BOAT RENTAL INSURANCE

No -Boat Rental Insurance is very reasonably priced.

"Limitation of Liability Act" of 1851. Insurance Carrier's Ace in the Hole. New York City-based attorney Daniel Rose explains.

The Limitation Act limits a boat owner's Liability from accidents that result in personal injuries and other losses that occur on navigable waters. See: 46 U.S.C. App. §188. It goes back to a time when the United States was trying to build up its merchant marine fleet to compete on the world stage. The law was intended to bolster a fledgling maritime shipping industry back in 1850. "Times have changed, but the law has not." say's Rose.

Yes, The Limitation of Liability Act applies to all "seagoing vessels" and also to "all vessels used on lakes or rivers or in inland navigation, including canal boats, barges, and lighters." See. 46 U.S.C. App. §186. The term “vessel” has recently been expanded by the U.S. Supreme Court to permit owners of pleasure craft, including jet skis and houseboats, to be covered under the Limitation of Liability Act. (Boat Owners are ONLY responsible or liable up to the value of their boat AFTER said incident.) See: Stewart v. Dutra Const. Co., 543 U.S. 481, 125 S.Ct. 1118 (2005); Keys Jet Ski, Inc. v. Kays, 893 F.2d 1225 (11th Cir. 1990); Warnken v. Moody, 22 F.2d 960, 962 (5th Cir.1927). The case re Guglielmo, 704 F.Supp. 352 (E.D.N.Y. 1989) expanded the act to include a twenty-one-foot motorboat.