Boat Insurance

Hull, liability, towing, and personal-watercraft coverage for Gulf and inland water, written for the way boats are used here.

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At a glance

Hull cover: Agreed value where it fits
Named-storm plans: Read before the season
Gulf and inland water: Limits checked
Answered in: English · Español

What this policy actually covers.

A watercraft policy is mostly two questions: what the hull is worth, and where the boat is allowed to be when something happens.

Layup periods and navigational limits are the two clauses owners breach without knowing. We read them with you before the season rather than during it.

Hull and machineryRequired

The boat itself, at agreed value or actual cash value. The difference is most of a total loss.

Watercraft liabilityRequired

What you owe another vessel, a dock or a person on the water.

Towing and on-water assistance

The difference between an inconvenient afternoon and an expensive one.

Uninsured boater

For the collision where the other operator has nothing.

Personal effects and fishing equipment

Rods, electronics and gear, which a hull policy does not assume.

Personal watercraft

Written separately or added by endorsement, never taken for granted.

Who it is for, and what moves the price.

Owners running anything from a centre console out of Naples or Fort Myers Beach to a cruiser kept on a lift, plus personal watercraft, trailered boats and tenders. If the boat has meaningful value, meaningful horsepower or meaningful liability exposure, the limited extension on a homeowners policy is not the answer.

It is also for anyone who has just moved a boat to Southwest Florida from elsewhere. Navigational limits, named-storm conditions and layup periods written for another coast frequently do not describe how or where the boat is now used, and that mismatch only surfaces at claim time.

What moves it most

The hull value and how it is insured. Agreed value pays the figure in the policy after a total loss; actual cash value pays what the boat was worth that day.

What surprises people

Where the boat lives matters as much as what it is. Dry stack, a lift, a wet slip and a trailer in the yard are quite different exposures.

The honest trade

Agreed value costs more every year and settles the argument on the worst day. On most Gulf boats it is the one worth having.

What we will not do

Leave a hurricane plan requirement unread. Some carriers want one on file before the haul-out provision applies at all.

A boat on Gulf water off Southwest Florida of the kind covered by a watercraft policy — Written for Gulf and inland water, including the layup periods and navigational limits that decide where you are covered.

Before hurricane season

Ask what your policy wants from you.

Many Florida watercraft policies reimburse part of the cost of hauling or securing a boat when a storm is named, and some require a written plan on file first.

Read the warranties with us

Questions we are asked.

If yours is not here, call the office. Someone will pick up.

Does my homeowners policy cover my boat?

Only in a very limited way. Homeowners policies typically extend to small, low-powered boats and cap the amount severely. Anything with real value, real horsepower or real liability exposure needs its own watercraft policy.

Agreed value or actual cash value: which should I take?

An agreed-value policy pays the figure written into the policy if the boat is a total loss, with no argument about depreciation. Actual cash value pays what the boat was worth on the day, which on an older hull is a good deal less. Agreed value costs more; on most Gulf boats it is the one worth having.

Is hurricane haul-out covered?

Many Florida watercraft policies reimburse part of the cost of hauling or securing a boat when a named storm is forecast, and some require you to have a written hurricane plan on file. There may also be layup periods and navigational limits that affect where and when you are covered. We will read those warranties with you before you need them.

Is a jet ski covered under a boat policy?

Personal watercraft are usually written separately or added by endorsement rather than assumed. Liability limits and operator-age conditions differ from a hull policy. Tell us what is on the trailer and we will make sure everything on it is actually on the policy.

Where to get it.

Every office can start this conversation. Auto is bound at any of the four desks; home is placed by the homeowners department in Fort Myers; commercial is written from the Fort Myers home office.