Kentucky boat insurance

Kentucky offers boating enthusiasts a variety of activities on the water, including pontooning, fishing, and watersports such as wakeboarding and tubing. Whether your boat is on Kentucky Lake, Cumberland Lake, or in storage, Progressive offers customized and affordable protection for you and your boat. Learn about boat insurance in Kentucky, including coverages, discounts, and cost information.

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Do you need boat insurance in Kentucky?

Kentucky law doesn't require boat insurance, but some marinas may mandate boat liability coverage. Additionally, if you lease or finance your watercraft, your lender may require comprehensive and collision coverages for your boat, which may pay to repair or replace your damaged or stolen watercraft.

Coverage	What it covers
Bodily injury liability and property damage	What it coversInjuries you're liable for and damage you cause to another boat or property while boating
Comprehensive	What it coversTheft, vandalism, fire, glass breakage, collisions with animals, and weather-related issues
Collision	What it coversCollisions with another watercraft, decks, or objects

How much is boat insurance in Kentucky?

In 2023, the average annual cost for a Progressive boat insurance policy in Kentucky was $371.16.^** However, Progressive offers boat insurance in Kentucky for as little as $100/year for a liability-only policy.^* Your cost for boat insurance depends on several factors, such as:

Type of watercraft: From pontoon boats to PWCs, your boat's unique features may influence your rate
Boating experience: Experienced boaters may pay less for boat insurance than boaters new to operating a watercraft
Claims history: If you've filed an insurance claim in the past, regardless of fault, you may pay more for a boat policy
Horsepower: A powerboat with a large engine may cost more to insure than a sailboat with a smaller engine

Boaters in Kentucky can save on boat insurance by bundling insurance policies with Progressive. Get a multi-policy discount when you combine boat insurance with auto, homeowners, renters, RV, or motorcycle.

How to lower the cost of boat insurance in Kentucky

If you live in Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, or anywhere else in the Bluegrass State, there are multiple ways to score cheap boat insurance in Kentucky. Progressive helps you save immediately with a variety of discounts that are automatically added to your policy, such as:

Multi-policy
Advance quote
Original owner
Paid in full
Responsible driver

Find out more about boat insurance discounts.

What's the best boat insurance in Kentucky?

Throughout the commonwealth of Kentucky, the best boat insurance policy gives you freedom and peace of mind. Plus, we don't require a marine survey.

Pro tip:

Auto insurance may pay for injuries or damages you cause while towing your boat trailer, but it won't pay for damage to your trailer. However, a boat insurance policy can pay to repair or replace your damaged boat trailer up to your policy's limits.

Additional boat coverages in Kentucky

Sign & Glide®: If your boat is stuck on the water, Sign & Glide® towing assistance^†† can help with on-water towing, jump starts, fuel delivery,^† and more.
Propulsion Plus® mechanical breakdown coverage: In the event of a mechanical breakdown, Progressive can pay to repair or replace the lower unit of an outboard motor or the upper and lower units of an inboard/outboard motor (coverage doesn't apply to jet drives or inboard motors).
Wreckage removal: If your boat sinks, we can pay to remove your boat from the water.
Fuel spill: Progressive covers the cost of legally required cleaning that comes with spilled fuel.
Watersport coverage: If your guests are injured from water-tubing, water-skiing, and other related sports, we may cover their medical expenses up to a certain limit.
Fishing equipment or carry-on items: If your fishing equipment or other gear is lost or stolen, you can receive the full replacement cost up to $10,000 for fishing gear, scuba gear, phones, and other items. There's a $1,000 limit per item.

See all Progressive boat insurance coverages.

Kentucky boating information

According to Kentucky law, all mechanically powered vessels used primarily in the state must have a Kentucky registration. Boats are registered at the county clerk's office.
Boat registration fees in Kentucky are determined by the size of your watercraft.
For a full list of required equipment, rules of the road, registration information, and operation requirements, visit Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.