What does boat insurance cover?

What does boat insurance cover? Boat insurance covers watercraft with motors, like fishing boats, pontoon boats, and yachts. Boat insurance is very similar to your car insurance. It can provide for collision damage, property damage liability, bodily injury liability, and other damages.

If somebody is injured on your boat through your negligence, your boating insurance can cover their costs such as medical bills and pain and suffering. If you’re injured on someone else’s boat through their negligence, it similarly provides for the owner of the boat’s ability to compensate you.

However, boat insurance is not mandated like auto insurance is in Louisiana. So, if you’re injured on someone else’s boat, they may not be equipped to compensate you. To see a list of required boating regulations in Louisiana, see here.

Overall, you’re wise to be aware of the kind of boat you’re on when you’re out on the water, in terms of specifications, safety, and seaworthiness.

When in doubt, it is important to know whether or not you’re aboard an insured boat.

If you’re hurt on someone else’s boat, will they be able to compensate you fairly for your injuries?

If not, is it worth the risk to your future to engage in any dangerous activities there? Furthermore, you should know whether or not the people you’ll be dealing with have insurance for their vessels. If you’re involved in a collision, will they be able to reimburse you for damage to your property? If not, they might be inclined to leave you high and dry, stuck covering your own repair and cleanup costs.

We have dealt with this quite a bit through our practice and through our own use of boating on the water. We run boats regularly, and we know the perils involved.

If you’ve been in a boating accident, call us at Joseph Joy & Associates.