How can you fix your boat after it has suffered damages due to lack of winterization, and can you salvage it? Winterizing typically includes replacing water with antifreeze and protecting the engine from corrosion. If you neglect to complete these tasks, freezing temperatures can wreak havoc on your vessel and leave it in bad shape. If you are in this situation, there are a few things you can do to address the damage and salvage your yacht — even if your yacht insurance doesn’t cover the damage.
See If Your Yacht Insurance Covers Damages
Before doing anything else, you should review your yacht insurance policy to see whether it covers any damages due to inclement weather. If so, fixing winter damage on your boat may be relatively easy. Winter can inflict plenty of damage on your boat. However, if insurance covers it, you won’t have to worry about paying for repairs out-of-pocket. Unfortunately, many insurance policies only cover damage from specific watercraft liability, which may not include damage from a lack of winterization.
Wait To Set Sail Until You Repair the Damage
Regardless of whether your insurance covers damages from winter weather, you must be careful not to set sail again until repairing the damage. Doing so can be dangerous due to your yacht’s limited functioning. If you did not replace the water in the engine with antifreeze, for example, the water may have frozen, expanded, and caused cracks in the engine’s components. Setting sail with an impaired engine is a recipe for disaster.
Connect With a Marine Mechanic to Assess Damage
It’s essential to get your vessel to a marine mechanic as soon as possible so that you can analyze the damages properly. A marine mechanic can identify any damaged parts of the yacht and repair them, so the vessel is safe to sail again. They may also deliver good news and tell you that there is minimal damage despite that lack of winterization.
Get Yacht Insurance for Future Liabilities
If you don’t winterize your yacht, you’re likely to see substantial damage — especially if you live in an area with colder temperatures in winter. Although a yacht insurance policy can’t prevent this damage, it may be able to minimize the financial impact by covering certain damages. You also need yacht insurance to protect yourself from liabilities that emerge when you’re ready to set sail again in spring and summer. Collisions, property damage, and other risk factors can be costly if you don’t have the right yacht insurance on your side.
About Mariners Insurance
Mariners General Insurance Group was founded in 1959 to protect boat owners and marine business clients. We are marine insurance experts and insure boats worldwide – in every ocean on the planet. Marine insurance is critical if you own a boat or nautical business. Trust the professionals with all of your Boat Insurance needs – trust Mariners Insurance. Call us at (888) 402-5018 any time you have questions or concerns about insurance for your vessel or marine business.
