Inexpensive options for DIY boat owners, winter trailer-boaters          

Many boat owners think they don’t have to worry about freeze damage if they live in temperate states or if they keep their boats in heated indoor storage areas in northern climates. However, every year the BoatUS Marine Insurance Program receives freeze-damage insurance claims for boats in southern states hit by a hard freeze and gets claims for boats stored indoors in the North where storms have taken out the electrical power, which usually means no heat for the storage facility or garage for long periods.

So, the first rule of winter storage for any boat is to winterize properly.

But even then, small winterizing mistakes, like not draining all of the areas of the engine raw-water system, can easily destroy an engine. For that reason and others, BoatUS says ice and freeze coverage may be a smart option for DIY boaters who want that peace of mind, or for trailer-boaters who store their boat in a heated garage or travel between the warmer southern states and colder northern areas.

Typically offered as a policy “rider” to boats stored in the North, it’s inexpensive. BoatUS offers the add-on coverage for as low as $20. However, there is a deadline to purchase this coverage, as most insurers don’t offer it once lows at night produce colder temperatures on a regular basis, usually at the end of October.

BoatUS says the good news is that boat owners in more temperate states often have this feature added to their policies automatically, but advised boaters should check with their insurer.

For more information…
For more about boat insurance or ice and freeze coverage, go to BoatUS.com/insurance or call 800-283-2883.