Sean and his team @ Dolphin insurance in Vancouver
604-261-9200
X2
I just had my boat surveyed for my 5 year insurance anniversary by a very well known BC surveyor.
He talked to me a lot about insurances and different brokers and coverage.
The cheapest price is usually not the best deal. Coverage is changing a lot and if you do get cheaper insurance, you are probably missing some important coverage. For a small boat it may not be a big deal but for larger more expensive vessels it is. I found this when trying to renew my insurance last year. Found lots of cheaper coverage but I was not fully protected especially with a full loss.
He also stated it is important to have a local underwriter as if not it can delay repairs, payouts, and make the claim much harder to work with.
Dolphin was one of the companies he recommended along with another Vancouver based company that I cannot remember the name of.
One of the things he mentioned coverage wise is right now you can have an old boat with an old diesel engine that has a catastrophic failure due to an old failed exhaust manifold. However, the mechanics say it was a defective exhaust manifold gasket that caused the problem not poor maintenance. It this case the owner gets a new diesel engine. With new types of insurance, you would not be covered due to poor maintenance and no records.
I guess as usual it is buyer beware.
I took my cheaper quotes to Dolphin and they pointed out all the differences in coverage for me to make an informed decision.
My 2 cents.
FYI my boat value went up 30% from 5 years ago. Who knew and boat was a good investment!
SR
