Pantaenius publishes no age at which it wants a hull survey. What it does publish, through its German sales coordinator Dirk Hilcken in an insurance series it presents in YACHT, Germany's sailing magazine, is a clear rule on rigs.
The rig
When someone wants to insure a used boat over 15 years old, Pantaenius asks for the age and condition of the rig:
| Situation | What Pantaenius asks |
|---|---|
| Rig over 15 years old | A current check by a rigger, sailmaker or other specialist firm |
| Boat over 25 years old, rig still original | The standing rigging replaced |
In both cases the boat can still be insured, but damage to the rig is excluded until the work is done. Hilcken adds that Pantaenius doesn't check rig maintenance for existing customers, and that other insurers may not ask about the rig's age at all, so owners should read the exclusions for poor maintenance. The same article gives the professionals' advice as replacing wire standing rigging after 15 years or 20,000 nautical miles at the latest, with a professional check of the unstepped rig at least every five years.
Older hulls
The series' article on older boats says age alone is no bar: boats in good condition can be insured with liability and hull cover whatever their age or hull material, as long as the insurer knows the condition. Two exceptions:
- Metal hulls. An ultrasonic thickness survey is generally required, with 30 years a common rule of thumb. A good result, or the repairs it calls for, lets an older metal boat be insured on the same terms as a GRP boat.
- Wooden hulls. After 30 years, the article says most insurers ask for the condition to be assessed by a boatbuilder or professional surveyor.
Fixed value and new for old
Pantaenius's Spanish brochure describes the cover: a fixed insurance sum paid in full on a total loss, partial damage paid new for old with no deduction for age, and inspection costs after a grounding covered whether or not damage is found. Its extended machinery cover is available for engines up to ten years old.
For the surveyor
On a boat over 15 years, the rig is the first thing the underwriter reads. Give the rig's age and how you know it, and say plainly if it's original. Axsail asks for details you skipped while you're still on board, so the report doesn't go out with the question open.