Boaters Need To Check Their Marina Slip Contract Against Their Boats I...

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http://www.boatus.com/pressroom/release.asp?id=18

January 17, 2008

NEWS from BoatUS

Boat Owners Association of The United States
880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304
BoatUS Press Room at www.BoatUS.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com

Boaters Need To Check Their Marina Slip Contract Against Their

Boats Insurance Policy
Do You Have the Coverage You Need?
Before you sign your annual slip contract with your marina this year, be sure to read it carefully it may obligate you to pay more than just
the slip fee as marinas are inserting language in their slip contracts that shift the marinas legal liability to the slip holder in an effort control
increasing marina insurance costs.
What this means in real terms, for example, is if a boaters guest is injured due to the marinas negligence and sues the marina, or a boat
is damaged by the marina and it declines to pay for repairs, the boat owner could be responsible for defending the marina and paying any
amounts that the marina is responsible for, said BoatUS Vice President of Underwriting, Jim Nolan.
In the insurance industry its called contractual liability, said Nolan, noting that such slip contract language includes terms like hold
harmless and indemnify and defend and indemnify. If they see this language, boaters should check to make sure that their boats
insurance policy provides them with coverage for these types of contractual liabilities before they sign their slip or storage contract, he
added.
If the boat insurance policy does not include contractual liability coverage, boaters could find themselves paying big money out of pocket for
injuries, defense lawyers and possibly property damage to their own boat because the hold harmless provision may insulate the marina
from paying for damages it may have caused.
Many boat insurance policies exclude contractual liabilities and do not allow a boater to simply sign away their insurers right to be
reimbursed for boat damage caused by the marina, added Nolan.
BoatUS marine insurance policies provide contractual liability coverage assumed under a boat storage or slip rental contract. For more
information or an online quote, visit http://www.BoatUS.com/Insurance or call 800-283-2883.
BoatUS Boat Owners Association of The United States is the nations leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its 650,000
members with a wide array of consumer services including a group-rate marine insurance program that insures nearly a quarter million
boats; the largest fleet of more than 500 towing assistance vessels; discounts on fuel, slips, and repairs at over 870 Cooperating Marinas;
boat financing; and a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, the most widely read boating publication in the US.

11-Apr-11 12:21 AM