Boat insurance

[minneman]

which company do you prefer for insuring your boat and why?

I did a search for some info but the "search" on this site is totaly useless.

[snoozebutton]

I went with the same company that I have my home owners through. Makes things much simpler.

[Sandmannd]

I go through American Family. Replaced one boat for me and just repaired another. Have been great to deal with and they don't cost an arm and a leg.

[WaveWacker]

Same as my auto insurance for the ease of dealing with people I know and already deal with.

State Farm Insurance.

[BoxMN]

I go through American Family. Replaced one boat for me and just repaired another. Have been great to deal with and they don't cost an arm and a leg.

I have AmFam for everything except (main) boat, and I will be switching to them for boat very soon. Rates are better for same coverage in the past year, not sure why, but they were not a few years ago. I currently have Angler Advantage, and (thankfully) never have used them, but they are a top notch company for boaters. I insurance shop/compare every couple/few years, and found AmFam is really good on price and so far on one hail damage claim.

A note - I took a Coast Guard Class on Boating/Seamanship about 13 years ago (while doing volunteer Sheriff Water Patrol training), and AmFam and Angler Advantage give a discount to people who have boating satefy certificates. I think it is good anyway for safety sake, and you learn ALOT even if you think you are experienced, but it also gets you 10%-15% off on your rates. Good deal to look into.

[MuskieJunkie]

I have state farm, I've never had to use it so I can't speak to their claim service. $6k in coverage (my old boat) is $90 per year, $10k in coverage (my new boat) is $150 per year.

[Pat K]

I have Anglers Advantage also. I've never had to make a claim, so I can't comment on thier service in that area.

2 years ago they had the best rates for the most coverage. It's always a good idea to shop insurance every 3 to 4 years.

If you fish any tournaments make sure your insurance will cover you, alot of the policies don't cover you in tournaments (even small local club tournaments) without a special rider.

[Walleye Guy]

I used American Family for 26 years. House, cabin, two vehicles, and two boats. Service has been great although I have had very few claims. Only one major claim and that was hail/weather damage. They treated me wonderfully.

I recently competitively bid out all of my insurance policies to a number of national and local providers. What an eye opening experience. On an "apples to apples" basis the new provider I selected saved me over $1100. I made some tweaks to a couple deductibles and the savings went to over $1300. American Family wasn't the most costly provided but was on the high end.

I ended up having all my policies with Auto Owners. Its only been two months so I cannot comment on the service. However I sure like the savings.

[Jack Stasney]

I'd stick with what you are comfortable with. I know you might save a few bucks here and there depending on your insurer, but I don't consider boat insurance relatively expensive anyways. I stuck with my auto insurer plainly because they've gone to bat for me in the past in regards to auto claims I've had.

[buddha]

I just switched to Auto Owners also and it was just a few months ago so I cannot make a statement on claims. There rates are very reasonable, let's home the claim service is the same.

[Valv]

I would discourage Auto Owners I am having some bad issues with them and my agent especially, in fact I just filed a complaint with the MN Dept of Commerce and will end up in court. I am in the process of switching everything over. Let's say if they can screvv you they will, anytime, but that's all insurance anyways.

I am going with Am Fam or State Farm, anybody knows about Safeco ?

[Da Beak]

Valv,

Check out Illinois Farmers also. Good rates, good service. Been with them for years.

[rtwills]

I have everything through Am Family. I have made 1 claim on my home for storm damage and had a check in my hand less than a week later. I used to be with state farm (which was more expensive) and I ended up fighting tooth and nail with them over an auto claim which ended up going to court , and I won .

It's great to save a bit on the premiums but I am willing to pay a bit more for the customer support end,knowing if i do have something bad happen it will be taken care of without issues.

[blueroof]

I am going with Am Fam or State Farm, anybody knows about Safeco ?

Valv, Safeco has been pretty good for us for our Auto insurance. We had some hail damage recently and they had great customer support. They were just purchased by Liberty Mutual a few months ago; I believe they are planning on keeping the Safeco brand though. We have the boat and house insured through Chubb.

LB

[harvey lee]

I have all of my insurance with Am. Family and been very happy with them for 20+ years and numerous claims including a $50,000 straight line winds claim.

Never an issue to date with them.

[Grant]

State farm for all of our insurances... always been good to us.

[Tom7227]

My advice is to get a local agent, preferably an independent who can get quotes from several companies. I have had numerous incidents where I can call Mike and ask whether it makes sense to make a claim - mostly the <$1,000 kid deals. I could have scored some bucks but Mike was able to tell me what the long term cost would be given the claim history. I don't think you can get that from some outfit you got on the computer.

Also every person that I have referred to Mike has come back and said that he's saved them money from their previous provider.