This article is brought to you with goodwill by one of the UK’s leading Speedboat insurance providers…

The beauty and attraction of speedboats is clearly the excitement of their speed and agility. However as a speedboat insurance provider this combination also leads to a higher level of potential risk which needs to be accounted for. For this reason we thought it useful to provide some advice to help reduce the risk of anyone having an accident whilst still enjoying your speedboat to the full.

Plus as an added byproduct, obviously reducing risk helps ensure you increase your no claims bonus, thus reducing your premium’s long term… win-win!

Safety Tips

• Your speedboat should always be fully equipped with enough life-jackets to ensure everyone on board can wear one (common sense!), but also if at any point you may have children on board you need children’s life-jackets. It is also sensible to carry a float cushion so that in the event someone does enter the water and cannot swim very well then they can also get thrown the float cushion to hold on to.
• Carry a spare can of fuel in a purposely designed container, but importantly don’t intend to use it! In other words keep it just for emergencies. Always do however rotate your fuel, no use carrying a spare can if the fuel is old and the engine won’t start with it.
• Always notify another person when you are going out. Tell them roughly what time you plan to return and give some indication of where you are going. Also always check the weather forecast, know the limits of your boat and ‘if in doubt…don’t go out!’
• You should also make it your business to be aware of the local hazards in the waters you intend to visit (abnormal tides, low lying hazards, choppy water, strong currents etc). Speak to those around you before you go out, a little local knowledge can be invaluable.
• Get expert advice before buying fire extinguishers. Bigger boats may need a larger fire extinguisher or more than one. Also check the extinguisher regularly to make sure it is maintaining its pressure.
• Get an anchor (making sure it is of correct size) for your speedboat. Anchors ensure that if your engine stops near the coast then you can prevent yourself drifting into a hazard. Required anchor size again depends on the size of boat (18 foot boats will require a different anchor to a 30 foot boat)
• Besides your electric boat horn it is also always useful to carry a whistle or better still a flare on board in case of an emergency where there is an electrical failure. Ideally too, buy life-jackets with whistles already attached!

Get Yourself On Cover Today!

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