Insurance advice for rowing clubs.

Rowing Club Insurance Built Around Your Boatshed and Fleet

Protect your boatshed, boats, oars, trailers and coaching boats with cover designed around how your club actually operates, on and off the water. Local advice from Hobart, backed by the national McLardy McShane network.

No cost review of your current policies. We identify gaps and savings and give your committee clear options.

Cover for clubs of every size

We work with rowing clubs from small community and masters clubs through to large regatta hosting clubs and school programs. Whether your fleet lives in a waterfront boatshed, travels on trailers to regattas interstate or sits in a shared facility, we structure cover around your club, not a generic sport policy.

Community and masters clubs

School and university programs

Regatta hosting clubs

Clubs with waterfront boatsheds

Clubs sharing council facilities

Clubs with licensed bars or kiosks

Clubs travelling to interstate regattas

Clubs hiring out boats or facilities

Learn to row and junior programs

Common issues we find when reviewing rowing club insurance

Many clubs are underinsured or paying for cover that does not match how they operate. Committees change every year and policies roll over without review. When we look at club programs, some patterns appear again and again.

Boats insured for the wrong values

Fleets listed at purchase price years ago, or not listed at all, leaving the club short when a boat is written off.

Boats not covered in transit or away from the shed

Damage on trailers, at regattas or on the water excluded or limited under a standard contents policy.

Boatshed sum insured out of date

Rebuild costs for waterfront buildings have risen sharply, and many clubs have not updated their building sums insured.

Gaps between association cover and club cover

Assuming the state association or national program covers everything, when it often only covers certain members or activities.

Committee and volunteers left exposed

No management liability or volunteer personal accident cover, leaving committee members and helpers exposed.

We step through your current setup, explain these issues in plain language and recommend practical changes your committee can act on.

Key covers for rowing clubs

Boatshed and clubhouse

Buildings, pontoons and jetties where insurable, plus fixtures, fittings and improvements you are responsible for under your lease.

Public and products liability

Protection if a member, visitor or the public is injured or property is damaged during training, events or regattas.

Boats, oars and equipment

Racing shells, sculls, oars, ergs and gym equipment, insured on agreed or replacement values.

Trailers and towing

Boat trailers and club vehicles, including cover for boats while in transit.

Coaching and safety boats

Tinnies, outboards and safety launches, including marine liability where available.

Loss of income

Lost hire, membership or event income after an insured event damages your shed or fleet.

Management liability

Cover for the club and committee members for claims about decisions, employment practices and governance.

Theft and burglary

Theft of boats, oars, equipment and bar stock from the shed, trailers or regatta sites.

Personal accident for volunteers

Support for volunteers, coaches and officials injured while helping the club, where not already covered by your association.

Workers compensation

Required if the club pays coaches, boatmen or bar staff. We help you work out who needs to be covered.

Not every club needs every section. We check what your association already provides and only recommend cover that fills a real gap.

Boat cover: where most club policies fall short

Rowing boats spend time in the shed, on the water, on trailers and at regatta sites. Many policies only cover them in one of those places, or apply high excesses and exclusions for racing and transit. With a single new eight costing tens of thousands of dollars, the policy wording matters.

Wording comparison

We compare how each insurer covers racing, training, transit and storage before we recommend a policy.

Accurate fleet schedule

We help you build a fleet list with agreed values so every boat is covered for what it is worth.

Claims support

Active support when a boat is damaged, from lodging the claim to organising repairs or replacement.

Clubs run on volunteer time. We take the paperwork off your committee and make sure the club is properly protected before the next regatta season.

Simple three step process for your club

We make insurance straightforward for busy committees, from the first review through to renewals and claims.

1

Club review and fact find

We start with a short call with your president, treasurer or captain of boats. We look at your shed, fleet, trailers, events and any paid staff so we understand your full risk picture.

2

Market approach and options

We go to appropriate insurers and underwriting agencies through the McLardy McShane network. Your committee receives clear options that show sums insured, key inclusions and exclusions, excesses and pricing.

3

Ongoing support and claims help

We stay in touch on renewals, committee changes and claims. When something goes wrong, you call us first. We help lodge and manage the claim and keep you updated.

“We saved almost 40% on our rowing boatshed insurance and an additional 10% on our rowing boats. Every saving makes a big difference for volunteer run clubs like ours.” Rowing club, Tasmania

Local relationship, national strength

McLardy McShane Tasmania is your broker partner based in Hobart, backed by a national group that places hundreds of millions in premium with Australian insurers each year. That scale helps with market access and pricing, while your club still deals with a broker who understands rowing.

Rowing club insurance FAQs

Many state associations and national programs provide some cover, often public liability and personal accident for registered members. That cover usually does not extend to your boatshed, boats, trailers or committee. We review what you already have and only arrange what fills the gaps.

It depends on the policy. Some only cover boats while stored, while others exclude racing or transit or apply large excesses. We check the wording and arrange cover that follows your boats wherever they go.

We recommend an agreed value schedule for each boat, reviewed every year. This avoids arguments about depreciation after a loss and makes sure new boats are added when they arrive.

Yes. In many cases we can act as your broker with your current insurer and improve the structure and service, rather than changing insurers straight away.

If the club pays anyone, including coaches, boatmen or bar staff, you will generally need workers compensation. Volunteers are usually not treated as workers, but the rules vary by state, so we help you work out your obligations.

Yes. Liquor sales, functions and hiring out the clubhouse need to be disclosed, and we make sure your liability cover reflects them.

Usually your current policy schedules, a list of boats and equipment with values, details of your boatshed and lease, member numbers and any events you run. We can step through this with your committee on a call.

Request a club insurance review

Complete the form below and attach your current insurance schedules. We will review your club’s cover and contact you to discuss options that fit your club and budget.

By submitting this form you agree to McLardy McShane Tasmania collecting your details to respond to your enquiry and provide insurance services, as described in our Privacy Policy and Financial Services Guide.

McLardy McShane Tasmania

Level 3, 301 Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay TAS 7005

Phone: 0416 457 143

Email: toma@mclardymcshane.com.au

General advice only. Before acting on this information you should consider whether it is appropriate to your objectives, financial situation and needs, and read any relevant Product Disclosure Statement.