Insurance: The top ten boat hull damage claims

Pascal Schürmann

· 28.12.2013

Insurance: The top ten boat hull damage claims

Photo: Fema

Yachts destroyed by Hurricane Sandy on the grounds of a winter camp on the coast of New Jersey/USA

Fire or theft, water ingress or grounding, storm or lightning strike - what are yacht owners most frequently affected by?

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The American Yacht Owners Association Boat U.S.which is also active in the boat insurance business, recently published some interesting statistics. It not only shows which types of damage to ships occur most frequently. It also shows which events result in the highest amounts of damage.

Boat hull damage from 2008 to 2012 was analysed. The results are compared with a similar analysis carried out in 2005.

Here is the ranking from 10th place to 1st place:

PLACE 10: Lightning strike (2005: 8th place). Fortunately, a rather low risk overall. However, boats can hardly be one hundred per cent protected against the consequences of a lightning strike. Even if lightning only strikes nearby, the entire on-board electronics may be destroyed. Rank 6 in terms of the average amount of damage

PLACE 8: INJURIES (2005: not in the ranking). In the photo, two sailors attend to an injured crew member. The number of claims is not very high. But the amount of damage can quickly reach six figures in the case of personal injury. Rank 3 in terms of the average amount of damage

PLACE 7: GRUNDBERÜHRUNG/STRANDUNG (2005: 7th place). The photo shows a stranded yacht off Heiligenhafen. Some boats survive such an accident virtually undamaged, others have to be written off as a total loss. In most cases, however, the vessels can be repaired. 7th place in terms of the average amount of damage

PLACE 6: COLLISIONS (2005: 6th place). Collisions between two ships at sea are the exception rather than the rule. In most cases, boats collide with quay walls or jetties or with the neighbouring berth in the harbour. This usually results in annoying damage, but not too much. Rank 11 in terms of the average amount of damage

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As certain events such as hurricanes are a typically American problem, the Boat U.S. statistics are naturally only partially transferable to other countries. However, there are also comparable rankings for Germany - for example from the largest German boat insurance broker Pantaenius.

Pantaenius Sales Operations Manager Dirk Hilcken presents the eight most common loss events that affect sailors in this country:

The top 8 most frequent claims, presented by Dirk Hilcken, Pantaenius

You can find out how to insure yourself sensibly against the above-mentioned and other loss events - and with whom - in our large Online boat insurance special.

Pascal Schürmann

Editor YACHT

Pascal Schürmann joined YACHT in Hamburg in 2001. As head of copywriting and head of the editorial team, he makes sure that all articles make it into the magazine on time and that they are both informative and entertaining to read. He was born in the Bergisches Land region near Cologne. He learned how to handle the tiller and sheet as a teenager in a touring dinghy on the Sneeker Meer and on a tall ship on the IJsselmeer. During and after his studies, he sailed on the Baltic Sea and in the Mediterranean. As a trained business journalist, he is also responsible for boat financing and yacht insurance reports at YACHT, but also has a soft spot for blue water topics.

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Insurance: The top ten boat hull damage claims

Pascal Schürmann

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