Who’s Responsible for Vandalism to Your Boat at the Marina?

When docking your boat after a ride, you’d like to think it’s going to stay safe until you come back to the marina. But what happens if, in your absence, your boat actually gets vandalized? Who’s responsible for this mess, anyway?

Luckily an independent insurance agent can not only answer this question for you, but also help you get set up with the right boat insurance. Here’s how they’d help you get protected against vandalism to your boat while docked at a marina.

It Has to Be the Marina’s Fault if My Boat Gets Vandalized While Docked There, Right?

Not necessarily. You’ll need to read your marina’s contract to find out for sure just how responsible they are for what may happen to your boat while it’s docked. In many cases, it’s still up to the owner of the vessel to be properly insured to keep their boat safe from all threats, even while they're away.

What Kind of Coverage Do I Need to Protect My Boat?

You’ll need a good boat insurance or personal watercraft insurance policy to cover your boat, regardless of where it is. Boat insurance is even important to have while your boat may appear to be safely docked at a marina. Even while docked, your boat is vulnerable to incidents such as storm damage, damage from other boats and boaters, and even theft or vandalism.

What Does Boat Insurance Cover?

Boat insurance or personal watercraft insurance policies provide a ton of critical protection for boaters. Standard boat insurance comes with the following coverages.

• Theft and vandalism: If your watercraft gets stolen or vandalized, your insurance can reimburse you for the damage up to the replacement value of the boat.
• Towing: If your boat needs to be towed after an accident or mechanical breakdown, your insurance might reimburse you for the fees.
• Property damage: Boat insurance can reimburse you for damage your boat causes to someone else’s property, as well as some damage done to your own boat by covered perils.
• Medical payments: If you cause injury to someone else with your boat, your insurance might cover their medical expenses.
• Fuel spills: Your boat insurance might pay for the costs to clean up fuel or other discharge your boat leaks on the water.
• Freezing: Your boat insurance can also provide coverage for ice and freezing damage to its engine or other systems.

An independent insurance agent can help you get set up with the right boat insurance to protect against vandalism and all other common threats.

What’s Not Covered by Boat Insurance?

Boat insurance or personal watercraft insurance provides a lot of protection for boats and their owners, but it comes with its own set of exclusions just like any other coverage. It's important to be familiar with what your personal policy excludes before heading out on the water, or docking at the marina.

Boat insurance typically does not cover the following situations

• Non-owned watercraft: Though endorsements can be added to your policy, incidents that occur while using a rented boat are not usually covered by your personal boat insurance.
• Intentional injury: Injury or other harm inflicted on purpose with your boat is not covered by boat insurance.
• Business use of the boat: Like auto insurance, boat insurance tends to exclude incidents that arise during business use of your vessel.

Your independent insurance agent can help you discuss any concerns you may have about the exclusions under your boat insurance policy.

How Does Liability Coverage Work if I Want to Sue Someone?

If you decide to press charges against someone else at the marina who vandalized your boat, their own insurance policy should kick in to cover them. Your policy would cover your legal expenses if you got sued and needed to hire professional defense or pay settlement fees. The liability coverage provided in boat insurance provides legal protection in case of lawsuits.

Boat liability insurance covers the following costs

• Legal costs: Attorney, court, and settlement fees are covered by the liability section of a boat insurance policy in the event of a lawsuit towards you.
• Medical payments: If a third party got injured on the marina or in the surrounding areas because of your negligence, liability coverage can pay for their medical bills.

The liability coverage provided by boat insurance or personal watercraft insurance is extremely important. An independent insurance agent can help make sure you’re fully protected.

Where Can I Get Boat Insurance?

Boat insurance is available from many insurers across the country. Finding the best company for you is easy with the help of an independent insurance agent. Until then, here’s a look at some of the top boat insurance companies in the US overall.

Best Boat Insurance Companies	Star Rating
Safeco Insurance
Progressive
Foremost
Travelers
Nationwide

Here’s How an Independent Insurance Agent Would Help

When it comes to protecting boat owners against vandalism at the marina and all other strange incidents, no one’s better equipped to help than an independent insurance agent. Independent insurance agents search through multiple carriers to find providers who specialize in boat insurance, deliver quotes from a number of different sources, and help you walk through them all to find the best blend of coverage and cost.