Solution for yacht and motor boat owners

Hull Insurance covers you for loss of, or damage to your own boat caused by any one of a number of specified events.

Third party liability insurance protects you, and anyone using your boat with your permission, against claims from other people for damage to their yacht or other property, or for personal injury, when you are legally liable due to your negligence. It does not cover you or anyone else for pure accidents if there is no negligence/legal liability.

Personal Accident Insurance pays a lump sum benefit to anyone who is in any way permanently disabled as a result of an accident on or around your boat.

Legal Expenses Insurance covers legal expenses and provides expert legal advice and support for problems relating to ownership of your boat, from contractual disputes with suppliers of parts to employment advice if you have paid crew.

Hull War Risks Insurance provides cover for those war, terrorist and civil commotion risks that are excluded under the standard Hull Insurance Contract, giving you time to move your boat to a safer location.

• Agreed fixed value policy –there is no option for insurers to replace your yacht with one of a similar age and value.
• Cover as standard for the breakage and permanent distortion (which affects structural integrity) of masts and spars.  This is included as an insured peril in its own right – no other peril needs to have operated.
• Consequential loss of wear and tear covered provided another insured peril has operated.
• Cover for damage, up to a limit of £20,000, to the main engine due to the failure of components where the engine is less than five years old.
• Cover for breakage of shafts, struts and propellers.
• Rodent damage covered.
• Automatic cover if you have to depart from your agreed cruising area for up to 72 hrs.
• Racing is usually covered as standard but all proposals are individually assessed and special conditions may be applied to the sportier yacht.
• No requirement for vessel to be ashore during winter months – cover is based on 12 months in or out of commission.
• Boat’s inventory and equipment covered whilst in winter storage.
• Fast and efficient claims handling.
• 24 hr Emergency claims helpline manned by experienced Pantaenius staff.
• No ‘due diligence’ or ‘seaworthiness’ warranties to enable insurers to avoid claims.
• Contribution to emergency accommodation or repatriation in the event your yacht is rendered uninhabitable abroad by an insured accident.
• Usually no crewing restrictions for experienced owners
• Wider range of cruising areas.
• No additional charge for monthly direct debit payments
• Easy changes to policy/communications by phone, email, fax
• Worldwide support network
• Protected NCB Scheme
• Dedicated, well trained customer support and sales team - no functions outsourced to call centres or fulfilment houses.

    Even More Reasons to choose Pantaenius ...

    Pantaenius Claims - With a Difference ...

Who are the insurers and how do I know they will pay in the event of a claim?

Pantaenius has built its international reputation on fast and fair settlement of claims (ask anyone whose boat was in Grenada at the time of hurricane Ivan!).  This reputation could not have been achieved, and could not be maintained, without the backing of good insurers. By “good” we mean financially secure, and fair and co-operative.
The insurers underwriting the Pantaenius Yacht Schemes are carefully selected from major European or International companies, and during the last 40 years Pantaenius has built a strong relationship with them. The insurers have delegated to Pantaenius their claims handling authority for straight forward, lower value claims, which minimises delays.  Please ask if you wish to receive a list of the insurers underwriting any particular policy.
The wide cover offered by the Pantaenius yacht scheme means that there is less “small print” for the insurers to hide behind, so claims which may be rejected or reduced by other insurers are often paid in full and without any quibbling by Pantaenius’ insurers.  (see the Pantaenius Checklist)

I hear that you only cover large and expensive yachts - is this true?

No, we cover yachts valued from approx. £15,000 upwards.  For Atlantic blue-water passages or for sailing in the Pacific, the insurers are reluctant to cover smaller craft, and will usually be looking for values in excess of £50,000.

You have asked for a condition survey; why?  When will you ask for a new one?

Whenever they take on a new risk, any insurer will want to assess the potential for a claim – and the potential scale of any claims. Any information that can reduce the unknown factors in this assessment will lessen the amount of tolerance they need to build in to their underwriting decisions. So the more they know about the condition of the boat to start with, the more accurate their assessment of the risks involved will be.
When steps are taken to ensure the boat is in good condition at the start of cover, there is less need to rely on clauses you will find in many of our competitors’ policies, for example, “the vessel must be maintained in a seaworthy condition”, which could allow the insurers to reject a claim on the grounds of the condition of the boat at the time of the loss. You won’t find wording like that in the Pantaenius Yacht policies! So a survey at the outset, whilst it may be a nuisance, allows the Pantaenius policies to offer wider cover than many others (see next question).
For new business we generally ask for a condition survey if the yacht is amateur-built or if it is more than 10 years old.  For existing clients we have no hard and fast rules, the insurers may occasionally require a condition survey prior to renewal on an older yacht.  We try to give at least 12 months notice of this requirement.
(Pantaenius UK Ltd Survey Requirements).

What is the Pantaenius position on claims caused by defective parts or wear and tear?

It’s a general principle of insurance that you can’t insure the predictable. Everything wears out eventually, and replacing worn out parts is a normal cost of owning a boat. But although the Pantaenius policy won’t cover defective or worn out parts, it does cover any other damage if an insured peril, for example a collision, has resulted from a defective or worn part.

I understand that the rig damage is separately covered. How does this work?

Our cover is unique in that rig damage is covered as an insured peril in its own right. It doesn’t have to result from an external cause, as with other policies. So if the mast falls down due to the failure of a defective rigging screw, the claim will be paid – but you’ll have to pay for the screw yourself.

What is your policy on multi-hulls?

Our insurers cover most cruising catamarans but no trimarans.

I have quite a lot of sailing experience but no formal qualifications-is this a problem?

No.  Whilst qualifications are important we tend to put more emphasis on experience.  Therefore we need to know what sort of boats you have owned/sailed, where you have sailed them and what role you had onboard; for example were you the skipper or crew?

Do you have specific requirements for crew numbers?

No, not at all!   We take each risk; boat type, size, cruising range etc. and relate this to the experience of the skipper.  If we are satisfied the proposed crew can handle it, we will agree cover for short-handed or single-handed sailing.

Do you have specified haul-out periods?

No, our policy covers 12 months in or out of commission.  If you normally keep the yacht on a mooring we may warrant that it must be moved to a marina or hauled ashore if the mooring is considered untenable through the winter.
Insurance rates are based upon the assumption that most yachts will winter ashore, and yachts ashore are not without risk (QAB December 2006), so there are generally no premium reductions available unless the vessel laid up ashore and out of commission for most/all of the insurance year.