Abby: We shifted last year from Progressive's "Drive" insurance, sold in our case through USAA (because I am retired military). We shifted to BoatUS and saved $100 or about 20% on cost. But the main reason was that Progressive doesn't include "Salvage" insurance in their boat policy, nor could theie underwriting Department even tell me what "Salvage" insurance was. There are two types of "Salvage" insurance included in Boat policies. One pays to remove your hull remains from the slip or from the channel fairway if you should sink in either place. Progressive and many others will do this. But the other kind of Salvage insurance is when you go hard aground and call a tow boat to get you off, and the tower tells you that this will be a "Salvage" claim towing situation, because he had to use air bags to lift you up off the rock, or because he had to call for a second boat to get you off,etc. He then tells you that your towing insurance is not worth a bucket of warm spit and he is claiming 10-20% of the value of your boat as a salvage fee. The same can happen if you are being blown toward a lee shore w/o power or sails, and you call for a tow. The tower tells you that without him you would have blown up onto the lee shore, lost your boat, and endangered you and your crew's lives. Under maritime law he can (as a salvage claim) ask for up to 100% of the value of your boat. Go on BoatUS web site and search for "Salvage Insurance" to fully understand what "Salvage claims. Darned few sailors know anything about Salvage claims of the second type mentioned above, but the threat of a hard grounding leading to a salvage claim is very real. You need "Salvage" insurance.
