Personal Watercraft Insurance

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Why a jet ski needs its own coverage

A personal watercraft is small, fast, and often ridden by friends and teenagers, which is exactly why the liability side matters more than the price of the machine. Collisions with swimmers, tubers, docks and other boats are the claims that get expensive. Homeowners policies give watercraft very limited coverage, usually nothing for a craft with this much horsepower. A PWC policy covers the craft, the trailer, and the people you could injure.

What personal watercraft insurance covers

• Liability — injury to a swimmer, a skier or a rider on another boat, and damage to docks and moored boats, when your rider is at fault.
• Physical damage — collision with a piling or another craft, sinking, fire, and theft from a driveway or marina lot.
• Trailer — the trailer that carries one or two craft, when you add it.
• Medical payments — your injuries and your passenger’s, regardless of fault.
• Uninsured boater — your injuries when the other operator has no coverage.
• On-water towing and assistance — a tow back to the launch ramp after a breakdown or a fouled intake.

What PWC policies often exclude or restrict

Racing and stunt riding, renting the craft out, wear and engine failure, and riders the policy does not allow. Some carriers limit coverage when a rider under a set age or without a Boater Card is at the controls, so lending the ski to a neighbor’s kid can leave you uninsured. We read that section with you.

Who can legally ride a jet ski in California?

California State Parks says a person must be 16 or older and carry a California Boater Card to operate a vessel with a motor of 15 horsepower or more, including personal watercraft. Riders 12 to 15 may operate one only when supervised on board by someone at least 18 who has a Boater Card, and it is illegal to let anyone under 16 operate one without that supervision. Everyone on a PWC must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Source: California State Parks, Laws, Regulations, and Public Safety. DBW’s California Boating Laws fact sheet (May 2018) adds that a PWC may not be operated between sunset and sunrise. Source: DBW, California Boating Laws.

Does a personal watercraft need DMV registration?

Yes. The California DMV says a boat with a motor, no matter the size, must be registered to operate on California waterways, and a trailer is registered separately. Source: California DMV, Boat/Vessel Registration. If you ride fresh water such as the Delta or a lake, the craft also needs a current Mussel Fee sticker from DMV, per the Division of Boating and Waterways.

How much does jet ski insurance cost?

Personal watercraft rates track the craft’s horsepower, model year and value, how many craft are on the policy, the ages and experience of the riders, where the craft is kept, whether the trailer is included, the liability limit and the deductible. A rider list that includes teenagers or friends who borrow the ski is a bigger factor here than on most boats. We quote each craft with the riders you actually expect.

What we need to quote a personal watercraft

• Year, make, model, seating capacity and horsepower for each craft.
• Hull identification number (HIN) and CF registration number.
• Trailer year and VIN, if it should be covered.
• Everyone who will ride, their ages, and who holds a Boater Card.
• Where the craft is kept and where you ride: Delta, reservoirs, or the coast.

Insurance City is an independent brokerage in Stockton. We compare PWC policies from the carriers we represent, and we can add the craft alongside a boat policy if you own both. Call (209) 670-1556 or send the form.