NAUTIMA Boat Insurance: Cover, Costs, and Policy Details at a Glance

Anyone taking out boat insurance doesn’t just want to insure their boat cheaply. In the event of a claim, what counts is which repair costs are covered, which insured value applies, and which costs remain with the owner.

With NAUTIMA, it’s therefore worth taking a close look at the terms. We reviewed the hull conditions, the product information sheet, supplementary clauses, and the YachtAssistance terms.

What is NAUTIMA boat insurance?

NAUTIMA is not a single policy with identical cover for every customer. Under this name, Mannheimer presents various insurance products for your own boat.

The official product page describes these elements as separate insurance products. Their scope of cover should therefore be considered separately.

In addition, the terms of the NAUTIMA YachtAssistance govern various assistance services for privately used watercraft with hull cover at Mannheimer and their authorised occupants. These include, for example, support in a distress-at-sea situation and arranging a replacement skipper under certain conditions.

What does NAUTIMA hull insurance cover?

NAUTIMA hull insurance protects the boat named in the policy schedule, including its machinery, nautical and technical equipment, and accessories. Personal belongings such as oilskins, bed linen, and clothing are co-insured within certain limits.

Depending on the agreement, trailers, a tender including outboard engine, watersports equipment, fishing gear, and diving equipment can also be included. These items should therefore be explicitly taken into account in the quote.

Is NAUTIMA an all-risks policy?

In principle, yes. The terms provide cover against all risks to which the insured items are exposed during the policy period, unless exclusions or restrictions apply. Loss, destruction, or damage resulting from an insured risk is covered.

However, all-risks cover does not mean that every type of damage to every insured item is covered.

For the machinery, electrically or motor-driven technical equipment, personal belongings, and a co-insured trailer, cover is restricted to certain causes of loss. These include an accident involving the vessel, fire, lightning, explosion, force majeure, robbery, theft, and malicious acts by third parties, among others. There is also the special warranty supplement cover for new inboard engines.

Excluded are, for example, damage caused by ordinary wear and tear, certain corrosion processes, frost, and ice. Losing loose items or items falling overboard is also excluded. The exact cause of loss therefore remains decisive.

How are personal belongings covered?

Unless otherwise agreed, personal belongings are covered up to a total of 3 percent of the sum insured, at most €3,000. In addition, compensation is limited to €500 per individual item. Higher amounts can be requested or agreed separately.

Not everything someone brings on board is automatically covered. Excluded are, for example, cash, certain valuables, musical instruments, and photo and video equipment.

"New for old" deductions at NAUTIMA: which rule applies?

With repairs, the question often arises whether older damaged parts are fully replaced with new ones or whether the insurer applies an age-related deduction. At NAUTIMA, two different contractual provisions need to be distinguished here.

The base terms provide for no deduction

Section 8 of the NAUTIMA AVB Kasko ’16 states that, for partial losses, the necessary repair costs and simple freight costs for spare parts are reimbursed. Under this base rule, no "new for old" deductions are made.

A supplementary clause can restrict this benefit

The supplementary clause of 1 August 2020 changes this rule. If it is included in the contract, the following deductions apply to new parts used in repairs:

The scale refers to the damaged parts. If their age differs from the age of the boat, the policyholder must prove the different age.

A simplified example: For a damaged part that is ten years old, new parts worth €4,000 are needed for the repair. If the supplementary clause applies, a deduction of 30 percent, i.e. €1,200, is made on this amount. Any excess is to be considered separately. The example illustrates only the age-related deduction, not the full claims settlement.

For comparison purposes, this means: neither "NAUTIMA always waives new-for-old deductions" nor "NAUTIMA generally applies such deductions" is accurate without checking the specific contract.

Gross negligence: what does the €10,000 limit mean?

Under the NAUTIMA AVB Kasko ’16, the insurer waives a reduction for grossly negligent causation of the insured event where the total loss amounts to no more than €10,000.

If the total loss exceeds €10,000, this waiver lapses entirely – expressly also for the portion of the loss below that amount.

This is an important distinction: the rule works as a threshold, not as an allowance.

With a total loss of €12,000, for example, the first €10,000 is therefore not automatically protected from a reduction. Instead, the insurer can reduce its payment in proportion to the severity of the fault. A loss above the limit is, however, not automatically excluded entirely.

The rule concerns grossly negligent causation of the insured event. This is to be distinguished from contractual obligations, for example regarding theft protection, maintenance, or reporting a claim. The terms contain separate provisions for breaches of such obligations.

Agreed fixed value at NAUTIMA: is the sum insured guaranteed?

The NAUTIMA hull terms provide that the sum insured corresponds to the value of the insured items when the contract is concluded and is fixed as an agreed value. In addition, the objection of underinsurance is expressly excluded.

In the event of an insured total loss, this insured value is the basis for compensation. However, achievable residual values are deducted. VAT is only reimbursed if and to the extent that it was actually incurred.

Is this an expressly incontestable fixed value?

The terms reviewed use the term "fixed agreed value" and exclude underinsurance. However, Section 7 does not contain an express waiver of the right to question a significantly excessive agreed value. A payout guaranteed under all circumstances should therefore not be inferred from this clause alone.

On the legal background: Section 76 VVG (German Insurance Contract Act) generally provides that an agreed value applies as the insured value. However, the law contains an exception if it significantly exceeds the actual insured value at the time of the loss.

For a comparison of cover, it should therefore be noted not only whether an agreed fixed value exists but also how binding it is in the specific contract. We explain how fixed-value provisions differ across the market in our guide to ADAC watersports insurance.

Which machinery damage does NAUTIMA cover?

The machinery is one of the insured items. However, this does not mean all technical defects are covered without restriction: in principle, the restrictions to certain causes of loss described above apply.

One special feature is the warranty supplement cover for new inboard engines.

Under the conditions of Section 5, damage to permanently installed main propulsion engines caused by design, manufacturing, or material defects, operating errors, short circuits, and lack of water, oil, or lubricant, among other things, can be covered. The engine must not be more than three years old when the damage occurs; its year of manufacture is decisive.

In a warranty or guarantee case, the cover can pay the portion of the loss that remains after the manufacturer or dealer has been claimed against in good time. The terms also provide benefits for certain damage where no valid warranty or guarantee claims exist.

Compensation is limited to €50,000 for all insured events of the insured vessel combined. According to this wording, it is not €50,000 per claim. Damage caused by ignored service intervals, failure to follow manufacturer instructions, and certain other causes remains excluded.

Which additional costs does NAUTIMA hull insurance cover?

Wreck removal up to €2.5 million

After prior consultation and approval of the order, NAUTIMA reimburses necessary expenses for raising and removing a wreck up to €2.5 million. This benefit is available in addition to compensation for the insured items.

This is to be distinguished from general costs of averting and mitigating loss. For these, the general rule is: together with compensation for the insured items, benefits are paid at most up to the sum insured. An exception applies to measures taken on the insurer’s instructions.

Towing and supplies in emergency situations

Certain assistance costs can be covered even if there is no immediate danger to the boat yet. These include towing to the nearest repair location and delivering fuel, oil, batteries, or spare parts.

The limit is €2,500. The supplies and spare parts themselves are not paid for under this cost provision.

Inspections after grounding

Necessary inspections after grounding are also reimbursed, provided the grounding occurred during the policy period.

In which cruising areas does NAUTIMA boat insurance apply?

The hull terms reviewed provide for various cruising areas that can be agreed:

• German inland waters
• European inland waters
• North Sea and Baltic Sea
• the contractually defined Mediterranean area
• a limited Atlantic area

Each agreed area includes the areas listed before it in the terms.

The names should not be equated with unlimited cover. The Mediterranean definition, for example, contains certain exclusions for territorial waters. The Atlantic area is bounded by lines of longitude and latitude. Before a longer trip, the planned route should therefore be checked against the exact area definition.

Is there holiday cover?

From the agreed cruising area "European inland waters" upwards, you can switch to one of the further-reaching cruising areas described for up to six weeks per year at no additional premium.

Two points are important here: the start of the holiday cover must be provable in the event of a claim. And the excesses double during the holiday cover.

Are winter storage and transport covered?

Cover also applies during usual periods out of the water, for example in winter storage and while hauling out and launching. Road and river transport as well as certain ferry transport of the trailered boat are included within the European part of the agreed cruising area. Parts temporarily removed from the boat must be kept ashore in a locked room.

Including winter storage does not override the other exclusions. In particular, frost and ice remain excluded causes of loss under the terms reviewed.

What does NAUTIMA YachtAssistance provide?

YachtAssistance includes assistance services for privately used boats with hull cover at Mannheimer and their authorised occupants. Territorial scope follows the agreed cruising area of the hull insurance. For the insured occupants, one requirement is that they are on board the yacht without paying a fee.

The benefits include:

The distress-at-sea limit applies jointly to the rescue situations described in the terms; replacement skipper, travel benefits, and replacement purchases each have their own conditions and maximum amounts.

It is also important to distinguish between cost coverage and loans. A security payment to release a yacht seized abroad, for example, can be provided as a repayable loan. This is not charter deposit insurance.

What does NAUTIMA boat liability offer?

The following information is based on Mannheimer’s official benefits overview, not on the hull terms reviewed here.

For boat liability, Mannheimer states sums insured of up to €15 million for personal injury, property damage, and financial loss, as well as water pollution damage. Up to €300,000 is stated for damage to rented property, for example in winter storage. A bad-debt cover and environmental damage insurance with their own conditions are also described.

Is skipper liability included?

Mannheimer describes integrated skipper liability for operating other people’s watercraft: up to six weeks per year, without prior registration and without a boat size limit. According to the benefits overview, it applies on a subsidiary basis where no other liability insurance steps in.

This liability benefit should not be equated with the hull holiday cover. The hull holiday cover extends the cruising area of your own insured boat. Anyone who charters more often or for longer periods should also consider standalone skipper liability insurance.

What is NAUTIMA occupant accident insurance?

According to the official product description, it provides accident cover for owners, guests, skippers, and crew members. In addition to time on board, it mentions shore leave, water skiing, and bathing and swimming around the boat. The description provides worldwide cover around the clock.

What does NAUTIMA boat insurance cost?

The official product presentation does not state a generally applicable premium. Mannheimer offers an individual premium calculation or quote. How high the premium is depends mainly on these factors:

• Boat type and length – sailing yacht, motorboat, or dinghy
• Boat value or sum insured – decisive for the hull premium
• Cruising area – inland waters, North and Baltic Sea, or Mediterranean
• Excess – a higher excess usually lowers the premium
• Co-insured equipment – such as trailer, tender, or personal belongings
• Claims history – no-claims discounts can reduce the premium significantly

Calculate premiums in the NauticAssure comparison calculator

The good news: Mannheimer’s NAUTIMA rates can be calculated directly in the NauticAssure comparison calculator. Instead of requesting a single quote, you can see in just a few minutes what NAUTIMA costs for your boat – and how the premium compares with other specialist boat insurers. The comparison calculator is free and without obligation.

How the comparison works:

• Choose your cover: boat liability, hull insurance, or both together.
• Enter your boat details: boat type, length, value, cruising area, and preferred excess.
• Compare rates: see the NAUTIMA premium and key benefits alongside other insurers – not just the price.

The advantage: all rates are based on the same details. That’s exactly what a fair price comparison requires – a lower premium only means something if the sum insured, cruising area, and excess are the same.

Which excess applies?

The specific excess is stated in the policy schedule. Under the terms reviewed, no excess is applied for total losses, collision damage not caused by the insured, direct lightning damage, fire damage caused by third parties, and damage to insured personal belongings, among others.

If the watersports hull insurance at Mannheimer was claim-free for more than five years at the time of the loss, the excess is halved.

Is there a no-claims discount?

The official broker benefits overview describes a no-claims discount of up to 40 percent and a discount protector after four previous claim-free years at Mannheimer. With two or more claims in a policy year, however, it provides for a downgrade to zero percent. The specific classification should be clearly shown in the quote.

Comparing NAUTIMA boat insurance: what matters?

With a NAUTIMA quote, it’s particularly worth looking at the sum insured, repair compensation, and the remaining out-of-pocket costs together.

Two quotes with a similar annual premium can turn out differently for the boat owner if only one contains the supplementary "new for old" clause. The €10,000 threshold for gross negligence is also relevant for the assessment.

When reviewing a specific quote, three questions are particularly helpful:

• Which contract version applies? Including all additional clauses and agreements.
• What is actually reimbursed in the event of a claim? With regard to the agreed fixed value, repair costs, machinery damage, and compensation limits.
• Which costs may remain with you? Through the excess, age-related deductions, or possible benefit reductions.

Cancelling NAUTIMA hull insurance: what notice period applies?

Under the hull terms reviewed, contracts with a term of at least one year renew for a further year unless cancelled in text form at least three months before expiry.

For contracts with an initially agreed term of more than three years, cancellation is possible at the end of the third or any subsequent year with three months’ notice.

The terms also contain a right of cancellation after an insured event. Special deadlines and rules on when the cancellation takes effect apply here. The regular notice period and cancellation after a claim should therefore not be confused.

Summary

With NAUTIMA, broadly defined hull cover is balanced by specific restrictions. Particularly relevant are the treatment of machinery damage, the threshold for gross negligence, and a possibly agreed "new for old" deduction clause. The annual premium alone should therefore not be decisive: a complete comparison also looks at the contract clauses and at which costs may remain with the boat owner in the event of a claim. In the NauticAssure comparison calculator, you can calculate and compare rates from various boat insurers free of charge.