you cannot insure an engineless boat. We looked at some marinas around New Bern, NC, that had a requirement that you move the boat out of the marina in case of a hurricane but I never heard of that in a TX marina.

Bob
Clear Lake, TX

Thanks to this forum we finally seem to have found the right insurance match, oddly from the same underwriter for which another agent blew us off.

Pau Hana · Jun 5, 2013

BobH said:
I can't imagine why you cannot insure an engineless boat. We looked at some marinas around New Bern, NC, that had a requirement that you move the boat out of the marina in case of a hurricane but I never heard of that in a TX marina.

Bob
Clear Lake, TX

Some markets/companies insure the vessel as a whole entity, and expect the vessel to be operational- especially in hurricane prone zones.

Tony B · Jun 7, 2013

BobH said:
...had a requirement that you move the boat out of the marina in case of a hurricane but I never heard of that in a TX marina.

Bob
Clear Lake, TX

I think you have to come in under your own power in Waterford Harbor Marina in Clear Lake. Possibly also in Marina Del Sol.

fstbttms · Jun 7, 2013

Most marinas will want the boat to be able to move under its own power. I suspect that may be a stumbling block for you if you do buy the boat.

SomeSailor · Jun 7, 2013

Ours is that way. It must be mechanical sound and able to move and make steerage under its own power.

Insuring a motorless boat

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