For many surfers, travelling with their own equipment is becoming increasingly unattractive due to ever more restrictive luggage regulations and rising prices for transport - which is why the rental business in surf centres is booming. In view of hire prices of almost 300 euros per week, you don't save any money here, but at least you save the stress of checking in and a lot of lugging around. In addition to the hire fee, many surf centres also add compulsory equipment insurance on top - although such "insurance" does not usually involve a policy in the true sense of the word. It is merely a surcharge with which the surf centres offset any repair costs and loss of value. This can quickly add up to another 30 to 50 euros per week for the renter.
With this in mind, it makes sense to take out insurance to protect your surf equipment against theft, transport damage or breakage - we have researched the options available.
Super disaster
When it comes to theft, there are classic insurance products such as the "Surf Protect Complete" policy from insurer Carl Rehder. Managing Director Klaus Hain explains: "Normal household contents insurance policies sometimes do not cover cases such as theft from the cellar or garage at all or only partially. The sum insured is then often linked to the household contents sum, usually five to ten per cent. So if you have a household contents sum of 50,000 euros, you can get a maximum of 2500 to 5000 euros back. However, if your van or camper van is broken into or the vehicle and its contents are stolen while you are on holiday, this can quickly be a disaster, as comprehensive insurance usually only covers the value of the vehicle, not the surfing equipment. This is exactly where our policy comes in - theft from the car, motorhome, trailer or locked roof box is covered - even in other European countries if desired. Insuring equipment worth 5,000 euros costs 142.80 euros per year with Germany-wide cover and 208.50 euros with Europe-wide cover," says Klaus Hain.
Carefree package
The start-up company hepster takes a slightly different, more flexible approach. Via a website, fun sports enthusiasts can spontaneously book insurance cover for their equipment with a completely variable term, which then applies to both their own equipment and rental equipment from the local surf centre. hepster itself is not an insurer in the true sense of the word, but develops new products with established insurers such as Gothaer. Here too, the premium depends on the sum insured. For example, if you insure your board worth 1,000 euros for a short four-day trip, you pay 17 euros for the premium version. This covers cases such as robbery and theft, but also transport damage and, above all, if the equipment breaks while surfing. The cover also applies to borrowed station equipment - so there's no need for additional insurance from the local surf school. Charming: The insurance expires automatically at the end of the insurance period, so there is no risk of ending up with an expensive follow-up contract. All you get is a reminder email in your inbox before the insurance cover expires.
VDWS with new offer
The world's largest water sports association VDWS also expanded its insurance offering at the start of 2019. The VDWS's tried-and-tested "SavetyTool" is probably the most widespread safety package for water sports enthusiasts on the market, with around 1,3800 policyholders at present. The VDWS came up with the SafetyTool concept in close cooperation with the insurance experts from Südwest Ring, is the first point of contact and is responsible for handling the safety tool. This is of course backed by renowned insurance companies such as AXA in our current case. Or Allianz. It covers rented equipment. This means that anyone who hires equipment from a station while on holiday and damages it will be reimbursed by the insurance company.
"In fact, many surfers think that normal liability insurance also covers such damage," explains Dirk Muschenich from the VDWS association when asked. "But liability is not comprehensive cover! You can often take out "insurance" in surf schools too, but this is usually just a pot from which damages are paid - that's okay if it's only about material breakage, but as soon as there is personal injury, for example, the case looks completely different."
That's why the VDWS launched the "SavetyTool Plus" upgrade at the beginning of 2019. This will cover damage to your own equipment, for example if you smash the bow of your new board or break a mast in the surf. The upgrade is also family insurance. Partners and children up to the age of 18 are automatically covered, regardless of whether they are surfing, kitesurfing, sailing, kayaking, SUPing or snowkiting. Only competitions are excluded, in the event of damage there is a small excess, for hire equipment this is 50 euros for all water sports equipment, 100 euros for boats.
The well-known SavetyTool costs 39 euros per year, the Savety-Tool Plus 99 euros. The only important thing is that you take out the tool at least two weeks before the start of your trip. However, if you need it spontaneously, you can also explicitly waive your right of cancellation when taking out the SavetyTool and are then immediately on the safe side.
The ravages of time
Whether classic insurance or a flexible policy like the one from hepster - the current value of the material is insured in each case. If it is your own material, in both cases you must be able to provide evidence of the value at the time of purchase. Friederike Tesch from hepster explains: "Basically, with all insurance policies, it is always difficult to understand how old the damaged item is and how expensive it was without an invoice. It is always important that the surfer can prove that the equipment is their own - be it a receipt from the purchase or proof from the previous owner. Ideally, the surfer should ask the previous owner to provide proof of purchase of the equipment, which will make things much easier in the event of a claim. If there is no proof of purchase, the value is determined on the basis of research and lists. The age is then determined based on the date of first sale. In general, you should always get the receipt or have it copied when you buy used equipment.
surf conclusion:
Policies such as "SavetyTool Plus" from the VDWS or "Surf Protect Complete" from Carl Rehder are particularly useful if you want to insure against the super disaster of a total loss due to theft all year round, for example if equipment is stored in a car or trailer all year round. The strength of the hepster offers is above all their flexibility; in theory, insurance can even be taken out on a smartphone on the beach in a matter of minutes. Especially those who only go out on the water on holiday and don't need year-round insurance cover in everyday life will be better off with this type of policy, which covers a more comprehensive scenario. You can find information on insurance for surfers at www.hepster.com,www.surf-insurance.com and www.vdws.de/safetytool
Manuel Vogel
Editor surf
