It is our belief that boat owners who have joined a yacht club, are part of an owners’ group, are professional mariners or are part of marine community group make the best clients for insurers. These individuals are invested beyond just owning their boat and mooring it in a marina. They are part of a community, share knowledge and expertise, and support each other – all of which improves their risk profile.

Because of this, we have been able to secure additional discounts from our Lloyds Underwriters and higher coverage limits for certain additional coverages at no additional cost. Most importantly, we have leveraged the volume of our business with Lloyds to negotiate the best rates possible for our customers.

Yacht clubs whose members can participate in the Group Yacht Insurance Program include:

• Royal Victoria Yacht Club
• West Vancouver Yacht Club
• Vancouver Rowing Club
• Nanaimo Yacht Club
• Prince Rupert Yacht Club
• Eagle Harbour Yacht Club
• Thunderbird Yacht Club
• Grand Banks Cruising Club of British Columbia

When you buy your insurance with Navis, you are getting more than just a policy. You are getting access to a highly specialized and experienced team of marine insurance professionals.

We are the largest in B.C.

We are the largest specialized marine insurance brokerage in B.C. with over 3,000 pleasure craft clients and more than 650 commercial clients across the province.

We have provided insurance for some of the biggest marine clients in the province for years, including for more than half of the tug and barge industry and a large part of the boat building and repair industry. As a result of our size, we are experienced in handling complex marine losses, including salvage operations, wreck removal, and pollution mitigation and clean-up.

Our clients choose to work with us specifically because of our robust and wide-ranging experience.

We are specialized in marine

Our specialization means that we are better versed in the finer points of marine insurance than generalist brokers who deal with home and auto insurance. Our specialized expertise includes a deep knowledge of:

• the Marine Liability Act and vessel owners’ rights from this legislation – including the June 2023 updates to the Act;
• bareboat and time chartering and the risks to pleasure craft owners who use their own boat for these activities;
• vessel construction projects and builder’s risk insurance; and
• transporting yachts from out of province and the associated cargo insurance risk.

Our clients appreciate the advantages that come from working with a specialized marine insurance broker, which is reflected in our high customer satisfaction rating and positive online reviews.

We have a wealth of experience

With experience in every type of marine insurance from recreational and commercial to manufacturing and specialty, we can provide you with a range of expertise that would normally only be available to larger commercial clients. Our experience from the commercial marine industry is directly transferrable to and benefits our pleasure craft clients.

Yes, we are a full-service marine insurance brokerage and offer policies from a variety of insurers in addition to our own in-house policies.

That being said, we highly recommend our Navis Advanced policy as it has been specifically designed to offer an unmatched level of coverage for boaters in B.C. Navis Basic offers more rudimentary coverage (similar to that offered by Beacon or Chubb) at a lower cost that can be a good fit for customers who are comfortable self-insuring and taking on more risk themselves. We are happy to share more information about both policies with you to help you determine which one is the best for you.

We are also happy to provide quotes for policies from other insurers. Regardless of which provider you choose, a portion of your premiums will still be donated back to your yacht club.

We recognize that changing insurance providers may not be feasible or desirable in all situations. Fortunately, you can still join the Group Yacht Insurance Program and have a portion of your premiums go to support your yacht club by assigning your current policy to Navis.

To do this, all you need to do is sign a letter of broker appointment to make Navis your broker of record (we can assist you with this process) and, at renewal, we would include the renewal premium as part of the Group Yacht Insurance Program. This process is cost free, and your coverage will not change. The only difference is that Navis will assume responsibility for managing your policy. The key benefits for your doing this include, having the expertise of the Navis Team to assist and the Yacht Club benefits from the marketing fee that is paid to the Club for our commissions.

We can accept a letter of broker appointment for most insurers.

Navis cares deeply about giving back to the community. For years, we have been sponsoring clubs and making significant contributions to support programs in youth sailing, regattas, rendezvous and other yachting events.

In order to enhance this, we have introduced marketing fees as a way to reward yacht clubs in the Group Yacht Insurance Program whose members use us as their marine insurance broker (regardless of whether they opt for a policy from us or another insurance provider). Yacht clubs are free to choose how they spend the money they receive from marketing fees; we just ask that they promote the Group Yacht Insurance Program to their members and recognize us as a sponsor.

The marketing fee that we pay to yacht clubs comes from our commission, not the premiums that you pay. It is our own income that we are giving back to clubs to support their programs. We pay clubs 5% of the value of your premium the first year that you buy your insurance through us and 2.5% every year thereafter as long as you remain insured with us.

Some clubs that are part of the Group Yacht Insurance Program do not receive marketing fees as they do not want to undertake the process of annually promoting the program to their members. In those cases, we will often continue to support the club through other forms of sponsorship.

As required by the Insurance Council of British Columbia and the Financial Institutions Act, we disclose all fees and commission sharing details. You will receive a disclosure statement each year that indicates the amount of marketing fees that we paid to your yacht club based on your coverage with us.

Link to our general Disclosure Statement showing fee

Since serious losses often occur outside of office hours, Navis’ president, Paul Mendham, and vice-president of sales and operations, Kris Johnson, are available 24/7 to assist you. You can find their contact information on our website or by calling our office.

How your claim will be handled – from when an incident occurs to when you receive payment – depends on whether you purchased one of Navis’ in-house insurance policies or a policy from another insurance provider.

For in-house policies (e.g. Navis Basic and Navis Advanced):

For claims made to one of our in-house insurance policies, we have in-house claims authority and can manage most losses without direct involvement from the underwriter. This allows us to confirm coverage faster and issue payments sooner. It also allows us to immediately appoint specialists such as marine surveyors, adjusters, lawyers and salvage teams to assist with handling your loss and ensure that you receive the best possible service and support.

For polices from other insurance providers:

The claims process is similar, but Navis is not able to make any decisions in the moment and will have to work directly with the insurance company and obtain their approval at every step of the process, including when hiring outside support.

The wording of our Navis Advanced insurance policy is different from other policies because it was written by us to specifically provide advanced protection for boaters in B.C. Key differences include:

Fewer Exclusions

Navis Advanced does not have exclusions for freezing or damage from otters, muskrats and other vermin. Also, its hull and machinery coverage only has six exclusions, which is the fewest of any policy available in B.C.

Broader Coverage for Wear and Tear

We provide coverage for damage resulting from wear and tear, inherent vice, faulty design, latent defect, gradual deterioration and corrosion if you are not able to find the defect or condition through a reasonable inspection. This means that we cover machinery losses. Many other policies are limited to covering just fire, grounding and other losses, excluding machinery.

Outboard Motors, as Main Engines

If your boat has outboard motors as the main source of power, we add the value of the Hull to the value of the Main Outboard Motor(s) and that becomes the Hull & Machinery Insured Value. Most insurance policies, where the main source of power is Outboard Motors, the insurer schedules the Hull with a value and then the engines with their own value. In the event of a claim, the insurer will only contribute for repairs up to the insured value of the motors. By adding the motors to the hull, and combining the limits, our insurer will provide higher levels of policy limits for the motors, as they are part of the overall value. Generally, this is a large impact on claims where just the main outboard motor(s) is involved.

Better Tender Coverage

We automatically provide coverage for tenders and their motors for up to 6% of the insured value of the vessel (which includes the value of the tender and motor). This provides you with a high limit that can be used to replace the tender, motor or both. If you forget to tell us that you have changed tenders, that is no problem as you are still covered for 6% of your vessel’s insured value. Other policies have a similar structure, but with a lower limit.

$7,500 of Breakdown Towing / Commercial Assistance Coverage

If you experience engine issues, snag a line in a propellor, or need a jump start or fuel, there is no need for a C-Tow membership as your Navis Advanced plan provides you commercial assistance coverage of up to $500 per occurrence with only a $50 deductible.

$20,000 of Personal Effects Coverage

Most boat insurance policies have lower limits for personal effects and require you to first file a claim against your home insurance, which can cause your home insurance premiums to increase. Navis Advanced provides the highest limit available for personal effects at no additional cost and, most importantly, is primary coverage, which means that you do not have to file a claim against your home insurance first.

$7,500 of Vacation Protection

You are headed to Desolation Sound, your boat is fully loaded for a two-week trip and, on the first day, you hit a log damaging your boat. You are towed to Comox, and the boat will need to go to Campbell River for repairs. However, not to worry, with Navis Advanced you have $7,500 worth of vacation protection coverage that we can use to charter you a new boat to complete your trip or make temporary repairs to your boat and get you back out on the water. The only deductible is a 24-hour waiting period.

$2,500 of Claims Travel Expenses

Similar to the scenario above, you are headed out on vacation and your boat becomes damaged. However, this time there is no charter boat available, and a temporary repair will not work. You are in Comox and the repairs will take two weeks. This section covers your travel costs to and from your boat while it is being repaired.

Salvage Costs (Sue & Labour / Claims Expense)

What happens when you have a major accident that requires divers and lifting bags, cranes and other salvage support equipment? Don’t wait until then to find out. Navis Advanced includes coverage for all reasonable expenses incurred during the salvage of your boat as well as the cost of mitigating the boat from further damage. The limit of this coverage is the same as the hull and machinery insured value. Many other policies deduct claims expenses from what they will pay you for the claim on the hull and machinery if the boat is a total loss, so you end up with less money after a claim to replace your boat.

Protection & Indemnity (Marine Liability)

Navis Advanced has enhanced protection and indemnity coverage (marine liability). The wording was modelled after the wording in mega yacht policies and includes many enhancements that are not included on any other boat insurance policy, including coverage for:

• $10,000,000 of liability. While you are protected by the Marine Liability Act in Canada, and most claims would be limited to $2,250,000 (plus legal and pre-trial interest), this cap does not apply in U.S. waters where litigation amounts can be higher.
• Family and friends who you lend your vessel to.
• Contractual liability. Through your yacht club rules and/or moorage contract, you have contractual risk. Navis Advanced is the only insurance policy in Canada that covers this risk.
• Fines incurred for pollution. Navis Advanced is the only insurance policy in Canada that covers this risk.
• Water sports (and claims arising from the use of water sports equipment that belong to the yacht). With Navis Advanced, there is no sub-limit, so you have the full $10,000,000 in coverage. Most other policies limit this to $1,000,000.
• Uninsured and underinsured coverage (included to the full policy limit).
• Search and rescue costs and fire department charges.