Professional Indemnity insurance for Yacht Designers & Surveyors

Enjoy a 10% discount as a YDSA member

Request a Quote

Exclusive YDSA member benefit

As a YDSA member, you can access tailored professional indemnity (PI) insurance designed around the risks of your profession – along with an exclusive 10% member discount.

Why PI insurance matters

Professional Indemnity insurance is designed to protect businesses against claims of professional negligence arising from advice, instruction, design or specification services they provide. If a client suffers financial loss as a result of your professional services, PI insurance can help protect your business.

For yacht designers and marine surveyors, this matters because your expertise is often relied upon in important decisions. Survey findings on structural integrity, machinery, equipment, systems, damage or necessary repairs can influence insurance, financing and purchasing decisions.

Even when work is carried out carefully and professionally, allegations can arise if a client believes something has been missed, incorrectly assessed or not clearly explained. Examples may include an incomplete survey report, recommendations not being included, or a negligent pre-purchase survey.

The right PI cover can help with legal defence costs and compensation awards, up to the agreed indemnity limit, should a third party allege negligence in your work.

Built for your profession

Yacht designers and marine surveyors carry a level of professional responsibility that is often underestimated.

Whether you’re inspecting a vessel, preparing a condition report, producing a valuation, providing design advice or making technical recommendations, your judgement can have a direct impact on the decisions made by owners, buyers, lenders and insurers.

For surveyors, the risks often sit in the detail. A missed defect, unclear recommendation or disputed finding can lead to questions long after the work has been completed. Pre-purchase and routine surveys both carry the risk of professional negligence claims, particularly where a client later believes they have suffered a financial loss because of information in – or missing from – a report.

Person wearing a hard hat holds plans and talks on the phone, appearing to review construction drawings.

For yacht designers, the exposure can be slightly different but just as important. Design, specification and instruction services can all create professional risk if a client alleges that your advice or work has contributed to a financial loss.

That’s why PI insurance for YDSA members needs to reflect the actual nature and scope of the work being undertaken. It should take into account the type of services you provide, the environments you work in, the geographical spread of your work and the level of indemnity needed to protect your business properly.

Keeping cover continuous is also important. If you already hold PI insurance, your retroactive date matters, as the policy in place at the time a claim is made may need to respond — even if the work was carried out years earlier.

Why work with HKJ Commercial?

For over 20 years, HKJ Commercial has worked alongside marine businesses across the UK, arranging insurance solutions for a wide range of specialist marine trades and professions.

We understand the importance of balancing professional responsibility, technical expertise and commercial risk, and can help arrange cover that reflects the way your business operates today and as it evolves.

As your business grows, we can also help you review whether additional areas of insurance protection may be relevant, ensuring your cover continues to reflect the work you undertake.

Speak to someone who understands

If you’d like to discuss your requirements, ask a question or request a quotation, you can call or email our team directly.

Alternatively, complete the enquiry form below and one of our specialists will get in touch to talk through your Professional Indemnity insurance and any wider cover you may need.

A man in a suit talks to a man wearing a cap, T-shirt, jeans, and an orange safety vest.

Beyond Professional Indemnity

Professional Indemnity insurance is a key consideration for yacht designers and surveyors, but it often forms just one part of a wider insurance programme.

Depending on the nature of your work, you may also need to consider areas such as Public Liability, Employers’ Liability, Cyber Insurance and Management Liability. We’ve pulled together a selection of articles that may help you understand some of the wider risks facing marine professionals.

A worker in a safety vest and hard hat inspects a boat hoisted by a crane in a shipyard with shipping containers in the background.

Insurance for Marine Surveyors

An overview of PI insurance for surveyors, covering indemnity limits, retroactive dates and other key covers, including Public and Employers’ Liability.

Call us today on

01905 930 760

Enquire here

Request a Quote

Marine trade insurance, expertly navigated

Useful Links

Haven Knox-Johnston Commercial is a trading name of Howden UK Brokers Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority No. 307663. Registered in England and Wales under company registration number 02831010. Registered Office: One Creechurch Place, London EC3A 5AF. Calls may be monitored and recorded for quality assurance purposes