by jpclowes » Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:51 am
I asked my agent about this a few years ago. She called up the home office, and got the answer from their experts. According to State Farm, my homeowners policy covers any boat to...it was either 22 or 26 feet, I can't remember now...Anyway, I further asked if it was covered in a race (something else to think about, I'll explain why in a minute...) she said the policy said a sailboat was covered no matter what. A powerboat was not covered in a race.
I knew to ask this little detail because my father had a fight with the insurance company that insured his J-22. He was involved in a collision, during a Thursday night "Beer Can" race. A much larger boat tried to take his stern too closely, and ended up catching his backstay on their pulpit, breaking his mast in half. They tried to say that since it happened in a race, he wasn't covered. His argument was that since the race was not a formal race, with no race-committee, no official scores or standings, and was started by a participant, is was more like an informal gathering of sailboats, and it didn't count. They eventually grudgingly agreed.
Anyway, the moral is ask if all your activities are covered too.
J .P. Clowes
Eastern Great Lakes Regional V.P.
DSI 14083