Meet our President and CEO, Patrick.
Patrick grew up spending his weekends and summer vacations at his grandparents cottage on Lake Wawasee in Indiana.
But in 1969 his grandmother decided to sell her cottage and gave Patrick’s parents 1/3 of the profit.
To carry on the tradition, Patrick’s parents decided to use the money to build a cottage of their own.
Little did they know the rich legacy they were about to lay when breaking grounds at Seneca Lake in Ohio.
Patrick and his five brothers and sisters absolutely loved their Seneca Lake getaways.
But as they got older and their families got larger, thye soon realized that their parents cottage was just too small.
Now, parents of four, Patrick and his wife, Pam ventured out.
They bought a lot of land and built their dream cottage on Seneca Lake.
And it wasn’t long before Patrick realized that they just can’t have a cottage on Seneca Lake without a boat.
As Ohio’s third largest inland water way, Seneca Lake is renowned as one of the BEST spots in Ohio for fishing, boating, and water sports.
So in 2005, Patrick and Pam headed up to the Cleveland Boat show to look at boats.
Unbeknownst to her, he had a pretty good idea of what he was looking for.
That day, Patrick and Pam purchased a brand new Hurricane Deck Boat.
With four teenagers at the time, why not add a boat to the mix?
So the boating adventures began…
But as every good boater knows, with boating comes liability.
When Patrick purchased the Hurricane Deck Boat, he also purchased boat insurance.
While a small boat, such as a canoe or an unmotorized fishing boat, is typically covered under a homeowners insurance policy, a larger and faster boat like Patrick’s Hurricane Deck Boat calls for a separate boat insurance policy.
What is Boat Insurance?
Boat insurance is designed to protect the boat, the boat’s motor, any boat equipment and its passengers.
2 Key Coverages For Your Boat Insurance Policy
Like car insurance, a standard boat insurance policy provides three key coverages.
- Physical Damage Coverage which protects your boat, it’s motor, the boat’s trailer, boat equipment and any personal property against theft, accidental loss or damages.
- Personal Liability Coverage which protects other boaters and boat owners in the event that you’re at-fault for an accident on the water. This coverage may pay for repairs or even replace the property of someone else as well as their medical care, lost wages, and other costs incurred as a result of a boating accident in which you’re at-fault for.
In addition to your standard boat insurance policy, you may want to consider these supplemental coverages:
- Reasonable Repairs, which covers repairs incurred to protect covered property from further damage.
- Emergency Service, which pays for reasonable costs that you incur resulting from specified emergency service to your boat, motor, or boat trailer.
- Wreck Removal, which pays the reasonable expenses incurred for any attempted or actual raising, removal or destruction of your wrecked boat when damage is caused by an insured loss and removal or destruction is required by law.
How Much Does Boat Insurance Cost?
On average, a standard boat insurance policy costs less than $1 per day – but your boat insurance rate depends on a number of factors, including (but not limited to):
- The type of boat you’re insuring
- How you plan to use the boat
- Your driving and boating record
- Where you plan to use the boat
…just to name a few.
Ways to Save on Boat Insurance
There’s several ways you can reduce your boat insurance premium. Here’s a few tips to start:
- Run your boat on diesel fuel instead of gas. Diesel fuel reduces your risk and your insurance premium.
- Complete an approved boat safety course through the Coast Guard, U.S. Power Squadrons, Red Cross, or other state-administered course.
- Ask your insurance agent about multi-policy discounts.
next step
So if you’re like Patrick, dreaming of the day when you can cruise along the lakeshores in your very own boat, then let’s work together to make that dream a reality.
You focus on getting your dream boat, and we’ll focus on securing the right protection for it.
For more information on boat insurance, call (330) 334-1561 or email insurance@oneillinsurance.com and one of our Personal Account Managers will be happy to help secure for you the right boat insurance protection.
This article was adapted from Zywave. This is not intended to be exhaustive nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as legal advice. Readers should contact legal counsel or an insurance professional for appropriate advice.
