Actually doesn't have to be offshore racing, insurance for my dinky tri has all sorts of limitations to the point that racing and having damage due to racing would be something I wouldn't even go to the insurance company for (ie, self insurance)...which is another reason I don't race anymore (the others being fat, old, BTDT, and diabetic).
Agreed that I'd rather not fund the insurance system... I don't buy anything more than the liability that the state requires for my motorcycles, cars, and trucks, or the full coverage required by my mortgage. I'm effectively self-insured except where external forces require more, and sadly, when you slip in most marinas, that's a hard requirement there, and they look hard at the coverage, especially for fuel spills. Maybe that's another argument for electric boats, but I doubt insurance provides much of a break for that.
Don’t recall and a fair price I thought. Point is if you can’t find insurance for a tri in the US you ain’t looking hard.
True, pro's especially ofttimes are under production pressure which can cause errors in production methods. Triac composites, for example, (makers of SeaRail and Rapido) left holes in my daggerboard trunk which caused lots of water to flood into the bilge. It was/is fixable (still dealing with it, but its down to a trickle finally); but there really isn't a guarantee that a boat-particularly a trimaran, will be executed perfectly when the builder pays his bills with non boat production. Further, the production company is not obligated to stand behind their production and may not do so -- especially if hull production occurs in a different country than the assembler. I'm not especially happy with Triac, as you can imagine. As I said before, though, I expect a Rapido will get better inspections during construction than my boat got. One of the things Ian Farrier was "nuts" about was quality control during production--I think he was right, it's important.
I'm with ya Boardhead. I've got a few quotes from UK insurers, and made my pick from those. Seems they weren't hit too hard by the hurricanes, so can afford cheaper premiums!
