Last year, around 11,000 boat damage incidents were reported to insurance companies in Norway. About one-third of them occurred during the winter months.
Both autumn and spring are considered high season for boat and engine thefts.
Insurers have simple advice to both old and new boat owners – do not leave your boat unsecured in a dark and unguarded place.
This summer, many Norwegians bought a new boat.
Domestic holidays combined with a sweltering June led to high levels of activity at sea, as both the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue (Redningsselskapet) and insurance companies noticed.
The number of injuries and rescue missions increased sharply, by 25 and 30%, respectively.
But the danger is not over.
Winter damages
“Winter can cause some of the biggest damage (to boats),” Annika Persson at Codan Forsikring warned.
Half a billion kroner a year is paid out for damage to small boats, and more than 30% of these take place in the winter, figures from Finans Norge show.
Preferably, the boat should be on land, well secured, and covered under a tarpaulin during winter, Persson noted.
“But remember that tarpaulins can crack or open in the wind or be damaged due to heavy snow. Then water and moisture can penetrate and cause major damage when they freeze, for example, in the engine,” she said.
If there is water in the pipes of the fresh water system, these can also be severely damaged.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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