As commuter cruisers, we leave our boat each spring in a marina and return to central Illinois and all the fun stuff we do during “commuter cruising off season”. But before leaving the boat each spring, I always take photos documenting exactly what was on the boat when we left, just in case, for insurance purposes. If you have a house that you leave for several months while you’re on the boat, it’s a good idea to take photos of everything in the house before you leave for the boat each fall too.
Be sure to take a photo of EVERYTHING that’s important. I do interior first: the galley, the salon, the hallway, the navigation desk showing all the electronics built in, even the head … with the full batten mainsail rolled and laying the length of the boat.
Don’t forget to take photos of any expensive equipment that’s hidden away behind locker doors — such as our Spectra Catalina 300 watermaker tucked under the galley sink.
Then it’s time to go outside and show the equipment in the event it might need to be replaced or documented that it was on the boat at the time of a lightning strike or other weather oddity.
Don’t forget things like spare anchors, the outboard motor on the rail, propellers, the binnacle with all the electronics in place, a life raft and anything else on deck.
I’m not sure if it’s important, but these exterior photos also clearly show that there’s no canvas left on the boat during hurricane season and we take photos to demonstrate that the boat is tied in a spiderweb with dual lines and extra chafing gear.
And finally, the entire boat… goodbye sv Winterlude, be safe and we’ll see you soon! (Actually, it’s not time for us to leave yet, these photos are from last spring — but our weather window to go somewhere currently has a trough stalled on top of us.)
Did I forget anything? Do you do insurance documentation differently? Please leave a comment and share! Cheers! Jan
