Boating season has officially ended. This might mean that you are considering cancelling your boat insurance policy for the winter to save you a few bucks. After all, what could possibly happen to your boat while it’s tucked safely away for the winter? However, you should look into the pros and cons that come along with doing this.

The truth is that a lot could happen to your boat even if it is tucked away for the winter. You might be shocked to learn that a lot of claims that are filed are during the colder months when your boat is actually out of the water.

You may think that you can at least justify dropping collision coverage since it pays for damages in the event of an accident. Since these would generally occur in the water, you might not see the down side of cutting that coverage for the winter. However, in the off-season, there are other situations that could arise. These situations could cause thousands of dollars in damage. If you don’t have the proper coverage, you will have to pay these costs out of your own pocket.

The majority of all boat claims are for fire, theft, vandalism, and flooding, all of which can occur at any time in the year. In all actuality, your boat might be easier to steal or vandalize when it is tucked away than when it is on the lake, especially considering you might store your boat in places you don’t commonly check on. If you don’t have comprehensive coverage that pays for damages caused by circumstances other than collision than things like this won’t be covered by your insurance company.

You may not know it, but you can also be held responsible for injuries that occur in or around your boat even if the injured party wasn’t there with your permission. Liability coverage is there to take care of situations like this. You could be held legally responsible if you decided to drop your liability coverage for the winter.

These are just a few examples of the things that could happen if you decide that you don’t need to have insurance on your boat during the months it isn’t in the water. However, it is always a good idea to keep your coverage even during the off-season. Not only because it can protect you for the things that might happen, but also because some providers offer extra savings if you keep your policy year-round, and those can really add up. If you cancel your boat insurance during the off-season, you are taking a gamble that nothing bad is going to happen. Is saving a few extra bucks really worth that risk? 

Resources:

https://www.progressive.com/newsroom/article/2007/september/end-of-boat-season/