Tips and advice - Yacht insurance and sailing boat insurance

Towergate Mardon has been providing boat insurance for over a quarter of a century, so we are well placed to advise on how to help reduce the risk of claims and provide tips for trouble free boating.

Here are some key tips:

General tips for Yacht and sailing boats

• Check your yacht or sailing boats’ engine and fuel before every trip
• Tell others where you are going
• Carry communication equipment - regularly check that the equipment is working
• Make regular checks on tides and weather. Conditions can change rapidly
• Carry buoyancy aids on your yacht or sailing boat
• Make sure your craft is well maintained and its’ engine is serviced regularly
• Carry flares and notify someone of your expected return time when putting out to sea
• During laid up periods remove all covers, spray hoods and sails to reduce windage and drop the mast when ashore. Where possible use a suitable cradle for the boat

Ropes and Rigging tips for Yacht and sailing boats

Make regular checks on:

• Breakage of individual strands of wire including damage to wires where they exist the terminals.
• Bent mast terminals at the mast end
• Any abrasion to the rigging as a result of sails or sheets
• Damaged to threads on rigging screws
• Ensure that tape is not covering stainless steel to avoid corrosion
• Change worn ropes especially at points of contact and friction
• Green ropes can be easily washed
• Replace worn splices especially those caused by stainless shackles
• Check for signs of any UV degradation especially if the core of the rope is exposed

Mast and Fittings tips for Yacht and sailboats

• Check for any corrosion between stainless steel parts and alloy mast tubing especially areas of high load such as goose neck and kicker fittings, spinnaker and jockey pole eyes, mast base and spreader roots
• Check for worn sheaves especially incorrect sheaves for rope or wire types, cracked edges and worn bushes. This is especially important for high speed fittings such as spinnaker halyard sheaves
• Mast spreaders should be held rigidly to the mast, angled upwards and clamped to the wire so they cannot move
• Mast winches must have a plastic insulation plate between the base of the winch and the winch pad

Guardwire tips for Yacht and sailboats

• Check the wires are not damaged at the ends or at the top of the stanchions
• Replace plastic covered galvanised guardwires for plastic covered stainless steel as you cannot be sure what corrosion is taking place under the plastic

Hull and deck fittings for Yacht and sailboats

• Where possible replace mild hose clips with stainless steel and regular check the tightness. Double clips are preferable
• Regularly check and unblock the anchor and cockpit locker drains and the loose hoses and clips especially during the autumn and winter or after long periods of use
• Ensure that deck fittings have adequate backing plates on load bearing components and clevis pins are regular checked, tightened and secured

Machinery and engine control tips for yacht and sailing boats

• Regular check the stern gland for gaiter failure as this gradually waters so the packing and gaiter clips should be doubled up
• Ensure that the propeller locking pin is not corroded by ensuring that adequate cathodic protection is provided which also needs routine maintenance
• Inspect and replace stiff, worn and corroded engine and steering controls as part of routine maintenance. Lubricate and ensure free running
• During laid up periods safeguard the engine as per the manufactures instructions and drain down cooling systems

Anchoring tips for yacht and sailboats

• Check that the anchor is the right size and weight for your Yacht/ Sailing boat. Also check the length, weight and condition of the warp chain shackles. As a general guide the chain needs to be 3 to 4 times the depth of water and the warp 6 to 8 times. With tidal waters in the UK this should be based on the maximum possible depth. Also consider the conditions, rough weather or increased windage which will require more length. If in doubt let it out
• The measuring of chain and warp can be done with paint, tags with the respective boat length between each marking
• To stop the “snubbing” of the warp considering lowering a weight or “chum” down the chain to help dampen the snatching
• Consider the anchoring location and conditions such as offshore wind, the sea bed type and the location of any obstructions. Also allow for a 360 degree swing and other boats lines

For more information on this yacht insurance policy please go to the details and documents section.