Legal question about boat insurance, help please.

I have a 16' aluminum boat with 65 hp motor. The boat, motor, and trailer are registered to me. Do I have to have boat insurance in Texas or Oklahoma? The whole package is probably only worth about $2,000. Is it like a car in the respect that a driver must have at least liability insurance in case you hit someone? I'm not worried about the cost of replacing my own boat if I was to crash it, at least not now. But am I legal? Or am I just crazy not to carry it. Should I reconsider my stance?

Thanks,
Jay

You are legally fine.

jeep, Texas does not require boat insurance. i can't speak for oklahoma law.

sure it's always wise to get insurance on your boat, since these outboard motors tend to need repairs more often since they arent used too much. but i dont think many boat owners insure their rigs. i personally do not, but wish i could afford it.

Jeep,
I have two boats, one is insured and the other is not. The first, big bass boat that I paid too much for is for obvious reasons (lein holder, big motor, expensive to operate and repair). The other boat is a 15' duck hunting boat w/a 15hp outboard and trailer, never insured it as I figured that the total value I could swallow if lost, but I would guess that just like anything else that you could be held liable for your actions if your boat caused damage to anothers property or injury to a person. Their is no law in Texas, don't know about Ok, but one would probably be wise to insure it. Might check with your homeowners, could probably write you a policy that would be reasonable. Just my 2 cents...

This is the way my insurance agent explained it to me: when I am towing my boat, my truck liability policy covers accidents, as that is the vehicle I am actually operating. On the water, one is not required to have boat insurance.

I still carry boat insurance anyways.

You would be responsible for any type of boating incident that happened on the water without insurane,,,am I correct???..if you some how were to damage someones property with your boat on the water I think you would be responsible..any thoughts???

Yes you are liable (or can be held liable) in a boating accident in which you are a boat operator/owner. You are also required to have liability insurance on your boat if you fish tournaments. Liability insurance is smart to have, just like any insurance, to mitigate the risks involved. If you do not purchase liability insurance, you are then self-insuring. You will have to pay out of pocket, if you are liable in a boating accident.

Jeep---look into it---you can get minimal insurance for the cost of a nice fishing combo.

jeepthing,

Texas does not require boat insurance. Oklahoma didn't 12 years ago when I moved. Your auto insurance will cover you while you are trailering. You are still liable for damages while you are operating the boat. If you hit someone or something with the boat, if someone is injured on your boat, etc. Liability insurance is a great idea even if you don't want full insurance coverage on the boat.

I found that I could add a watercraft liability rider to my homeowners insurance that provides a lot of protection for a very minimal cost ($300k of liability for $5/month). It might be worth investigating.

Cheers,
Kelly McCoy
West Texas

Liability / replacement coverage does not cover mechanical breakdowns. For that you need a warranty.

Let me ask this question. If your towing a $50,000 boat and your pulling it with a $30,000 truck. And you have an accident and it's your fault. Your truck and your boat are totalled out. Will your auto insurance cover the truck and boat?

[quote=225proxs
Let me ask this question. If your towing a $50,000 boat and your pulling it with a $30,000 truck. And you have an accident and it's your fault. Your truck and your boat are totalled out. Will your auto insurance cover the truck and boat? [/quote]

If you want definitive answers about insurance you need to consult your agent or a lawyer. However, some of the forum members will be willing to share their experience...

If you are towing your boat your auto liability insurance will cover you up to the liability limit. Some policies will also cover at least some portion of the boat (mine will).

If you want collision and comprehensive coverage on your boat you need to purchase insurance on your boat. If you just want liability coverage for an inexpensive boat that you could afford to replace then you have multiple options.

Cheers,
Kelly McCoy
West Texas

Well, that's two separate issues there ... my vehicle policy covers my liability to the other driver for up to my polcy limits. The value of my truck & boat are irrelevant there. Now, the property damage to my OWN stuff is covered by my comprehensive/collision policies. My truck policy covers the truck in that case, and the boat policy covers the boat.

I thought the original question shad to do with liability insurance in case you hit someone else. As said before, I carry insurance on my truck AND on my boat (also on my motorycle!).

My son in law found out the hard way that his car insurance will not cover damage to the trailer. He was towing his camper trailer, blew a tire on the truck and lost control and ended up with the trailer breaking the hitch and the trailer was totaled. He did not have insurance on the trailer. His auto insurance fixed the truck but did not cover the trailer except for the wrecker and cleanup of the road side.

I was always told ,the liability coverage on my vehicle coverage would extend to towed vehicle and cover only damages done to other property,but did not cover towed vehicle.Even under comp &collision.On the water, we hit a boat house when engine died,glad to have liability on boat!

My suggestion...don't nickle and dime boat ownership. Insurance is just part of the cost of owning a boat. It's not required in TX, but comes in handy when you least expect it. I've had to use mine twice for events that occurred off the water that would have been total losses otherwise.