Should you have ice coverage for your boat?

Boat owners in northern states and areas that experience winter season knows it’s important to take care of your boat and boat lift when cold temperatures hit. However, one major oversight is your boat insurance policy. We’ve talked about the importance of having boat and boat lift insurance and ensuring that all of your expensive accessories are covered but ice coverage is an entirely different ball game.

One of the biggest questions seems to be, “Should I get ice insurance for my boat and boat lift?” Unless you live in Florida or an area that hasn’t seen real snowfall in decades, you should seriously think about adding ice coverage to your existing boat and boat lift insurance policy. Here are some things you need to know before getting ice coverage for your boat and boat lift.

Heated storage doesn’t mean you’re completely protected

If you choose to pay for indoor heated storage for your boat and floating boat lift if you have one, it’s essential that you still properly winterize your jet ski, boat, or other watercraft. Statistics show that thousands of insurance claims get filed every year from northern states where the electricity went out during a deep freeze or southern states where winter weather and freezing is unusual. If you take the time to winterize your boat before putting it into storage properly, you should be fine. However, any small leaks or failing to drain the engine raw-water system all the way can cause severe damage and thousands of dollars for repair.

The best way to make sure you’re protected is to add ice insurance to your already winterized boat, just in case any acts of mother nature cause irreversible damage.

Adding a rider to your boat insurance

If you don’t know if you have ice coverage, talk to your insurance agent. If you don’t, most boat insurance policies allow for a rider to be added on or offer this as an addition to your existing policy. Typically, ice coverage is relatively inexpensive and can be as low as an additional $15-$20 a month. The extra cost far outways the alternative if and when old man winter strikes.

Be aware of deadlines for adding ice coverage

Having ice coverage for your boat and boat life is a big priority. Equally as important is getting it added to your existing coverage in time. Most insurance companies have a deadline for adding ice coverage and won’t be available once cold temperatures hit. This is to reduce insurance fraud and prevent you from adding coverage after something happens.

Boat insurance doesn’t mean boat lift insurance

We have covered this topic before, but it’s important to reiterate that having boat insurance doesn't mean that your boat lift is automatically covered. This holds true with ice coverage too. Be sure that if you have a boat lift, traditional, or floating lift, that your insurance policy covers it, or you could be looking at a hefty repair bill or total damage replacement.

Boat and boat lift insurance is a big priority, along with adding ice coverage. It’s also important to pick the right boat lift for your situation and climate. Jet Dock offers floating boat lifts that can withstand iced-in conditions as they move with the current and don’t have mechanical parts. These docks that can stay in ice are also completely portable so you can store your boat lift indoors alongside your boat. Check out our dock builder today and get a boat lift that will offer maximum protection for your investments.