After buying a boat, one of the key things you have to think about is getting your boat insured. If you have never owned a boat before, this can be a tad confusing. One of the questions people ask is this: can you insure a boat without a survey? There is no simple answer to this question. There are several things that come into play.
Whether or not you can insure your boat without a marine survey will depend on a number of things.
- The Insurance Company
There are many insurance companies that will not require a Cape Coral marine survey. However, even if an insurer doesn’t ask for a boat survey, that is not necessarily a good thing. This is because a marine survey is necessary when determining the safety and value of a vessel. Getting a survey done gives you a better picture of the condition of your boat. This can help you get fair insurance coverage.
- Type of Vessel
The type of vessel you own will determine whether or not you will be required to provide a marine survey. In many cases, when you own a brand-new vessel, insurance companies may not require a boat survey. After passing a certain age, boats become harder to maintain and are more prone to problems. That is why at a certain age, the insurance company will make a survey report mandatory. Larger boats tend to sail further and cost more to repair and maintain. As a result, insurers may require that you provide a survey report when insuring a larger vessel.
- Has Any Previous Claims
If you have made a claim in the past, your insurance company will most likely require a marine survey report. A survey is also requested to determine if you have been involved in an accident in the past and what kind of accident it was.
As you can see, you will not always be required to provide a marine survey before getting insured. In most cases, a survey is required on older boats. It is, however, not uncommon for a survey to be requested on a newer boat. The key is to ask your insurer if they require a marine survey. Do this when requesting an insurance quote. If a survey will be required, request the list of items that will have to be covered in the boat insurance survey.
As you can see, the question of whether can you insure a boat without a survey has no direct answer. It is up to you to talk to your insurance company to get all the details.