Bareboat Hirers liability insurance
Cover for the liability that comes with the keys
When you hire a bareboat — a yacht or motor cruiser with no skipper or crew supplied — you take on full legal responsibility for it during the hire period.
If you damage another vessel, injure someone, or cause an accidental fuel spill, you can be held personally liable. Bareboat Hirers Liability Insurance protects you against exactly these claims, so a great day on the water doesn't turn into a personal financial risk.
Most charter companies require you to hold your own liability cover before they hand over the keys. As a specialist marine broker, we can arrange this quickly and make sure the cover actually meets what your charter company requires — so you're protected from the moment you cast off.
Hiring a bareboat soon?
Get your liability cover sorted before you cast off.
Bareboat Hirer Liability Insurance
You’re responsible for the boat while it’s in your hands. Make sure you’re covered if something goes wrong.
Charter companies typically require you to hold your own liability cover before they’ll hand over a bareboat. This policy meets that requirement and protects you against claims from others arising from your time at the helm.
- Property damage to other vessels or third-party property
- Personal injury to any third party
- Wreck removal of another vessel you’re held liable for
- Sudden, accidental pollution from the bareboat’s own fuel or lubricants (up to $500,000)
- Legal costs, solicitors’ fees and defence costs if you’re facing a claim
A single incident on the water — a collision, an injury to another boatie, an accidental fuel discharge — can leave you facing a significant claim. This cover means a moment’s misjudgement doesn’t become a long-term financial burden, and that you have specialist support if a claim is made against you.
- Damage to the bareboat itself — that’s covered separately by the charter company
- Your own injury or property
- Injury during parasailing, water skiing or diving
- Cover outside Australian Territorial Waters
Why Hirers choose this cover
Why choose Oceanic Marine Risks
Hiring a bareboat puts you in someone else's seat, with someone else's rules — charter terms, handover conditions, and liability obligations that shift depending on the operator and the waters you're sailing. Getting it right means understanding exactly what you're responsible for the moment those keys change hands, and where that responsibility ends. As a specialist marine broker since 1986, this is the kind of detail we work through every day, not just at renewal time. We've seen how hirer liability claims actually unfold, and we structure your cover accordingly — which is part of why most of our new business comes from clients who've already trusted us with theirs.
Right Cover. Real marine expertise. Claims support when it counts.
Why use a specialty marine insurance broker?
Marine insurance can be a complex process, navigating through the various products, covers available, exclusions and confusing terminology unique to the marine industry. Having an experienced marine insurance broker on your side means you have a qualified professional who acts on your behalf, not the insurer's, ensuring your specific needs are assessed and you get the insurance program that works for your vessel, your operation, and the risks you actually face on the water.
