Help

MOORINGS

Where and how a vessel is moored can effect the risk a vessel faces. Therefore, it also affects the insurers' assessment of the risk and its rating, terms and conditions.

As with any insurance matter, the terms and conditions of an insurance are very important. All boat owners must be aware of the implications of these terms and conditions. If you are in any doubt regarding any stipulation as to where and how the vessel is to be moored or stored, immediate clarification should be sought from the insurer.

PLUS PLAN - THE PLUSES

"All Risks"
Wide cover with few but clearly stated exclusions.

No Machinery Damage Exclusion

Most policies on pleasure craft contain an exclusion of loss or damage to engines, machinery, electrical equipment, batteries, connections and the like, caused by latent defect, negligence or heavy weather.
There is no such exclusion in the PLUS PLAN.

No Racing Risks Exclusion

The boat is covered for racing, there is no exclusion for loss of damage to mast(s), spars, sails, standing and running rigging while racing. The usual one third deduction "new for old" for these items lost or damaged while racing still applies.

No protective Covers exclusion

Most policies exclude loss or damage to protective covers blown away.
There is no such exclusion in the PLUS PLAN.

No "want of due diligence" clause

This exclusion has been amended to mean what it says, that loss or damage directly attributable to lack of reasonable maintenance is excluded.

Marina Benefits

All craft under the PLUS PLAN have special benefits whereby, in the event of loss or damage to the craft while she is ashore or on the pontoon berth in a marina as specified in the certificate of insurance:

- the excess will not be deducted from any settlement

- any earned no claim bonus will not be effected.

Sails

Most policies exclude loss of or damage to sails while set. Because this was deemed to apply to such as self furling foresails while furled, the PLUS PLAN amends this to exclude such loss or damage "while in use".

SURVEYS

It is generally agreed that no-one should buy a second hand boat without having it surveyed.

There will also be occasions when an insurer will require sight of a survey report before agreeing to provide cover on some vessels. Those over a certain age, home built, refitted and the like.

The right man for the job

1. Find a surveyor who is knowledgeable in the type of vessel involved.



2. The surveyor must be independent of the buyer, the seller and any intermediary involved in the sale.



3. Be sure that the surveyor carries a professional indemnity insurance.



4. Many surveyors carry qualifications and/or are members of professional bodies, such as the Royal Institute of Naval Architects or the Yacht Brokers, Designers and Surveyors Association.



5. To find a surveyor telephone either association or ask at the local marina or a Yacht Broker for their recommended list.

1. The survey itself should be full, covering the whole craft including engine(s), rig, hull, deck, fittings and the like.




2. The survey should be done out of the water i.e. "dry".



3. To be acceptable to an insurer (and each insurer may have their own rules) any survey for insurance purposes should be not more than one year old.



4. A survey done for someone else, the previous owner or a previous potential buyer, should not be relied upon. While it may be a useful guide the surveyor involved only has a responsibility to the person who commissioned the survey and to no-one else.



5. If there is a survey in existence, done for someone else, it may be possible, as well as more economic, to re- approach that surveyor for an "update" rather than commission a new survey.



6. Any survey will contain recommendations. These can be (and should be ) divided up in some sort of order of priority such as:



1. Those that must be attended to before the craft is put back into the water.



2. Those which can be done after the craft is afloat but before she is put back into commission.



3. Those which should be done soon but can wait until the next lay up period.



4. Those which need doing to "keep the craft in good condition".


7. Once the recommendations have been attended to, the surveyor should be called back to check them out, and confirm, in writing, that the recommendations have been complied with to his (the surveyor's) satisfaction.

Condition reports

On some craft, usually smaller craft, an insurer may only ask for a condition report. In these cases the craft should be inspected by a knowledgeable (boat builder and the like), independent (not one who has worked on the boat) person. He should be asked to confirm in writing that the craft is in sound, sea (or river) worthy condition, is suitable for the use to which she will be put and is being and has been well maintained.

Inland waterways safety certificates

While these are not full surveys, Haven Knox-Johnston will accept them in lieu of a survey for craft over 25 years old provided both part 1 and part 2 are completed. Part 2 has to be completed by a surveyor and also completed out of the water. However craft of 40 years old or more may still have to be the subject of a full survey.

How often

While it is wise to have any "elderly" craft regularly checked over it is up to an owner as to how often the vessel should be surveyed.

Some insurers, however, ask for surveys on a regular basis, every 3 or 5 years. Haven Knox-Johnston do not do so where the vessel is insured with us for the same owner.

It is wise to ask any insurer, who requests a survey, how often after the acceptance of the first one, will there be a request for another.

A survey may seem an expensive irritation but while any owner will feel that they "know" their own boat it is essential that an independent, qualified, insured person is called in when necessary.

THE SUM INSURED

One area where pleasure craft insurance differs from other classes of insurance is that it is a valued policy.

This means that, if there is a total loss, the sum insured is the amount that will be paid irrespective of the actual value at the time of the loss.

It also means that a recoverable claim for damage, that is not a total or constructive total loss, will be payable in full whatever the total sum insured or value at the time of the loss.

As a result it is very important that the correct sum insured is arrived at from the start of the insurance.

The value should represent what it would cost to replace the craft with a craft of similar age, type and condition.

Purchase price

With a new purchase, the most accurate reflection of value is the price paid. To this must be added the cost of any gear or equipment bought after the completion of the boat purchase.

Market value

This can be different from the purchase price, particularly where a craft has been in the same ownership for some time. It is always wise to check occasionally that the insured value represents the current market value.

Additional Equipment

While the sum insured should be increased to cover these items of gear etc, it is wise to separately specify such items as outboard motors, dinghies, trailers, and the like with their own valuation.

If the equipment is bought after the purchase insurers must be advised to ensure that the insurance has been extended to cover them.

Valuations

Where it is felt that the agreed sum insured is inadequate, or an increase is felt necessary, insurers may ask for justification of the increase by way of a valuation.

This can be obtained as part of a survey or, if no survey is being done, from a Yacht Broker. This valuation will represent what the surveyor or broker feels is the current market value of the craft.

One further point. It is stated above that the vessel should be insured for its current market value. If the craft is put up for sale and the suggested asking price from the Broker differs from the current sum insured, the sum insured under the policy should be amended to reflect the, now known, market value.

The need for insurance may not always be appreciated for craft safely tucked away ashore while being worked on. There can, however, be problems where an insurance would prove to be a sound investment.

Fire, storms, theft and vandalism are but four areas where loss or damage can occur, even to craft owned by the most careful owner. Third Party insurance is also essential and, if the work is being completed in a yard, may be compulsory.

When should an insurance be started

From the time there is a value at risk. If fitting out a professionally built hull, for example, the insurance should be taken out from the moment the hull becomes your property.

What information do insurers need

Apart from the usual proposal form:

1. Where will the craft be kept, including details of security.



2. What previous experience you have, particularly if any engineering work is involved.



3. The total value of everything at risk at the start of the project.



4. How long it is anticipated that the project will take.



5. What will be the final completed value, this should be the estimated market value at the completion of the work not just the cost of the materials.

Will there be a need for a survey

Firstly ask your insurers whether they will require a survey. In any event it is wise to involve a surveyor who should:

1. Be asked to visit the craft before / when she is stripped out.



2. Be asked to suggest when a further visit will be required and then be called back at these stages.



3. Be called back when all is done to give a final "signing off" report.

1. Keep all receipts for items purchased as the work progresses.



2. Keep a record of the work done - perhaps with photographs.



3. If you wish to use the boat during the work, insurers must be advised and their agreement obtained.



4. Tools are normally not covered and should be insured under the household insurance.

WHO CAN DRIVE MY BOAT?

Under the normal pleasure craft insurance there are two specific references to restrictions as to who may "drive" the craft.

Under the specific clauses, which apply to all craft with a maximum designed speed in excess of 17 knots (20 miles per hour) there is a condition that the owner or other competent person should be on board and in command at all times while under way.

The 'Third Party Plan' section contains a clause that excludes any third party liability while the craft is being "driven" by "any person operating or employed by the operator of any shipyard, repair yard, slipway, marina, yacht club, sales agency, delivery contractor or similar organisation".

If any one covered by these categories is going to drive the craft it is essential that it is confirmed that the person involved carries their own Third Party Insurance.

N.B. this only applies to third party liability insurance and not to the section covering damage to the vessel.

While there are no other specific printed conditions in the insurance (care should be taken to check whether any additional conditions have been incorporated in the certificate of insurance), it should be borne in mind that the proposal form has been completed by the owner, and that the details of age, record and experience, accepted by insurers, is based on the answers given on that form. There are also questions on the proposal form that can have a bearing on the insurance, including previous insurance history and convictions.

If you are lending your craft for any form of "consideration", this may not be deemed "private pleasure use" and may be deemed to come under the heading of "hire or reward". This use is excluded under this insurance unless insurers have given their prior agreement to such use.

If there will be some one who will regularly use the craft (whether or not you are on board) it is wisest to tell your insurer giving details of the name, age, record and experience, together with any claims history. Do this in writing and get a written confirmation of their acceptance.

Anyone borrowing the craft should also be made aware of any restrictions in the insurance as regards, in particular, where the craft may be used, moored and the like.

OVER 17 KNOTS

Any craft with a maximum designed speed in excess of 17 knots (20 miles per hour) will be subject to some additional exclusions or restrictions in the insurance cover.

Some of these are standard to all insurance's and are very rarely, if ever, open for amendment.

1. The vessel must always be under the command of the owner or other competent person.





2. There is no cover for loss, damage, liability or expense while the craft is racing or undergoing speed tests or speed trials.

3. Where the craft has inboard machinery, there is no cover for loss damage, liability or expense arising from fire unless the craft is fitted.





1. in the galley with an adequate fire extinguishing system (some insurers insist on this being an automatic or remote control system. Haven Knox-Johnston do not).





2. in the engine room or tank space with an adequate fire extinguishing system automatically operated or having controls at the steering position.





N.B. any such equipment or system must be properly installed and maintained in efficient working order.

There are two further restrictions in cover which may be amended with or without an additional premium.



4. Loss damage liability or expenses arising from the vessel or boats being left unattended off an exposed beach or shore.

   Effectively this means that the craft should never be left unattended afloat, and while with larger craft this may be able to be deleted it is important to appreciate the effects of this clause.





5. Loss or damage to rudder, strut, outdrive, propeller or shaft unless by a risk covered by this insurance the vessel sinks or strands, or is in contact with another vessel pier or jetty. This exclusion may also be deleted depending on the type of vessel but this may involve an increase in the policy excess for claims arising out of the deletion as well as an additional premium.

There is a further exclusion in most insurances for speedboats which refers to water-skiing, while liability to and of water skiers is excluded it can be covered, sometimes at an additional premium.

However the inclusion on this cover does not mean that all forms of water sports are covered. Great care should be taken, to be sure what is covered and what is not as paragliding, the towing of donuts, boards, knee boards, sausages, or similar activities may be excluded and some insurers will not cover these activities.

GETTING A QUOTE

The quotation process will vary slightly from plan to plan - but in all cases a series of questions will be asked. When you submit your answers by clicking on the 'process details' button at the bottom of the questionnaire (the 'proposal form'), you will be given a quotation. In addition, you then have the option to 'print', 'amend', 'bind' or input a new quote

In some instances your proposal may need to be referred directly to insurers for example where greater detail is required relating to one of your answers. Referral to insurers should be a speedy process and once the insurers have reviewed your proposal form, 'my haven file' will be automatically updated and you will be notified by email to check 'my haven file' for their response.

When a quotation is given following a referral, you can proceed and bind the quoted policy immediately, or you can do so later by locating it in your portfolio in the 'Quotations' section.

BINDING ONLINE

You can bind a quote either by clicking on 'bind' at the end of the quotation process, or by clicking the 'bind' button once you have selected the quotation within 'my haven file'.

You will be asked to confirm once more that you wish to purchase the policy.

Once confirmed the policy will be valid from the attachment date you requested when bound. The certificate, summary of cover and policy wording will be emailed immediately to you. You can also view these at any time in the 'Bound Policies' section of 'my haven file'.

SECURITY

We take security very seriously and employ best practice and the most effective technologies available to ensure that the transmission of sensitive information is secure and that such information is stored securely.

To this end, we use a secure connection for all financial transactions. Details of our thawte Certificate can be found on the "Security and Privacy" page. Please also see "Technical Issues": "Security" for more details.

PAYMENT METHODS

Once you are registered to use this website you will be able to bind insurances within a pre-set credit limit and payment terms. You will be required to settle all premiums due within the period specified in our payment terms. To review policies whose premiums are due, go to the 'Accounts' section of 'my haven file', where they are listed. You can then select policies which you are paying and print a remittance advice to accompany your cheque. For more details of the use of the 'Accounts' section within 'my haven file', please see the Using 'my haven file' section below.

There are five sections to 'my haven file': 'Quotations', 'Bound Policies', 'Clients' Details', 'Accounts' and 'Claims'. Choose one of these from the pop-up menu and the screen will refresh to show an appropriate listing.

Quotations

This is where quotations generated by you and your colleagues are displayed. Select a quotation by clicking in the 'radio button' on the left of the row and full details of the quotation are displayed, together with buttons at the bottom of the screen for performing actions on that quotation (printing, binding, editing, or Not Taken Up - NTU). If a quote is not bound and is not manually set to NTU, when 60 days have passed from its issue date it will automatically be marked NTU and removed from this listing. Editing a quote results in a new quote being created based on the previous quote.

Bound policies

Policies bound by you and your colleagues are displayed here. By selecting a particular policy by clicking in the "radio" button, details of the policy are displayed, and buttons which allow the retrieval of the certificate, together with buttons for requesting actions on the policy (mid-term adjustments, cancel and claims) are displayed.

Clients' details

Clients created by you and your colleagues are displayed here. When generating quotations, it is only necessary to enter a current client's surname or postcode to retrieve their details. Should you have clients with the same surname or postcode, the system will ask you to confirm which one you mean to use. Additionally, when generating a quote, should you attempt to create a new customer with the same surname and postcode as an existing customer, you will be prompted to confirm whether the new customer should be created, or whether the current one should be used instead.

Accounts

This section lists all policies whose premiums are due for payment. Before you send payment to us, mark for payment all policies you are about to pay on this screen by clicking on the box above "payment notes". Optionally you may include comments against any particular policy. Should there be policies listed which are overdue and which you are not marking for payment, you will be required to enter a comment against that policy giving the reasons for non-payment. The total marked for payment is displayed at the bottom of the screen. When clicking the 'process for payment' button, a screen is presented asking you to confirm your entries. Please print this confirmation screen and attach it to your payment.

Items marked for payment will show the date paid in the "Date sent" box in your accounts listing. Once we have received payment, we will check your account statement and remove those items that you have paid. Your accounts due listing will then only show unpaid items.

Should your payment for a particular batch of policies be less than the amount due, a non-balancing batch will be created. We will contact you if this occurs. Once the reasons for this occurrence have been resolved, any outstanding payment against that batch should be made using the 'non-balancing batches' screen. Access this screen by clicking on the 'non-balancing batches' button at the top of the accounts screen.

Because of the unique nature and importance of each claim, we still want to handle claims off-line as far as possible. This process is designed to enhance our existing claims handling methods so that we can offer an even better service to you.

POLICY MID-TERM ADJUSTMENTS (MTA)

To effect a Mid-Term Adjustment (MTA) go to 'my haven file' choose 'Bound Policies', select the policy that is subject to MTA and then click on the MTA button.

POLICY RENEWALS

30 days before the expiry date of a policy bound on the HavenKJ website you will be emailed an automatic renewal quote based on expiring underwriting information.

Once a policy renewal is bound then you continue the business process as for new business.

If you do not take any action on a renewal advice then further reminders will be sent until after the renewal date when cover will automatically lapse after 7 days. If you wish to purchase the policy after it has lapsed then you will need to re-enter the vessel details as a new quotation.

POLICY CERTIFICATES

Your client's certificate of insurance, a copy for your records, a summary of cover and the insurance wording will be emailed to you immediately after pressing the 'bind' button. You can also view/print these at any time by clicking on the 'Certificate' button in the 'Bound Policies' section of 'my haven file'.

CONTACTING US

For further help or information, please contact us at enquiries@havenkj.com

We take security very seriously and employ best practice and the most effective technologies available to ensure that the transmission of sensitive information is secure and that such information is stored securely.

1. The secure transmission of sensitive information. All transactions including quotations when entered by you are transferred to use over an SSL 3 128bit encrypted connection.
   
   Indications of this secure connection are the following:



1. depending on the browser version you are using and its settings, you may get a warning that you are entering a secure area when clicking on the 'Buy' button, and that you are leaving a secure area when the transaction is finished.



2. in addition, some browsers will display a blue bar across the top of the payment area ('frame'). (The browsers that do not display this, are not doing so because not all the page is secure: although the central pane where the information is being entered is secure, the menu system at the top of the page and on the left are not secure.)
   
   
2. If you do not get either of these indications, you can verify the security of the connection as follows:



1. on Internet Explorer on a PC, when on the payment page, right-click anywhere on the page (but not on an image), and choose 'Properties' from the pop-up menu. The dialog box that appears will state that the connection is an SSL 3 secure connection.



2. on Internet Explorer on a Mac, when on the payment page, double-click on the padlock at the bottom of the screen. The dialog box that appears will state that the connection is an SSL 3 secure connection.




3. on Netscape, when on the payment page, either click on the security button in the toolbar, or double-click on the padlock at the bottom of the screen. The dialog box that appears will state that the connection is an SSL 3 secure connection.





4. finally, details of our certificate, which is a thwate certificate, can be found by going to the security section of the website.




3. The secure storage of information.
   
   We employ the latest security technologies to safeguard our systems from attack, and have had these systems audited by experts in the field.

CONTACTING US

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

If you have any complaints regarding your insurance then please write to the following:

General Manager
Haven Knox-Johnston,
11 Tower View,
King's Hill,
West Malling,
Kent ME19 4UY
Great Britain

quoting the Certificate Number shown at the top of the Certificate of Insurance.

In the event that you are dissatisfied with our handling of your complaint you can at any time refer the matter to Policyholder & Market Assistance. Their address is:

Lloyd's Market Services,
One Lime Street,
London EC3M 7HA.
Telephone No: 020-7327-5693
Fax No: 020-7327-5225
e-mail: Complaints@lloyds.com

Complaints that cannot be resolved by Policyholder & Market Assistance may be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service (Dispute Resolution Facility). Further details will be provided at the appropriate stage of the complaints process.

If you take any of the action mentioned, it will not affect your right to take legal action.