A Fort Lauderdale owner watches a storm turn toward the coast on a Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning he calls his agent to raise his coverage, and he learns the carrier stopped binding changes as soon as the watch was issued. Then he calls the yard on the New River to book a haul-out and is told the list filled up the night before. His policy requires the boat to be hauled when a named storm threatens, and he has no way to do it.
Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, and the peak stretches from mid-August through late October. Most checklists are written for May, but owners usually go looking for one when a storm is already on the map. This one is organized by where you actually are in the season, so find the section that matches your situation.
If a Storm Is Already in the Forecast
Your options narrow fast once a system is named, so it helps to know what is still available. Carriers impose binding moratoriums, typically triggered when the National Hurricane Center issues a watch or warning for the area and sometimes earlier, when a storm enters a defined zone. During a moratorium you generally cannot buy a new policy, increase limits, lower a deductible, add a vessel or reinstate a lapsed policy. If your coverage lapsed and a storm is coming, that gap will not close before the storm arrives.
What you can still do, and should do today, is pull your declarations page and find three things: the named storm deductible as a dollar amount, any haul-out or storm plan requirement and the listed storage location. Those three determine your exposure and your obligations.
Then carry out the storm plan if your policy has one, which is the part owners underestimate. If the policy requires the vessel to be hauled, relocated or secured to a specified standard when a named storm threatens, that is a condition of coverage, not a suggestion, and failing to meet it can affect a claim even where the requirement had nothing to do with how the damage occurred. Call the haul-out yard now, because yards fill in the order calls come in, and by the time a warning is issued, capacity in South Florida is gone. And before you secure anything, photograph and video the vessel, engines, electronics, interior and equipment. Pre-storm condition is what a post-storm claim gets measured against.
The Named Storm Deductible Is the Number to Know
Most Florida marine policies apply a separate deductible to named storm losses, and it is frequently a percentage of the insured hull value rather than a flat amount. That distinction matters. A standard deductible might be a fixed sum you already know, while the named storm deductible on the same policy could be several times that, and since a hurricane is the most likely cause of a major loss in Florida, it is the one most likely to apply.
Convert the percentage to dollars at your current insured value and write the number down. Owners who selected a percentage when the boat was worth less are often carrying a much larger out-of-pocket amount than they realize.
Warranties That Can Void a Claim
Marine policies contain conditions the insured agrees to meet, and if you breach one, the carrier may deny a claim even where the breach did not cause the loss. The most common in Florida is the storm plan or haul-out warranty, which requires specific action when a named storm threatens. A lay-up warranty restricts where the vessel may be, or requires it to be out of the water, during defined months.
Storage location is a condition too. If the policy lists a specific marina, yard or address, the vessel needs to be there, and moving it for the season without telling your agent can create a problem. Navigation territory can also come into play, because relocating the vessel to another state or to the Bahamas to escape a storm may take it outside the covered area; our article on navigation limits explains how those limits work. Ask your agent to identify every warranty in your policy in writing, and confirm you are currently in compliance with each one. That request takes one email and resolves most of this.
Coverage That Matters Specifically After a Storm
Four coverages are easy to overlook until they are needed. Salvage and wreck removal comes first, because Florida law requires owners to remove sunken and derelict vessels, and removal costs bear no relationship to the boat’s value, so confirm it sits as a separate limit rather than being paid from the hull amount. Fuel spill and pollution liability is the second, since cleanup is assessed against the owner and a sunken vessel leaking fuel in a marina generates real cost.
Sue and labor is the third. Most marine policies reimburse reasonable expenses you incur to prevent or minimize a covered loss, such as an emergency haul-out, pumping, securing the vessel or temporary repairs. This is separate from the damage claim itself and is routinely left unclaimed, so keep every receipt. Towing and recovery is the fourth, because demand for salvage is high after a storm and rates reflect it. Our article on what boat insurance covers in Florida goes through each of these coverages in more detail.
If Your Boat Is on a Trailer
Trailered vessels have advantages in a storm and their own gaps. The trailer must be listed on the boat policy, because it is not automatic, and your auto policy generally covers liability while towing but not physical damage to either the boat or the trailer. If you move the boat inland ahead of a storm, confirm that coverage applies during transport, at the relocation site and while the boat is parked there. If you hire a professional hauler, ask what their insurance covers and whether your own policy responds during commercial transport.
After the Storm
This is where owners lose money, and it is the part most checklists leave out. Most policies impose a duty to protect the property from further damage after a loss, so do not delay mitigation. Pump out water, cover openings, arrange an emergency haul-out and move the vessel out of continuing exposure. Reasonable costs are generally reimbursable under sue and labor, but damage that worsens because you waited may not be covered.
Photograph everything before you move anything, starting with wide shots that show position and context and then close detail. Include the surrounding area, since a boat pushed onto a seawall or into a parking lot tells a story the adjuster needs. Report the claim promptly. Florida sets deadlines on hurricane claims, and marine policies may impose their own notice requirements that are shorter, so find the reporting requirement in your policy rather than assuming you have a year. Keep every receipt for haul-out, storage, pumping, emergency repairs, transport and dock fees at a relocation site.
Do not authorize permanent repairs before the adjuster has inspected the boat unless the work is necessary to prevent further damage, and document why it was necessary. If the vessel may be a total loss, get your own survey. A constructive total loss, where repair costs approach the insured value, is where the owner’s and the carrier’s assessments diverge most, and an independent surveyor’s opinion is worth having.
The Off-Season Review
Everything above works better if these items are handled in the spring rather than in August:
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Confirm the policy is active and the insured value still reflects the vessel, including engine and electronics upgrades.
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Verify whether the hull is written on an agreed value or actual cash value basis. Agreed value pays the full insured amount after a total loss without depreciation, and the difference on an older boat is substantial.
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Update the storage location on file.
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Confirm the trailer is listed and valued correctly, and that tenders and personal watercraft are scheduled separately.
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Photograph the vessel in good condition and store the images somewhere you can reach even if your home is also damaged.
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Save digital copies of the declarations page, marina agreement, certificate of insurance and the carrier’s claim number.
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Ask for the named storm deductible in dollars, not as a percentage. It is the single most useful number to know before the season starts.
Review Your Coverage With Prestige Insurance Group
Prestige Insurance Group helps Florida boat and yacht owners review named storm deductibles, storm plan and haul-out requirements, salvage limits and storage compliance, both before a storm and after one. Learn more on our boat insurance page, see yacht insurance in Florida and what boat insurance does not cover, and for your home, our hurricane season insurance checklist. Call the office nearest you. Se habla español.
Miami: 305-969-8776 Orlando: 407-993-2331
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy boat insurance when a storm is approaching?
Generally no. Carriers impose binding moratoriums once a watch or warning is issued, and often earlier, so new policies, limit increases and reinstatements are typically unavailable during that window.
What happens if I do not haul out when my policy requires it?
The claim can be affected and potentially denied, even if the requirement had nothing to do with how the damage occurred, because storm plan requirements are conditions of coverage.
Who pays to remove my boat if it sinks?
You do, because Florida requires owners to remove sunken vessels. Whether insurance reimburses the cost depends on your salvage and wreck removal limit and whether that limit is separate from the hull coverage.
Can I recover what I spent preparing for the storm?
Often yes, under the sue and labor provision, if the expenses were reasonable and incurred to prevent a covered loss. Keep your receipts.
General information only, not legal advice. Florida claim reporting deadlines and vessel removal requirements, policy forms, warranties and carrier binding rules vary and change over time. Refer to your policy for the terms that apply to your vessel.
