I can afford to buy a used truck and bass boat, but The cost of Maintainence on a bass boat makes me weary of buying one. I expressed my concern about big out of pocket expenses for a boat to a guy in my bass club and his answer was "thats what insurance is for..."

I asked him what are some examples of things insurance would cover vs damage/things I'd have to pay for.

I was wondering if some of you experienced boat owners could list things that insurance would cover in relation to damage to your boat, and also list some things that I, the boat owner, have to pay for.

What are some of common out of pocket expenses for bass boats? What are the more expensive ones? Let us all know!

The easiest and best answer is to call your prospective insurance company and ask what is covered, what isn't covered and what can be covered with insurance.

 

Really you can get insurance for just about anything you want but the more you want covered and the more out of the norm the higher price you will pay.

This is a very broad question with very broad answers, but usually insurance pays for collisions with boats and/or submerged objects. They won't cover things such as breakdowns or other maintenance.  The usual and costly boat costs are with the maintenance and repairs.  Like if your stator goes out, your insurance won't cover that and this will be out of your pocket. If you need to replace your carpet, fix a leak or seal in your livewell or boat, this will be out of your pocket.

 

If you hit a submerged stump doing 50-60 mph and blow out your lowerunit, the insurance (depending on what level you have) should pay for this repair.  If whatever you hit cracks your hull and your boat sinks, they usually pay for the fair market value (FMV) of the boat.  I'm sure there are options (with higher premiums) that allow you to get a brand new boat if your boat sinks.  In addition, you can pay a higher premium to replace the tackle and other items on board.  This usually comes with a standard amount, but you can pay a higher premium for higher amounts of coverage.  The standard amount should buy you about two crankbaits  

 

Hope this helps.

You're still going to have to come up with a deductible.

What "maintenance" would be covered under insurance?  None.  Insurance is for damage caused by collisions.

I don't own a boat, well I have a kayak, but can you get the eqivalent of a bumper to bumpe coverage lke you can for a car?  I know when i bought my Jeep i could have bought a policy that basically covers all my maintenance and mechanical issues if i was so inclined.  Not worth it in my case due to the cost etc....but i didn't know if this type of coverage is available i naddition to your normal collision/liability insurance.

Call a few insurance companies.  When I bought my boat for the coverage I wanted the year ranged from about 250-800 for similar coverage.  The 250 was through my company already and the coverage was actually a lot better then the 800.

 

Bass boats are actually fairly cheap.  Keeping them running on the other hand. LOL

 

Just for an example.  I changed my trailer bearings.  80 dollars.  Changed plugs, lower unit lube, and a few other small parts.  About 150.  The plugs alone were 60.