Personal watercraft insurance

PWC insurance that gets our personal attention

Get the coverage you need to enjoy the water.

For over 35 years, Markel Specialty has focused on providing the right kind of boat insurance for all kinds of boats—including personal watercrafts (PWCs), such as a Jet Ski, Sea-Doo, or WaveRunner. Our affordable personal watercraft insurance coverage starts as low as $100. And from there you can customize it to fit your PWC, your budget, and your boating style. Plus, we offer discounts that could save you up to 35%.

• Multi-unit discount – Since it's usually more fun to ride with friends or family, we'll discount your premium if you insure more than one PWC with us.
• Experienced boater discount – If you have five or more years of boating experience, we can offer you a discount.
• Mature operator discount (age 40 and over)
• Diminishing deductible – We’ll reward you by reducing your deductible by 25% for each consecutive accident-free year—all the way to $0 after the fourth year.

Why do I need personal watercraft insurance?

It only takes one incident to realize your need for personal watercraft insurance. It may feel like you don't need coverage if you only use your PWC a few times a year, but in reality, each time you are on the water you are at risk of an accident. Since you can never tell when you may need insurance, it's important to protect your PWC at all times—no matter how little you use it.

And if your PWC is insured under your homeowners policy, there’s a good chance it may not be properly protected. If you choose Markel Specialty's personal watercraft insurance, we'll customize your policy to fit your individual needs, taking into consideration what kind of PWC you own and what activities you enjoy. For example, many PWCs are designed to hold additional passengers and even pull water-skiers. While this adds to the fun, it can also increase your risk of liability.

Don't wait until you file a claim to find out if you have the proper insurance protection for your personal watercraft. Get a free online quote today.

What can personal watercraft insurance cover?

Unlike some insurance companies that offer personal watercraft insurance as a supplement or add-on to their auto or homeowners’ policies, Markel Specialty offers specialized coverages so you can customize your policy to you, your passengers, and PWC.

Physical damage
Markel Specialty's personal watercraft insurance coverage offers two settlement options: actual cash value (ACV) and agreed value. ACV would help with the cost to repair or replace your PWC, less depreciation, in the event of a claim. For agreed value, you and Markel Specialty would agree on the value of your PWC at the time of policy purchase (or issuance), and this is the amount that would be paid out should the cost of repairs to fix your PWC equal the value of your PWC. For situations involving partial losses, there is no deduction for depreciation.

Consequential damage
If normal wear and tear or deterioration cause a fire, explosion, sinking, collision or stranding, Markel Specialty’s consequential damage coverage has you covered. Available on every Markel Specialty PWC policy, this coverage is not typically found under most traditional homeowners or auto policies.

Ice and freezing damage
If you contracted for a winterization service, but find that it wasn’t done properly and your engine block froze and cracked, we will cover the damage (provided you contracted with a commercial marina or repair facility).

Watercraft liability
Insurance protection for you and your assets for the costs associated with damages and injuries caused to others. This covers damages for bodily injury or property damage for which you become liable through ownership, maintenance, or use of your insured PWC. This includes liability for property damage to another watercraft, injury to a guest passenger, as well as watersport liability coverage (which is important if you pull a skier) at no additional cost.

Medical payments
Helps pay for necessary medical treatment resulting from an accident causing bodily injury to any person while in, upon boarding, or leaving your insured personal watercraft.

Uninsured boater
We help pay for damages you or a family member are legally entitled to receive from an uninsured owner or operator of a watercraft (other than your watercraft), if bodily injury results from an accident while aboard. This coverage is included at no additional charge to you when watercraft liability is selected.

Emergency towing and assistance
Should your PWC break down, we will reimburse the reasonable costs you may incur (up to the limit purchased), should you require commercial towing assistance to the nearest place where necessary repairs can be made. Also included:

• Delivery of gas, oil, parts, or a loaned battery while away from safe harbor.
• Emergency labor while away from safe harbor

Personal effects
From cameras and smart phones to personal flotation devices, you can lose items while out on the water. Luckily, with our personal effects coverage, you'd be covered for the personal belongings aboard your PWC.

Boat lift coverage
Your current homeowner's policy may not cover damage to your boat lift. As boat insurance specialists, we offer coverage for the boat lift you use for your PWC.