Requirements - who asks for sailboat insurance and what

Marinas

Many marinas ask for proof of liability insurance before they give you a slip, and liveaboard tenants usually face higher minimums. Ask for the marina's certificate requirements in writing: the required limit, whether the marina must be named on the policy, and whether liveaboard status must be stated.

Lenders

If the boat is financed, the lender will require hull coverage to protect the loan. Ask the lender which limits and deductibles it accepts before you choose them.

Insurers

The insurer sets its own conditions before it quotes: age, length and value limits, an out-of-water survey for older boats, sometimes a rigging report, and details of how and where the boat is used.

Florida marinas and hurricanes

Florida marinas may not adopt, maintain, or enforce policies which require vessels to be removed from marinas following the issuance of a hurricane watch or warning. The same section lets the marina take reasonable actions to further secure your boat after a watch is issued and charge a reasonable fee for it. Source: Florida Statutes, s. 327.59.

For a policy with named-storm terms, that means your hurricane plan has to say what happens at the dock: the cleats, ropes and fenders the marina may dictate, and who pays if the marina does the work.