Sealogy Boat Insurance: Cover, Costs, and TOP Rates at a Glance

Anyone reviewing a Sealogy quote for their boat shouldn’t look at the premium alone. In the event of a claim, the sums insured, cruising area, excess, and the terms for machinery, equipment, and the actual use of the boat determine what is really paid out.

We reviewed Sealogy’s product information and the special terms YHB TOP (liability) and YKB TOP (hull) and show what matters when comparing.

What is Sealogy boat insurance?

According to its own customer information, Sealogy is an underwriting agency (Assekuradeur) specialising in yacht insurance. The company develops insurance concepts and implements them together with insurers. Sealogy acts under authority from the participating insurers – the respective risk carrier is named in the policy.

The TOP products reviewed here cover two different risks:

Liability cover therefore mainly concerns claims by other people. Hull cover, by contrast, protects your own boat and the items co-insured under the terms or the policy. We explain the basic difference between liability and hull cover in detail in our guide to yacht hull insurance.

What does Sealogy TOP yacht liability cover?

Sealogy TOP yacht liability includes checking the liability question, defending against unjustified claims for damages, and indemnifying justified liabilities. Cover relates to statutory liability arising from the insured yacht and its tenders within the agreed cruising area.

Included benefits comprise, among other things:

Additional conditions apply to individual extensions. For example, the personal liability of a towed water-skier is only included while being towed and on a secondary basis to any existing liability insurance.

Is damage to rented property and water pollution covered?

Damage to rented storage spaces and jetties can be included if they were rented to accommodate or store the yacht or its tenders. The terms provide for an excess of €250 per claim.

Certain water pollution damage is also covered. For damage caused by a leaking fuel tank, it must be shown, among other things, that the pollution occurred suddenly and unforeseeably and can be pinpointed in time and place. Public-law claims included in this context are limited to €15,000. This limit is not the same as the general liability sum insured.

How high is the sum insured?

The general sum insured is set out in the respective policy. The terms reviewed do not specify a uniform sum for all contracts. Unless otherwise agreed, benefits for all claims in an insurance year are limited to twice the agreed sums insured.

A special restriction applies to the USA: there, personal injury and property damage are limited to €1 million, including legal advice and court costs. A required security deposit for the provisional arrest of the yacht in a foreign port is covered up to €75,000.

Are claims among the crew included?

Certain liability claims between co-insured persons are included. For personal injury, however, restrictions apply to accidents at work and duties performed for the policyholder. Property damage must exceed €150; damage to the insured yacht, its equipment, and accessories is not covered under this extension. Blanket cover for all claims among the crew cannot be derived from this.

Does Sealogy yacht liability include cover for charter skippers?

TOP yacht liability contains an extension for skippering or operating third-party vessels that the policyholder has chartered, borrowed free of charge, or taken over as a favour. This is an extension within the yacht liability cover – not a standalone charter policy such as separate skipper liability.

Clear limits apply to damage to the third-party yacht itself:

Damage to the charter boat caused merely by ordinary negligence is not included under this special extension. Nor is the provision a substitute for charter deposit insurance, which protects the deposit held by the charter company.

For owners who also skipper other yachts in addition to their own, this extension can be relevant. Before a charter trip, however, you should check whether the sum insured, excess, and secondary cover suit the specific charter agreement. For comparison: ADAC skipper and crew liability states up to €500,000 for damage to the charter boat caused by gross negligence. We explain when standalone skipper liability makes sense in our guide Skipper liability: when do you need it?

What does Sealogy TOP yacht hull cover?

Sealogy TOP yacht hull is designed as all-risks cover. It insures physical loss of and damage to the yacht described in the policy, including the agreed machinery, equipment, tenders, inventory, accessories, and personal belongings. Cover also includes an actual or constructive total loss – in each case within the terms and sums insured.

Key features at a glance:

These features derive from the provisions on scope of cover and indemnity. They do not apply in isolation from the other conditions and exclusions of the contract.

What conditions apply to salvage and wreck removal?

The €2 million limit applies in addition to the sum insured. Unsuccessful salvage attempts can also be included.

Conditions include that an insured event occurred beforehand, that the insurer ordered or approved the salvage, and that the policyholder is obliged to remove the wreck or bear the costs. Cover is secondary to any other insurance for the same risk. It does not mean unlimited cost cover for every salvage operation.

Are personal belongings and accessories automatically covered?

Not without restriction. For tenders, trailers, light-wind and laminate sails, inventory, personal belongings, and equipment and accessories that are not permanently installed: items with an individual value of more than €500 must be declared with their value in advance and named separately in the policy.

For unnamed inventory, personal belongings, and equipment and accessories that are not permanently installed, the sum insured is limited in total to two percent of the yacht’s sum insured. With a sum insured of €150,000, for example, that is €3,000. The obligation to declare items worth more than €500 remains unaffected.

Agreed fixed value at Sealogy: what does "incontestable" mean?

The TOP hull terms explicitly describe the agreed sums insured as an incontestable agreed fixed value. They also exclude the underinsurance defence. In the event of a total loss or constructive total loss, indemnity is paid under the contractual new-value provision, capped at the agreed value.

For comparison purposes, this specific wording matters more than the mere marketing claim "with agreed fixed value". Not every agreed fixed value on the market goes equally far: ADAC, for example, describes its sum insured as a "fixed value under Section 76 VVG", while Helvetia applies current-value rules for older boats. An explicitly incontestable value goes further.

However, the new-value provision does not mean that an arbitrarily expensive new yacht will be paid for regardless of the sum insured. The agreed value remains the upper limit. The terms also provide for obtainable residual values to be offset and contain special rules on reimbursing VAT.

Does Sealogy waive "new for old" deductions?

Yes. For insured partial losses, the necessary repair costs are reimbursed under the TOP hull terms without "new for old" deductions. The insurer may settle on the basis of the most cost-effective quote from a specialist yard or an expert’s report.

This is distinct from the question of whether the cause of the damage is insured at all. Waiving age-related deductions does not turn ordinary wear and tear into an insured loss. The terms exclude wear on the directly affected parts but contain a separate provision for resulting consequential damage to the yacht.

Which limitations of Sealogy TOP hull cover matter most?

Gross negligence: waiver only up to a loss amount of €5,000

The insurer waives the gross negligence defence up to a loss amount of €5,000. Beyond that, the terms provide for a reduction in line with the severity of fault where the insured event was caused by gross negligence.

The provision is not an unlimited waiver of reductions for gross negligence. Nor does it mean that for every larger loss at least the first €5,000 is automatically paid in full. Other policy wordings set the limit higher – for Helvetia and NAUTIMA boat insurance, for example, it is €10,000.

Machinery and electronics: not every technical defect is covered

A separate provision applies to damage to mechanical and electronic equipment. Under the standard wording reviewed, cover only exists for certain causes, such as fire, short circuit, lightning, storm, theft, sinking, capsizing, or collision. Deviating agreements must be documented in the policy.

A technical defect is therefore not insured merely because the yacht hull cover is described as all-risks cover.

Lying unmanned off an open coast

The terms exclude damage occurring while the yacht or tender remains unmanned off an open coast for more than 24 hours or in wind speeds above Beaufort 3. These are two alternative conditions; they do not have to apply at the same time.

Theft: not every form of loss is covered

Theft cover is restricted. Exceptions to the exclusion exist in particular for burglary, theft of the yacht, and theft of properly secured life rafts and tenders during the season. Simple theft of any piece of equipment is therefore not covered across the board.

Osmosis: a narrowly defined exception

Osmosis damage is generally excluded. An exception requires, among other things, that the damage becomes apparent within the first 36 months after the boat was completed and that a professionally applied osmosis protection coating was in place before first launch. In addition, warranty and guarantee claims must have been pursued without success. The period therefore does not start only when the insurance is taken out.

Commercial use and special risks

TOP hull cover generally assumes private, sporting, or leisure use. Any other purpose, such as use as a charter yacht, must be explicitly named in the policy. Powerboat racing, including associated practice runs, is excluded.

A separate liability provision is also relevant for fast powerboats: TOP liability excludes claims for damage caused at speeds of more than 43 knots.

What excess applies at Sealogy?

The regular excess for TOP hull cover is stated in the policy and generally applies per claim. However, the terms contain exceptions, for example for a total loss of the yacht and for certain transport, collision, and fire damage caused culpably and exclusively by third parties.

There is also a loyalty bonus: if the yacht has been insured with Sealogy claims-free for five years or more, the agreed excess is reduced by 50 percent in the event of a claim. This is a reduction of the excess, not automatically a premium discount.

Are assistance services and SeaHelp included?

If the skipper falls unexpectedly ill abroad, the TOP hull terms provide – at the insurer’s discretion – for organising and paying for a replacement skipper. The benefit is limited to €1,100 for returning the yacht to the port of departure or destination and applies without excess.

SeaHelp membership, by contrast, is optional. Under the terms, its costs are covered if the membership is listed in the policy. It should therefore not be regarded as an automatic feature of every Sealogy hull policy.

Where does Sealogy boat insurance apply?

Geographical cover depends on the cruising area named in the policy. Worldwide cover cannot be inferred from the "TOP" label.

The general terms include the usual stays of the yacht afloat and ashore, as well as hauling out, launching, and slipping and craning. An intended extension of the cruising area must be notified in advance so that premium, terms, or excess can be adjusted where necessary.

Separate conditions apply to transport. Road and river transport and ferry transport of the trailered yacht can be included within Europe or an agreed wider cruising area. For sea transport of the yacht itself, however, the terms require separate transport cover; the yacht policy is secondary in this respect.

Can the Caribbean, including an Atlantic crossing, be included?

The documents reviewed contain an additional clause 1006 for a temporary extension of the cruising area to the Caribbean, including transatlantic passages. This clause is not equivalent to unrestricted worldwide standard cover; its inclusion and the specific voyage plan must be checked against the policy.

The clause contains defined routes and time windows, geographical exclusions, and requirements for crew and equipment. Among other things, damage caused by named tropical storms is excluded. The territorial waters of certain countries, including Colombia, are not included either.

A satellite transponder and a satellite phone are also mandatory. For claims under this extension, three times the policy excess applies, but at least €3,000 per claim.

What does Sealogy boat insurance cost?

There is no single price for the Sealogy TOP rates. For liability cover, the premium depends on factors such as boat type, engine power or sail area, and sum insured. For hull cover, the boat’s value, year of construction, excess, cruising area, and claims history also play a role.

The quickest way to get a specific premium is the NauticAssure comparison calculator. Instead of requesting individual quotes, you can see in just a few minutes what boat insurance costs for your boat – and how the premiums of different specialised insurers compare.

How the comparison works:

• Choose your cover: boat liability, boat hull cover, or both together.
• Enter your boat details: boat type, year of construction, value, engine power or sail area, cruising area, and preferred excess.
• Compare rates: see premiums and key features of several insurers side by side – not just the price.

The advantage: all rates are based on the same information – the same boat, identical sums insured, the same cruising area, the same use, and the same excess. That is exactly what a fair price comparison requires. Otherwise, a lower premium may simply come with less cover.

Comparing Sealogy boat insurance: what matters?

For Sealogy TOP hull cover, the incontestable agreed fixed value, the underinsurance waiver, and the waiver of "new for old" deductions are particularly relevant comparison criteria. They are offset by specific limitations, for example regarding gross negligence and damage to machinery and electronics.

The choice should therefore not depend solely on how many benefits a rate lists. What matters more is whether its provisions suit how the boat is actually used:

• Is the boat often left unattended at anchor?
• Is there high-value mobile equipment on board?
• Do you regularly skipper other yachts or charter boats?
• Are longer trips abroad, an Atlantic crossing, or commercial use planned?
• Is the boat a fast powerboat for which the 43-knot limit may become relevant?

For an overview of other specialised providers and the key comparison criteria, see our boat insurance comparison page and our guides to Pantaenius, NAUTIMA, Helvetia, and ADAC watersports insurance.

Cancelling Sealogy boat insurance: what notice period applies?

Under the general terms, the contract term is generally one year unless otherwise agreed in the policy.

The contract renews for a further year unless one of the parties cancels it in text form at least three months before expiry. Different cancellation terms may be agreed in the policy. The individual policy expiry date and the provisions of your own contract are therefore always decisive.

Summary

The Sealogy TOP rates contain important benefits for yacht owners. For hull cover, the explicitly incontestable agreed fixed value, the waiver of "new for old" deductions, and the additional cover for certain salvage and disposal costs stand out. Whether a specific quote is a good fit, however, also depends on the limitations: in particular, the €5,000 limit for gross negligence, the machinery damage provision, and the requirements for lying unmanned off an open coast should suit your planned use. In the NauticAssure comparison calculator you can calculate boat insurance from different providers free of charge and compare them side by side.