Marine Trailer & Commercial Auto
Trailerable charter and guide boats spend serious time on the highway. Commercial auto and trailer coverage protects the tow vehicle and the trailered vessel on the road — exposures that marine hull and personal auto policies exclude.
Trailer & Commercial Auto for Trailerable Charters
Bay boats, flats skiffs, drift boats, and many offshore center consoles are launched from a trailer, not kept in a slip. Every tow to the ramp, every run to a new fishery, and every trip to the shop is a road exposure — and the gap between your marine policy and your auto policy is where uninsured losses hide.
A marine hull policy generally covers the boat in the water, while a personal auto policy excludes vehicles and trailers used for business. Commercial auto with trailer coverage bridges that gap: it covers the tow vehicle's liability, the trailer, and physical damage to both on the road and at the ramp.
What's Covered on the Road
This coverage responds to at-fault accidents while towing, damage to your truck and trailer, theft of the trailer, and hired/non-owned auto exposure when an employee uses their own vehicle for the business. For many guides, the rig in the driveway — truck, trailer, and boat — is the entire operation, and it needs to be insured as a working commercial unit.
Coordinating Road and Water Coverage
The trailered boat itself is best covered for on-road damage under the auto/trailer side and for in-water damage under the hull policy. We coordinate the two so a launch-ramp mishap or a trailer rollover doesn't fall into a coverage gap between your marine and auto carriers.
What's Covered
Frequently Asked Questions
Marine hull policies cover the vessel in the water and sometimes minimal on-trailer exposure, but liability and physical damage on the road belong on the auto/trailer side. For a working charter, commercial auto with trailer coverage is the right home for road risk.
Personal auto policies typically exclude vehicles used for business and the trailers they tow for hire. Once you're hauling a charter boat to earn income, you need a commercial auto policy to avoid a claim denial.