No more GJW insurance

[Tonka]

Just had an email explaining that as of end of May 2025 GJW is becoming Ripe Insurance.

Does anyone have any experience of being with Ripe Insurance. Good or Bad ?

[Kingdom Isambard Brunel]

So has CraftInsure and there have been negative comments on here about Ripe, do a search on here to find them.

[PeterF]

They have just bought up CraftInsure. They also have insure4boats in their group. Consolidation and reduced choice in the marine insurance market. There are some comments in the CraftInsure thread below.

 

 

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

My boat insurance is due next month - I had an email from craftinsure explaining that they had been taken over by Ripe and that I would get a renewal reminder from Ripe as the date got closer.

I have now received the renewal reminder.

 

The renewal is some £40 higher  that last year, increasing from around £280 to around £320, which seemed a big jump when all my other insurances (Cars, camper, house, other boat) had all fallen this year.

 

I went onto the Ripe website and requested a quotation - this came back at £450 with full no claims already reducted.

 

My feelings are that Ripe are 'sucking us in' to retain the business and once we are Ripe 'customers' will work on renewal complacency' and wack up the premiums big time at the next renewal.

 

I'll be shopping around in the next couple of weeks but expect to end up with Ripe for this year.

 

Edit to Add - just received a quote from Haven Knox Johnson at £882, but can deduct 50% for 20 years no claims. So pretty much the same as the Ripe quote (£450)

Edited April 15 by Alan de Enfield

[Alway Swilby]

I've recently renewed our Craftinsure policy with Ripe. The cost wasn't hugely greater but I could no longer pay monthly without incurring interest payments.

[Alan de Enfield]

42 minutes ago, Alway Swilby said:

I've recently renewed our Craftinsure policy with Ripe. The cost wasn't hugely greater but I could no longer pay monthly without incurring interest payments.

 

Did you note in the policy conditions that in the event of a claim you must produce a bill of sale proving ownership.

[Stilllearning]

6 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Did you note in the policy conditions that in the event of a claim you must produce a bill of sale proving ownership.

They are quite easy to 'acquire'.

[Gybe Ho]

12 hours ago, Kingdom Isambard Brunel said:

So has CraftInsure and there have been negative comments on here about Ripe, do a search on here to find them.

 

That is interesting, when I challenged GJW to explain the 30% difference in their quote and CraftInsure, the agent reeled off a list of benefits with the premium GJW product. How will such brand distinctions continue under joint ownership?

 

No interest on monthly payments and inclusive RCR breakdown cover is worth about £90 to me. The inclusive RCR cover is difficult to value, it sounds like the RCR Retainer Membership but with £50 per callout rather than £75 unless the GJW-RCR leaflet is out of date re. the callout charge.

[Llamedos]

GJW offer basic Canal and River Rescue cover as part of their package. I wonder if that will continue?

[jonathanA]

Just renewed with GJW at the same premium as last year.

 

Interestingly Assyt insurance rang me to give me quote. After 5mins of the usual questions , we got to mooring. I have a private mooring, but apparently i need a professionally built mooring inspected annually or they couldn't insure me.... WTF

 

Shame about GJW as it seems the market is getting less competitive....

[frangar]

I wonder if they will change the hull survey period for older boats?  I had Towergate do that to me…suddenly demand a hull survey at renewal when there was 5 years to go on the previous year. 
 

It does seem like market options are shrinking sadly. 

[cuthound]

I received the same email.

 

My insurance is due next month, so I will await the renewal notice with interest.

 

As always, I will look around and choose what I believe to be the best value one, not necessarily the cheapest.

Edited Wednesday at 13:25 by cuthound
missing space between words

[Machpoint005]

I thought Craftinsure was owned by Zurich Insurance, so has Zurich flogged off the brand?

 

[Tony Brooks]

3 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

I thought Craftinsure was owned by Zurich Insurance, so has Zurich flogged off the brand?

 

 

More likely, Craftinsure was an agent for Zurich and Craftinsure either wanted to retire or got an offer they could not refuse. From what I can see, a lot of these specialist insurers are only agents and place the insurance with a variety of underwriting groups.

[Lily Rose]

 

I received this a couple of weeks ago from Newton Crum. Actually it was 1 April so perhaps it was a wind-up.

 

It's looking a bit like an epidemic.

 

I've had 10 cheap years so if the ptemium goes up now I'm not too concerned. More of a concern is if they insist on a hull survey, the boat is 25 years old this year.

 

"We are writing with some updates regarding your marine insurance policy with Newton Crum Insurance Agents Limited.

 

After 67 years of being one of the market leaders in UK boat insurance, Newton Crum has reluctantly decided to withdraw from the marine insurance market. Recent changes in the insurance market have made it challenging for small firms such as ours to deliver the products and service to our customers in the way that we would like. As a result, we have sought to partner with an organisation with similar values that is able to build on our heritage and look after our loyal customers in the same way that we do.

 

As of the 1st April 2025 we will therefore be unable to offer you renewal terms via our usual underwriters, MS Amlin.  Instead, Newton Crum has chosen to partner with Noble Marine to see us through this transition.  Please rest assured that any existing policy remains in force until its expiry date.  

 

We chose to partner with Noble Marine as they offer the best outcome for our loyal customers, ensuring a dedicated first-class service is offered at competitive premiums. Like us Noble Marine are privately owned and specialise in pleasure craft insurance, they have been serving the marine community for over 36 years.

 

In advance of the policy’s expiry date, Noble Marine will be in touch with your renewal terms and instructions to remain on cover.  Noble Marine is a trading name of Noble Insurance Services Ltd (company number 02351642) who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 305884.  ... "

[Lady M]

Our boat insurance currently costs less than £200.  However, the full survey demanded in 2023 before renewal terms could be offered cost us £800.  Afterwards, I wondered if we should have just gone 3rd party as the hull is very good for a nearly 40 years old boat.  Perhaps something to consider.

[DandGNWales]

We are insured with GJW Direct, we got no info on this, logged into my online account expecting a message, still nothing, our renewal is not due till Nov, so they may get around to telling us lol

[Alan de Enfield]

As posted previously my Craftinsure / Rape renewal quote was £320.

The problem being that this year I would require an 'age survey' which would cost around £1000 (crane lift in/out + survey)

 

So I have hunted around and eventually found an 'identical cover' quote for £319 and NO AGE RELATED RESTRICTIONS

 

(I have spoken with the broker and she has spoken to the Insurers and confirmed the 'no age survey')

 

Saving a fair bit of cash.

 

The broker is "Quest Saver" (016 zero 8 647 eight zero 6) and the insurance company "Geo-Speciality"

Scheme : "FreeTime Pleasure Craft"

 

 

This scheme /  quotation is for a Motor Cruise for coastal waters and European inland waterways.

 

They do offer policies for NBs

Edited Wednesday at 11:38 by Alan de Enfield

[Wafi]

51 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

It's looking a bit like an epidemic.

Something similar has been happening in the aviation insurance market, and I think that to some extent it's cyclical. Companies merge or stop offering insurance, which reduces competition and allows prices to rise. In due course, those higher prices attract new companies which generate more competition, pushing prices down; lower prices eventually lead to companies merging or leaving the market, and off we go again...

57 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

Instead, Newton Crum has chosen to partner with Noble Marine to see us through this transition.

In my dinghy sailing days, Newton Crum were the company you went to if you wanted cheap cover and never intended to claim; Noble Marine were at the opposite end of the market: straightforward and easy no-quibble claims process with premiums to match. I think we were paying something like £500 annually on a £15k boat, and looking at claims across the fleet it still wasn't obvious how they were making any money. Never thought I'd see them both in the same sentence, let alone collaborating!

[Ex Brummie]

I've had the email from GJW, but would point out that when renewing last week, I was charged by some company called Munich Insurance (?).

It is not uncommon with insurance companies to discover that the policy underwriters are the same for different fronts. For instance, most of  the myriad of travel insurance companies are underwritten by only 2 underwriters.

[PaulD]

4 hours ago, jonathanA said:

Just renewed with GJW at the same premium as last year.

 

Interestingly Assyt insurance rang me to give me quote. After 5mins of the usual questions , we got to mooring. I have a private mooring, but apparently i need a professionally built mooring inspected annually or they couldn't insure me.... WTF

 

Shame about GJW as it seems the market is getting less competitive....

I asked for a quote from GJW but they couldn’t cope with my total of sail away cost plus separate professional  fitting out cost as price of boat. They had no idea what I was talking about so I gave up. 

[Alway Swilby]

13 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Did you note in the policy conditions that in the event of a claim you must produce a bill of sale proving ownership.

 

We've had the boat from new so no problem there.

[Tonka]

1 minute ago, Alway Swilby said:

 

We've had the boat from new so no problem there.

So you should still have a bill of sale from the builders

[Alway Swilby]

13 minutes ago, Tonka said:

So you should still have a bill of sale from the builders

Yes. That's why I said no problem.

[Gybe Ho]

1 hour ago, Wafi said:

I think we were paying something like £500 annually on a £15k boat, and looking at claims across the fleet it still wasn't obvious how they were making any money.

 

 

"Fleet", were you covered for racing?

 

GJW insured me for 11 years at 0.55% of insured value. This included extra cover for single handed offshore sailing overnight.