Boat insurance: protect your boat

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CHF 100 discount when taking out a new policy (liability insurance incl. all risk)

All-risk: carefree sailing

Assistance: protection against towing costs

Claims processing: professional & straightforward

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Key points at a glance

Protection for all boat types: Boat insurance offers coverage for motor boats, sail boats, or yachts.
As much protection as you need: Depending on your needs, you can choose between all-risk or accidental damage coverage without collision.
Additional coverage: With the supplementary insurance for roadside assistance, machinery, accident, and boat legal protection insurance, you are equipped against all eventualities.

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Your boat insurance with AXA

You have fulfilled your dream of owning your own boat, but are you still looking for the right insurance? AXA is your reliable guide: we offer you the best insurance cover with solutions flexibly customized to your needs.

Choose liability insurance and accidental damage insurance (without collision or all-risk) and also take out machinery insurance as protection against damage to the engine or electrics and assistance insurance to cover towing costs if you break down. Use our overview to quickly and easily find the right watercraft insurance for you.

Liability insurance, all-risk and partial accidental damage (without collision)

Still not sure what type of insurance is right for your motorboat, sailboat or yacht? Then take a detailed look at the boat insurance options and find the best insurance cover for you.

Liability insurance

Liability insurance is mandatory for the following boats:

Boats powered by an engine
Sailboats with a sail area exceeding 15 m²
Rental boats in general

It covers damage you may cause with your boat to another person, such as a water skier, wakeboarder, or another boat. It pays for damage to property and accidents involving animals.

All-risk – for carefree sailing trips

With AXA all-risk, you’re covered against anything that isn’t explicitly excluded. For example, you’re also insured if, in the rush ahead of a gathering storm, you forget to heave up the anchor and its steel chain becomes snagged as a result . Or if your binoculars accidentally fall onto your beloved wooden table and leave a deep groove in the wood. You don’t have to worry with AXA all-risk, as you benefit from all-round protection against the following financial risks:

Collision
All events under partial accidental damage insurance (without collision)
Any other damage and losses that are not excluded

Partial accidental damage insurance (without collision)

With partial accidental damage insurance, your boat is insured for the following types of loss or damage, among others:

Theft
Natural hazards or natural hazards ‘Plus’ (storm damage while berthing in the water is insured in addition to natural hazards cover)
Fire
Snowslide
Malicious damage (vandalism damage up to CHF 10,000)
Loose accessories
Flying objects
Damage due to seaweed, nets, ropes or lines up to CHF 5,000; deductible: CHF 500
Recovery and transportation to the nearest dock, up to CHF 100,000

All-round protection

Regardless of whether you break down in the water, whether you accidentally engage reverse gear while at full speed or whether you have an accident while using your boat - with AXA, you can also be optimally insured against such risks.

Breakdown assistance

Broken down on the lake? No problem with our supplementary assistance module. If your boat has broken down and is unable to return to harbor or a repair boatyard unaided, AXA covers the cost of recovery by the water police, rescue service or boatyard.

Simply upload the bill with the online claim notification or send by email.

Machinery insurance

You can supplement your all risks cover by adding machinery insurance. This module covers loss or damage due to external effects and internal causes such as:

Improper use, carelessness, negligence
Insufficient water, oil, fuel, or other operating agents
Failure of systems used for measuring, control or safety

Accident insurance

Accident insurance protects you against the financial consequences arising from accidents relating to the use of your boat as well as due to sunstroke, heatstroke, hypothermia, freezing, drowning, etc. You are free to choose the sum insured. The insurance can include:

Medical expenses
Daily benefits/daily hospital benefits
Disability and death lump sum
Rescue missions, recoveries, transportation of body in case of death, up to CHF 100,000 per accident
Cleaning or replacing damaged clothing, up to CHF 2,000 per person

Marine legal protection insurance

Legal protection insurance covers the financial costs necessary to defend and enforce your legal interests, for example:

If you face revocation of your license
Damages and satisfaction
In matters relating to tax and contract law in connection with the boat

The sum insured is limited to CHF 300,000 in European inland waters. You are insured for a maximum of CHF 150,000 on sea voyages.

You pay no deductible for lawyer fees if legal advice is provided by a lawyer recommended by AXA.

Download

Watercraft insurance – General Insurance Conditions (GIC) [ 981KB]

Sailbox boat-sharing platform

With boat-sharing, you can set sail throughout Switzerland at favorable tariffs thanks to a Sailbox membership and enjoy the 14 largest Swiss lakes on your sailboat. As an AXA customer, you can rent yachts at reduced rates with Sailbox.
To Sailbox
Smart insurance cover with clickahoy

AXA cooperating with Swiss start-up c.technology. Together we combine outstanding insurance protection with the world of smart, digital technology. Free for you: customers with AXA boat insurance receive the onboard computer including a three-year subscription for free, a saving of CHF 700.
To clickahoy
Order clickahoy

Binoculars leave marks

Sabrina likes action and sails close to the wind. When the boat lists heavily, the binoculars fall from the side shelf onto the precious wooden table and leave a deep groove in the wood.

Cost breakdown with all-risk
Repair costs to table CHF 1,600
Sabrina’s deductible CHF 500
AXA benefits CHF 1,100

Damage when heaving up the anchor

Peter’s boat is anchored in a bay when a storm is suddenly forecast. The boat begins to rock due to the increasing wind and strong swell. He hurries so that he can try and reach the next harbor as quickly as possible. When heaving up the anchor, the bow is damaged by the swaying anchor before it can be securely stowed.

Cost breakdown with all-risk
Repair costs to the bow CHF 4,800
Peter's deductible CHF 500
AXA benefits CHF 4,300

Collision with a tree trunk

Beni bought himself a motorboat a year ago. When sailing on Lake Zurich, he collides with a tree trunk that’s drifting just below the surface of the water. The collision rips a large hole in the boat’s hull and the boat sinks within minutes. Beni is lucky as he’s rescued from the water by a passing fisherman. After the boat has been recovered, it is deemed to be a write-off.

Cost breakdown with all-risk
Recovery and transport to the nearest boatyard (with insured accidental damage event up to 100,000). CHF 48,500
Total cost of damage (purchase price) CHF 40,000
Collision – deductible CHF 1,000
AXA benefits CHF 87,500

Frequently asked questions about boat insurance

When do I need liability insurance for my boat?
You must always have liability insurance for the following boats:
- Boats powered by an engine
- Sailboats with a sail area exceeding 15 m²
- Rental boats in general
What does all-risk mean and what is the benefit of all-risk insurance?

All-risk means that all risks are insured unless they are explicitly excluded. With traditional insurance options, the scope of insurance is defined in a list of risks; exclusions can also be listed. This can sometimes lead to uncertainty for the policyholder about what is actually insured and what is not. With all-risk however, you always know what is insured – precisely anything that isn’t excluded.
Where is boat insurance or watercraft insurance valid?
Boat insurance is essentially valid as follows:
- European inland waters including rivers, canals and their connecting harbors
- On land in Europe (exception: : Russian Federation, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan)
- European coastal waters (in sight of coast and within six nautical miles of the coast)
High seas Zone B: Provided that the construction and equipment of the boat as well as the operator’s license meet the requirements of the Swiss Maritime Authority, the insurance is valid – in addition to its validity on the inland waters of Western Europe – on the high seas of Western Europe, i.e.
- in the waters of the Baltic Sea;
- in the Kattegat;
- in the Skagerrak;
- in the North Sea;
- in the English Channel;
- in the Irish Sea;
- in the waters connecting to the Atlantic Ocean within 60° north, including Bergen, 20° west, and 25° north;
- in the Mediterranean Sea including the straits and connecting inland seas.
High seas Zone C: Provided that the construction and equipment of the boat as well as the operator’s license meet the requirements of the Swiss Maritime Authority, the insurance is valid worldwide.