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Boat Insurance
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How and when should I lodge in a claim? When should I inform the Police Authorities?
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In the event of loss, theft or malicious damage to your property, you must inform the Police within 24 hours of discovery and then notify our Claims Department on Telephone Number 23435375 and you will be guided accordingly.
Should I keep damaged items?
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Yes, damaged items should be kept until we advise you to dispose of them.
Should I authorise repairs prior to getting Atlas' consent?
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Preferably you should ask for a quotation and wait for our approval prior to authorising repairs. However, we do appreciate that under abnormal circumstances a quick decision has to be taken. In this respect, provided damaged items are kept and amount being claimed is reasonable you should not find any difficulty being reimbursed.
What documents/information does Atlas require to process a claim?
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We would require the completed claim form, technical reports, repair and replacement quotation(s), Third Party details etc. At initial stage give us as much information as possible and we will then guide you accordingly.
Do I need a nautical license to insure a boat?
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No. You may own a boat and hence insure a boat even if you do not hold a nautical license. However, if your craft fis equipped with engines delivering 100HP or more, then you should not drive the craft without having first obtained your nautical license. From 1st January 2011 a nautical licence is required for motor propelled crafts pertaining 30HP and more.
Do I first pay the insurance or the registration?
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For S-registered boats, the renewed insurance document needs to be presented to Transport Malta to enable them to renew your registration. Other registries such as the Malta Fisheries (MFA/MFB/MFC) and Merchant Shipping (Valletta registrations) do not require sight of the insurance document. However, the law obliges all crafts with engines delivering more than 9.9 HP to be insufred for at least third party risks.
Should I decide to sell the boat; can I cancel the insurance policy?
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Yes. You may cancel the insurance at any time and may even be eligible for a partial return premium if the craft is being sold after the first year and no claims have been lodged. In case of S-registered craft, we would require sight of an insurance document and Certificate/Schedule on the new owner for the remaining period of insurance or the Transport Malta transfer of ownership document.
Are my family covered if they get injured on board the craft?
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The Personal Accident Section of the Atlas Plain Sailing policy provides benefits noted in the policy in respect of bodily injury sustained by passengers while on board of the craft. Both Plain Sailing and Latitude policies protect you should you be legally liable for injuries which passengers – including family members - sustain while on board.
What do I need to carry on board the boat?
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The following are advisable: copy of insurance document in force, copy of registration document in force, copy of a valid nautical license (if required), enough lifejackets for all passengers (kid’s sizes for children), flares, VHF or mobile phone, a fire-extinguisher, a first-aid kit, anchor with length of rope/chain, fog horn, torch, tool-kit. One should also advise relatives or friends of the intended voyage and duration.
What should I do if I am not satisfied with the service I am given?
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With the best will in the world, concerns about some aspects of our service can occasionally arise. In such circumstances our staff have wide authority to settle problems and will do everything they can to help. This should be your first point of contact. If you are still not satisfied, please download the appropriate form. These documents guide you through our commitment to deal with your concerns promptly and fairly.
Marine Craft Terminology
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| Hull | The boat itself from deck level downwards | | Machinery | Engine(s) and Generator(s) including built-in Refrigerator etc | | Length Overall (LOA) | Entire length of boat including any protrusions like bathing platforms | | Length at Water Line (LWL) | Length of boat at waterline, this being the level at which the water is when the boat is at rest | | Beam | Maximum width of boat | | Draft | Depth below waterline | | Single/Twin Screw | Number of engines on boat - sailing yachts normally have one engine, cabin cruisers normally have two | | Bow | Front of boat | | Stern | Back of boat | | Portside | Left side of boat | | Starboard Side | Right side of boat | | Midships | Middle of boat | | Transom | Rear part of boat - normally has name on it and in case of cabin cruisers may have bathing platform | | Inboard Engine | Engine inside boat and not visible from outside - normally on larger boats | | Outboard Engine | Engine mounted on transom - normally on very small boats and speedboats | | Tender | Small boat intended to be used for transport to and from boat (usually a dinghy and sometimes even a jet-ski on larger boats) | | Type or Class | Make and Model of boat e.g. Princess 360, Fairline Targa, Beneteau Cyclades 43.4) | | Method of Construction | Material and method used for construction of boat - mostly required for wooden boats e.g. Clinker built, hard chine, diagonal or double-diagonal planking | | Knot | One knot is one Nautical Mile per hour. It is equivalent to 1.14 miles per hour | | Non-Standard Cabin Fittings | Any Equipment which is superfluous to the manufacturers standard e.g. Extra VHP, Loran, Air-conditioning etc | | Stranding | Grounding of boat e.g. on reef or in shallow water | | Swamping | When boat fills with water - this normally leads to sinking | | Immersion | In case of outboard engines, when this falls off boat and becomes completely submerged | | Breaking Adrift | When boat breaks away from its mooring |
Terminology applicable to Sailing Yachts
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| Keel | Wing-like structure below hull. This is used to prevent capsizing and crabbing of boat whilst sailing | | Mast | Vertical pole which sails are attached (bent). Can be made of wood, aluminium or composite allow | | Boom | Horizontal pole which attaches to Mast and lies along bottom of mainsail (large sail behind mast) | | Spars | Mast and Boom | | Rigging | Wire and normal ropes used to support spars and sails. Classified in two categories below | | Standing Rigging | Normal stainless steel wire rope used to support Spars | | Running Rigging | Normal ropes used to control sail size and shape | | Bowsprit | Boom-like Spar protruding from Bow of boat, normally found on older sailing boats | | Trimaran | Boat having 3 hulls | | Catamaran | Boat having 2 hulls | | Ketch | Yacht having 2 masts; the one on the stern normally being shorter than the one at midships | | Sloop | Yacht having one mast |
Terminology linked to Cabin Cruisers, Motor Yachts and Power Boats
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| Flybridge | The ‘roof' of a cabin cruiser where there are normally the steering controls and some navigational instruments | | Superstructure | Any part of the boat above deck level | | Bathing Platform | Small platform on transom. This is normally used for bathing from and extends between one and two feet from transom |
Navigational Equipment
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| Radar | A form of map on a screen, showing distrances from centre, which always refers to boat | | VHF | Two-way radio used for communication between boats or from boats to shore. Can be fixed in boat or portable (also known as hand-held) | | Echo Sounder | Instrument used to determine depth of water below boat. Also incorrectly known as ‘depth sounder' and depth finder' | | Fish Finder | Instrument similar to echo sounder but used by amateur and professional fishermen to locate shoals of fish | | GPS | Global Positioning System - uses 24 Satellites to determine exact position of boat anywhere in the world | | Loran | Long-Range Navigation - similar to GPS but uses different factors to determine the exact position | | Log | Instrument for measuring boat speed in knots | | Compass | Instrument showing instantaneous heading of boat | | Engine Instruments | Instruments showing condition of engine(s), rev. counter, oil temperature and pressure, engine temperature, fuel level | | Radio Direction Finder (RDF) | Hand-held or mounted instrument used to determine direction in which boat is travelling. More accurate than compass | | Satnav | Satellite Navigation - similar to Loran and GPS | | Satcom | Satellite Communication - allows communication with any part of the world - not normally found on smaller boats | | Automatic Pilot | Instrument which keeps the boat on a given course without the need of human input |
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