Liability insurance for 'homebuilt' or 'kit' watercraft

[freestylegeek]

How is your ski licensed geek?

It's titled as a "2007 Assembled" watercraft.

 

[j0hnny]

my kit car is insured through farmers. may want to try that as i know they insure my kit car no problem. i even have collision on it

 

[SUPERJET-113]

It's titled as a "2007 Assembled" watercraft.

Ah, I see.
If I remember correctly thats a conversion ski with a OEM SN bottom deck right? I guess it's a little to late to license it as a SuperJet...uch:

 

[freestylegeek]

... I just signed up for insurance through Progressive this morning...Additionally, since there is no category for homebuilt PWC, I had to register it as a mini jetboat. I registered the hull as a homebuilt and therefore was able to give them my homebuilt HIN #.

Here is the requirements for a mini jetboat (from the Progressive website):
"Jet propelled boat usually less than 18 feet in length with a rider capacity of four to seven people."

I'm not sure if they'll process a claim if it doesn't fit 4 people. It might be worth a call.

 

[freestylegeek]

my kit car is insured through farmers. may want to try that as i know they insure my kit car no problem. i even have collision on it

Cars and motorcyles are NO PROBLEM, it's "kit watercraft" that no-one seems to offer coverage for.

 

[Cannibal]

Cars and motorcyles are NO PROBLEM, it's "kit watercraft" that no-one seems to offer coverage for.

I don't know why. People home build boats all the time....well maybe not all the time, but it does happen. Call up and ask how to get insurance for a homemade power boat.

I just don't get this. It's not like you are asking for insurance for the vessel where there will be question as to a replacement value. You are looking for liability insurance. You can cause $100k in damage to someone or something no matter what you are using be it factory or custom.

 

[freestylegeek]

I don't know why. People home build boats all the time....well maybe not all the time, but it does happen. Call up and ask how to get insurance for a homemade power boat.

I just don't get this. It's not like you are asking for insurance for the vessel where there will be question as to a replacement value. You are looking for liability insurance. You can cause $100k in damage to someone or something no matter what you are using be it factory or custom.

Exactly! That's what's driving me nuts with this!!

 

[Don 79 TA]

have you tried progressive?
they seemed pretty good when i setup our policy and have an agreed upon value on our skis
I think having insurance should be mandated, just like it is for cars and motorcycles, as well as a license too
but thats not to say it wont stop stupid people from doing stupid things.... Ahhhh "the Dumbining of America" as i call it

 

[SUPERJET-113]

It seems these companies are acting like you have a home built experimental aircraft!

Yeesh, its way safer than a lot of the other things they will insure you for...

 

[Matt_E]

Some of the lighter after market hulls with big power and good riders ARE experimental aircraft. :haha:

 

[bllewis394]

In Michigan, I want to have it. There's always a chance of damaging an expensive property on the lake, or worse severely injuring or killing someone. I want my assets protected if something like that ever happens. It's so cheap (on everything else) that it's dumb not to have it.

i understand, i have insurance on mine for the same reasons but they aren't aftermarket.

Might be time to find a crapped out SN hull on CL. What you do with that hull and it's HINs and Title is up to you. :sneaky:

i know this works with registration issues but it seems that if the insurance company wanted to do the research they could pretty easily decline any claims based on doing something like that.

 

[Cannibal]

i know this works with registration issues but it seems that if the insurance company wanted to do the research they could pretty easily decline any claims based on doing something like that.

They might try, but they would have to prove that the replacement hull is the part that caused the accident that resulted in the claim. And, if he were riding a stock hull, the accident would never have happened. In essence, that aftermarket hull is just an upgraded replacement part. If he went through hull replacement in a legal manner using the State Patrol and got the new hull titled as an older ski with it's HIN plates, there's nothing they could do. That new hull IS the ski on the title.

 

[bllewis394]

They might try, but they would have to prove that the replacement hull is the part that caused the accident that resulted in the claim. And, if he were riding a stock hull, the accident would never have happened. In essence, that aftermarket hull is just an upgraded replacement part. If he went through hull replacement in a legal manner using the State Patrol and got the new hull titled as an older ski with it's HIN plates, there's nothing they could do. That new hull IS the ski on the title.

good point.

 

[Cannibal]

And furthermore, any insurance company could do that with any modified vehicle. If you have a lift on your 4x4, lowered your car, installed tubbies on your ski, installed a longer swing arm on your bike, yada, yada, yada, claim denied because you modified the handling of your vehicle that resulted in the accident.

If insurance companies were really trying to screw everyone every time, almost every claim could be denied because of a technicality. Say the fine print says your vehicle has to be in good operating condition (when's the last time your read your fine print?) and they discover you have less than 2/32 of tread, or you have a leaky shock, or your sway bar bushings are worn, claim denied. They could easily write in that upon an accident you have to submit to a UA and if you are above the legal limit or have any narcotics in your system, claim denied. What if you were talking on your cell phone when you got in an accident, claim denied.

You see where I'm going. There could be a million reasons to deny a claim. They still pay out on drunk driving claims, they pay out on equipment malfunction claims, they pay out on reckless driving claims, why would the not pay out on a liability claim involving a Jet Ski and a boat or person or whatever because of a replacement hull?

I think it's BS he can't get insurance for his ski. Just doesn't make any sense to me at all.

*EDIT* Sorry if that sounded like I was attacking anyone, I'm not. I just got put into rant mode. [/rant mode]

 

[bllewis394]

And furthermore, any insurance company could do that with any modified vehicle. If you have a lift on your 4x4, lowered your car, installed tubbies on your ski, installed a longer swing arm on your bike, yada, yada, yada, claim denied because you modified the handling of your vehicle that resulted in the accident.

If insurance companies were really trying to screw everyone every time, almost every claim could be denied because of a technicality. Say the fine print says your vehicle has to be in good operating condition (when's the last time your read your fine print?) and they discover you have less than 2/32 of tread, or you have a leaky shock, or your sway bar bushings are worn, claim denied. They could easily write in that upon an accident you have to submit to a UA and if you are above the legal limit or have any narcotics in your system, claim denied. What if you were talking on your cell phone when you got in an accident, claim denied.

You see where I'm going. There could be a million reasons to deny a claim. They still pay out on drunk driving claims, they pay out on equipment malfunction claims, they pay out on reckless driving claims, why would the not pay out on a liability claim involving a Jet Ski and a boat or person or whatever because of a replacement hull?

I think it's BS he can't get insurance for his ski. Just doesn't make any sense to me at all.

*EDIT* Sorry if that sounded like I was attacking anyone, I'm not. I just got put into rant mode. [/rant mode]

i definitely understand what you are saying. i guess the thing that would worry me is that the hull has already been titled as homebuilt so switching it now with an old sn title would be a little fishy.

 

[WAB]

why would the not pay out on a liability claim involving a Jet Ski and a boat or person or whatever because of a replacement hull?

because you are trying, for example, to insure a 2007 aftermarket hull as a 1997 Yamaha Superjet and it's not a 1997 SJ.
It would be like swapping the VINs on a car. You get ins and tags on your 93 truck that now has a 96 VIN on it that was swapped out illegally. Sure, you can BUY the insurance and get a tag on it. But, a claim can be denied because they are insuring a 96, not a 93. don't think they won't research it before paying a liability claim. :thinking:

 

[Cannibal]

because you are trying, for example, to insure a 2007 aftermarket hull as a 1997 Yamaha Superjet and it's not a 1997 SJ.
It would be like swapping the VINs on a car. You get ins and tags on your 93 truck that now has a 96 VIN on it that was swapped out illegally. Sure, you can BUY the insurance and get a tag on it. But, a claim can be denied because they are insuring a 96, not a 93. don't think they won't research it before paying a liability claim. :thinking:

Legally this can be done as well and it happens at body shops. The VIN of your vehicle is in the dash, because of a rollover accident or t-bone, a replacement cab is located at a wrecking yard. Because of compatibility, that 96 cab is now on your 93 truck, all legal like, but the 93 VIN is on the 96 cab. You can't leave the 96 VIN on. The VIN stays with the title, stays with the vehicle, the cab is a replacement part. The wrecking yard has the 96 title and you aren't getting that unless they sell you the whole truck.

What happens if I do a top deck conversion on my 91 SN and install a new top deck that looks just like a RN. Now the looks are different and it's obviously not a SN any longer, but is it a custom "kit" or "home built"? The HINs are located both on the top deck of a SN, by removing the top deck, legally, you'd have to have the State Patrol remove your HINs and reinstall them on your new top deck. Who does that?

Also, what about those VW buggy things? You removed the bug body and install a glass speed buggy body. It's still titled as a 69 VW bug.

These things happen in the real world as well, not just on internet jet ski forums.

 

[Cannibal]

i definitely understand what you are saying. i guess the thing that would worry me is that the hull has already been titled as homebuilt so switching it now with an old sn title would be a little fishy.

Like I said in a previous post, it might be too late, something to think about for everyone doing custom hulls.

freestylegeek, I talked to my insurance agent, he said try and find a specialty boat insurance. He knows a fellow agent that had to do this to get a concrete house boat insured. After all, it's not a house, and it's not a boat, how do you insure it? My agent said that if the HIN isn't searchable in a data base, there's nothing he can do. Just kinda crazy.

 

[freestylegeek]

Like I said in a previous post, it might be too late, something to think about for everyone doing custom hulls.

freestylegeek, I talked to my insurance agent, he said try and find a specialty boat insurance. He knows a fellow agent that had to do this to get a concrete house boat insured. After all, it's not a house, and it's not a boat, how do you insure it? My agent said that if the HIN isn't searchable in a data base, there's nothing he can do. Just kinda crazy.

My agent got back to me and told me the basic reason a "kit built" watercraft is so hard to get liability insurance for. The bottom line is when there is a liability claim paid by most insurance companies, if there is an equipment failure, the insurance company gets reimbursed by the OEM.

The only database my HIN is searchable in is the Michigan Secretary of State - they're the ones that assigned it.

Hmm, I guess my quest is just beginning.

 

[SJBrit]

My agent got back to me and told me the basic reason a "kit built" watercraft is so hard to get liability insurance for. The bottom line is when there is a liability claim paid by most insurance companies, if there is an equipment failure, the insurance company gets reimbursed by the OEM.

Wow! So you get a 1 year warranty against defective parts, and your insurance company gets a lifetime warranty...!