Although Connecticut law does not require a boat owner to purchase or maintain liability insurance, it is common sense to obtain it. With the increase in the number of boats and personal watercraft on Connecticut waters each year, there has been an increase in boating accidents, often resulting in serious personal injury and financial loss.
Many small boat owners believe that their homeowner’s insurance policy protects them from liability for losses caused by the negligent operation of their boat. While that is generally true for small boats with outboard motors under 25 horsepower, more powerful boats are excluded from such coverage. These vessels, and personal watercraft such as personal watercraft or personal watercraft, as well as motorboats, require boat insurance in order for the owner or operator to be protected.
As with the operation of an automobile in Connecticut, there is a presumption that if the owner’s husband, wife, father, mother, son, or daughter drives a boat, they did so as a family boat, exposing the owner to liability even though he or she was not operating at the time of the loss. This law provides an additional incentive for boat owners to properly insure their boats.
There are many so called discount insurance companies that advertise low rates for boat insurance. Before purchasing boat insurance from any of these companies, you should determine what coverages and amounts are needed.
If you own a home with a franchise policy, you must purchase sufficient liability coverage for your boat to satisfy the requirements of your franchise policy. Generally, limits of $300,000 to $500,000 are required on your vessel coverage. Premiums for boat coverage generally depend on many factors: the amount of coverage, the boat’s location, usage, size, age, condition, power type, and owner’s experience.
Keep in mind that in Connecticut, an average of six people a year die from boating accidents, according to the US Coast Guard. The leading cause of boating accidents: alcohol use.
Owning and operating a boat is a serious endeavor, and to avoid exposure to personal liability, you should insure your boat with sufficient limits. Consulting an agent or company with experience in boat insurance is the best option. With recent losses from hurricanes and tropical storms, many insurance companies refuse to insure boat buyers. It’s gotten to the point in Florida, for example, that boat sellers require confirmation from prospective buyers that they can get insurance, just as home sellers require pre-approval letters from banks showing the buyer has been approved for the loan needed to buy a house.
And, in the event of an accident, boat operators must follow rules very similar to those that follow a car accident. Operators should remain on the scene and assist any other vessels or persons involved in the accident, if possible, without endangering their own vessel or persons on board. The operator must provide the name, address, and vessel identification number to the other vessel operators or the owner of the damaged property.
Finally, the operator must notify the nearest law enforcement agency and, within 48 hours of the accident, report the matter in writing on a form provided by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Division of Boating.
In the meantime, don’t neglect the life jackets. Adults may not be required by law to use them (except during the period of October 31 to May 31). – kids under 12 should always wear one, unless they’re below deck or in an enclosed cabin), but, like buying boat insurance, it makes a lot of sense.
John F. Wynne Jr. is a partner in the New Haven-based firm of Buckley Wynne & Parese. You can reach him at 203-776-2278 or jwynne@bwplaw.com.
Clinton Mora is a reporter for Trending Insurance News. He has previously worked for the Forbes. As a contributor to Trending Insurance News, Clinton covers emerging a wide range of property and casualty insurance related stories.