Switching Insurance and looking for feedback on anyone using BoatUS

barryg

barryg

Member
Jun 24, 2007
966
Fort Lauderdale
Boat Info
2005 320 Sundancer, Garmin 5208
Engines
Twin V-Drives 350 Mags
With my insurance up for renewal in a few days, I shopped around and am thinking of switching to BoatUS as my current insurance is written thru Lloyds of London and another UK based company and is about $300.00 more than the Boat US quote I received for the same or better coverage. I also checked out NBOA, Progressive and others and they were A LOT more than either of those...probably something to do with not wanting the policies here in South Florida..

I was wondering if anyone who currently has Boat US has any feedback positive or negative before I write the check...

Thanks!!
Barry
 
Try NBOA and tell them you are a Sea Ray owner. I did and got a great quote. Better than BoatUS with the same coverage.
 
Barry,

Can't help on the BoatUS equation. But I am really surprised by your NBOA quote. They are based in Florida and are the preferred insurer for Sea Ray. They were hundreds less than anyone else for my boat. I have both a FL and MA address, no restrictions on layups and can boat entire inland and coastal US and Canada.
 
When customers ask us for advice, I typically tell them about BoatUS and NBOA as they both offer discounts for Sea Ray owners. Although, I personally have NBOA because they will give a higher dollar amount for replacement and they have a good towing program (on-road and on-water). You might find BoatUS is better for you - just make sure you compare "features and benefits", too.

That being said, no customer has ever come back and told me that they were unsatisfied with either, although hands down, more go with NBOA.
 
I was shocked when my NBOA quote came in over a thousand more than Boat US...Though last year when I went to quote things Boat US was about a thousand more than the policy I ended up getting.. Guess it depends on what they want to cover and when.
 
barryg said:
I was shocked when my NBOA quote came in over a thousand more than Boat US...Though last year when I went to quote things Boat US was about a thousand more than the policy I ended up getting.. Guess it depends on what they want to cover and when.
Click to expand...

Barry,

Boat US seems to have the "hot hand' for insurance in Broward right now. I shopped everything last October and Boat US was about $1000/yr more than AIG. I just got a new quote from Boat US and they are now $1500 lower. I know 3 guys in Broward that had claims with them and no complaints.

I'm surprised how much the pricing moves around down here. I'm going to go with Boat US before hurricane season and rates go back up.
 
Looks like BoatUS is it for me....

Thanks everyone for the quick feedback.

No new survey required from BoatUS..

Barry
 
I just insured a new 185 Sport through BoatUS. I don't mind saying what I paid. The hull and trailer are insured for $23,000 or its current BUC Book value, whichever is lower. The P&I covers me for up to $300,000. I received a small discount for being a licensed captain. My premium was $260 for the year which includes a small mandatory fee for becoming a BoatUS member. This membership benefit includes $250 worth of towing per incident from Vessel Assist.

I shopped around and received quotes from two other well known boat insurance companies. Both of their quotes came in at around $400 per year for the same coverage.
 
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I don't use BoatUS, but they gave me excellent service when one their insureds damaged my SR while doing a poor job of pulling into a slip next my boat. I took a pic, sent them a copy of the police report, the repair bill and I received a check in the mail within two weeks. Impressive service.
 
Just a dumb (yet very related) question: Do any of you have umbrella liability for your boat?

My current home/auto agent wouldn't allow the SeaRay to be under the umbrella because they didn't write the underlying policy. . .and they won't insure the SeaRay because it is registered in a different state. . .

Insurance shopping can be a pain if you actually have assetts to protect. . .
 
I'm not really sure how many of you have access, but, USAA works with Progressive insurance. I have been pleased with the service in the past. After reading this thread, I thought I would give Boat US a try. Their quoted rate was greater than 2X what I am getting with USAA/Progressive - apples to apples comparison. I know that all markets are different, but, I was really surprised at the disparity in the two rates - WOW!

I guess I'll continue w/ my current provider.
 
comsnark said:
Just a dumb (yet very related) question: Do any of you have umbrella liability for your boat?

My current home/auto agent wouldn't allow the SeaRay to be under the umbrella because they didn't write the underlying policy. . .and they won't insure the SeaRay because it is registered in a different state. . .

Insurance shopping can be a pain if you actually have assetts to protect. . .
Click to expand...
I do, wasn't a problem. I have 4 carriers and it wasn't a problem

1 carrier in MA for home, auto, umbrella
2 carriers in FL for home, flood
1 carrier for the boat (NBOA)

The only requirement from my umbrella carrier was that all policies had a limit of liability of 500k. They pick up everything after that.:thumbsup:
 
Interesting how the rates vary so much from the same carrier in various locations. Thanks for all the feedback. Just got off the phone with BoatUS. Very easy to get the binder and split up the payment 30% down, and the balance over 8 months with a $5.00 fee. Makes it much easier for me AND they were about $400.00 cheaper over everyone else I got quotes from; with really good coverage.

Thanks to all that gave their feedback.

Happy Boating!!

Barry
 
I had boat/us insurance for three different boats for over 20 years. Had only one small ($1000) claim in all that time. Then the year after they had huge hurricane losses in Florida, they increased my premiums almost double. I did maintain my PWC insurance with them, then when I bought the new one, the premium shot sky high. "It's high performance." Drop them for the PWC too. Probably won't even bother to renew my "membership" either.
 
I go with BoatUS. My current policy was $12 more per year than NBOA. I decided to stay with BoatUS because I have been a member for 7 years, and have the vessel assist for $59 a year. This policy has saved me $$$, because they have assisted me 3 times in the last 2 years (my fault) for no charge with dead batteries. These guys (Towboat US) are the best.
 
Boat US is great.
Had 2 claims in 25 years and both times they were awesome
Adjuster showed same day and paid on the spot
 
I pay $1500 / year on the 460 with RLI Yacht Insurance. Through the Jack Martin agency in Baltimore. Full coverage, liability is 500k. Same as above, umbrella kicks in after that.
 
I am currently with BoatUS and just got a quote from NBOA after reading the different threads here. The problem that I have with NBOA, and this was after talking to one of their customer service people, is they would only insure the boat for the loan amount not the Condition and Value Survey amount given by a surveyor (done in Sept '08). Which is a big deal when my loan is for a lot less then the current value of my boat.

Am I missing something here boat value $100,000..paid less for the boat...loan $60,000, but NBOA only offered coverage on the loan amount. With BoatUS I have coverage on the value of the boat.

Anyone else run into this with insurance coverage? (maybe I need to post this on the other NBOA thread)
 
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