Boat Insurance Comparison: 12-Point Policy Checklist

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This is the framework we use across every provider and comparison page on this site. It is published so you can reproduce it, disagree with it, or apply it to products we have not written about.

Twelve policy comparison criteria

#	Dimension	What a good answer looks like
1	Eligibility and vessel type	Your exact vessel type, age and construction is expressly acceptable, not merely unmentioned
2	Settlement basis	You know whether a total loss pays an agreed value, a market value, or something else
3	Navigation limits	The insured area, in nautical miles or named waters, covers everywhere you will actually go
4	Liability limit	Adequate for a serious third-party incident, and it addresses marina indemnities you have signed
5	Salvage and wreck removal	Covered, and you know whether it sits inside or on top of the sum insured
6	Storm and cyclone terms	You know the conditions that apply where the boat is kept, in season
7	Racing	Included or expressly endorsed, with sails, spars and rigging addressed
8	Survey and rigging	You know the survey age threshold and any standing-rigging age condition
9	Tender, outboard, trailer, effects	Sub-limits are stated and realistic against what you actually carry
10	Excesses	Every excess that can apply to one event is identified, not just the standard one
11	Claims and disputes	A clear notification process and access to internal dispute resolution and AFCA
12	Total retained risk	Premium plus likely excess plus known uninsured exposure, compared like for like

Score each policy on all twelve. A policy that wins on premium and loses on three, six and ten is usually the expensive one.

Premium versus excess exposure

Two quotes on the same boat can differ by a few hundred dollars in premium and by tens of thousands in what you would actually receive after a storm. A lower premium bought with a higher storm excess, a narrower cruising area and a market-value settlement basis is not a saving — it is a transfer of risk back to you, priced at a discount you did not agree to.

Consistent vessel details across quotes

Comparison only works if the inputs are identical. Fix the vessel details, sum insured, storage, cruising area, usage and claims history before you request a single quote, and give every insurer the same information.

Get every quote on identical facts

The quote checklist walks through every detail insurers ask for, so you can send the same vessel facts to each market and compare answers that are genuinely comparable.

Open the checklist

Frequently asked questions

Is there a boat insurance comparison site in Australia?

Several sites compare boat insurance commercially. Read the methodology and the commercial disclosure on any of them, including this one — a comparison that ranks by commercial relationship rather than published criteria is advertising.

How many quotes should I get?

At least three, on identical facts, and more if your vessel is older, unusual or heading offshore. If you are being declined, a broker approaching multiple markets at once is usually more efficient than repeating direct applications.

Commercial disclosuresailboatinsurance.com.au is an independent educational guide. We are not an insurer, broker or underwriting agency, and we do not arrange or recommend insurance. Where a commercial relationship exists with any provider named on this page, it is disclosed here. Provider descriptions are compiled from publicly available product documents and are not endorsements.

General information onlyThe information on sailboatinsurance.com.au is general educational information only. It may be wrong, incomplete or out of date, and you should not rely on it as a substitute for the current policy documents or professional advice. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs and is not personal financial product advice. Insurance cover depends on the actual policy wording, Product Disclosure Statement, certificate of insurance, endorsements, exclusions, limits, sub-limits and underwriting decisions that apply to your vessel. Always read the current policy documents before buying, renewing or changing cover. For legal, financial or insurance advice about your own circumstances, consider speaking with an appropriately licensed professional.