Power Kite Forum

what insurance?

carltb - 5-1-2009 at 07:26 AM

i was thinking about this last night.........

the insurance i use is the BKSA and it covers me for all aspect of kiting all over the world "except" USA.

so my question is why doesnt it cover the US and what do you guys use?

carl
:puzzled::puzzled:

acampbell - 5-1-2009 at 07:32 AM

My local Yellow Pages is 400 pages, and 29 pages are devoted to listings for trial attorneys.
Kiteboarders can get insured through PASA, but there is nothing for land kiting that I have found.

PHREERIDER - 5-1-2009 at 08:03 AM

we use ...i use the "avoid all at all cost" any human( or pet) contact is avoided even if it makes me trek a mile away. goes back to the site selection mantra, if YOU choose poorly someone else may get hurt.

basically you have to be smart enough for what you are doing including safety for yourself and everyone else around as well for a considerable distance

kiteNH - 5-1-2009 at 08:43 AM

Accidents can happen no matter how smart or safe or experience or prepared you are. In fact it is probably dangerous to assume that one has eliminated all possibilities of an accident through their careful planning.

I don't think that anyone has liability insurance in the US to cover damage caused to another person or property by their kite. Does homeowner insurance provide any sort of coverage in this respect?

Carl, how much does your "kiter insurance" cost you?

carltb - 5-1-2009 at 10:04 AM

the bksa costs £30. (dont know the conversion rate atm) it gives me £5'000'000.00 public liabilty cover and £10'000 personal injury cover.

the thing with the uk is, alot of beaches wont let you fly if you dont have insurance. it give the council peace of mind and also deals with that "what if " factor.
also the bksa host kitesurfing comps so my money is going to a good cause aswell.

McDuck - 5-1-2009 at 11:09 AM

Truthfully, and I can only speak for myself, I do not have additional insurance for kiting. In fact I don't know anyone here in the US that does. I think the main reason is not enough people here know about it and/or participate in it. I live in AZ and have never seen another person power kiting as long as I've lived here. (although I know there is at least one other person from AZ on these forums)

That is not to say that insurance isn't a good idea, but we rarely get winds above 20mph and when we do no one is at the parks. The conditions I've been kiting in lately would make it very difficult to see anyone get hurt.

Again, not saying it can't happen. In fact I think it's a good idea to be as safe as possible (having insurance would be a part of that)

carltb - 5-1-2009 at 05:40 PM

the replies to this thread have really shocked me. from the country where everybody gets sued and nobody insures against it. i even heard you have alien abduction insurance there!!!!!
in the uk id say 1 in 3 kiters are insured if not more. it doesnt cost much (from as little as £15/year with bpka) and gives you peace of mind. :puzzled:

dylanj423 - 5-1-2009 at 06:03 PM

If there was insurance for kiters here, I would have it. I did lots of searching, and have found nothing available. As a matter of fact, I believe it would actually disqualify you from some insurances here:no:

PHREERIDER - 5-1-2009 at 06:21 PM

it reminds of RC plane ins. i had for a while but it faded. it wold be the same as downhill skiing , water skiing or inline skate at a park or swim at the beach.

swim at your own risk

i remember pC water craft ins. but we never got it, we rarely let anyone ride anymore... at first we did not care. then this guy swamped one 2miles offshore "oh yeah i can ride, rode out in Hawaii " my ass ...rode out to fetch him , panic like child.. that was the last time. the tennis ball test thats my ins. .....from the dock throw a tennis as far as i can and after a minute or so tell them to fetch the ball and they can ride. got this idea from my girl friend (wife now)were out tandom she says stop then says , "see you at the dock"and jumps off...1.5miles from the dock .. i can't throw that far but couple hundred yds swim qualifies nicely.

at your own risk public policy!

WELDNGOD - 5-1-2009 at 06:57 PM

I have to deal with all kinds of people, most who have never seen a kite or the ocean. I have no ins. , and would love some peace of mind. But It doesn't look like a gold mine, so they won't provide. But then in the US , the ins. cos. know that some a$$$holes will fall down after you go by and swear that you hit em. Then settle out of court for ten thousand dollars! Lawyers and politicians ruined this country, there outta be an open season on em'.

BeamerBob - 5-1-2009 at 07:19 PM

My homeowners policy has a general liability portion that to my knowledge, doesn't exclude kiting and buggying. I had to show proof of personal liability insurance several years ago.

I had a moment on the beach Saturday where I had a side shore wind and a section of beach I had to myself all day. I was zig zagging back and forth keeping tabs on pedestrians with no issues and then after a turn to head back to the dunes realized a couple on bicycles riding with the wind had gotten into my red zone quickly without me knowing it. I stopped the buggy in mere feet and said "oh I'm so sorry, I didn't realize I had such close company" (with an apologetic tone) They said it was fine and that they assumed I had the right of way anyway. It was a good situation where everyone felt responsible instead of someone looking for someone to blame. We never got within 30 feet of each other but were on a collision course with me at less than 5mph coming out of a turn in soft sand and low wind.

acampbell - 6-1-2009 at 07:30 AM

I have a rider attached to my commercial product liability insurance (about $900 a year) that covers me for doing demos in public. But it stops when I hand the kite to someone else... the rest is risk management.

kiteNH - 6-1-2009 at 07:49 AM

If I could buy "kiter liability insurance" for $50 or $60 a year I would.

PHREERIDER - 6-1-2009 at 08:18 AM

the weight of the kite may be the factor, otherwise we could be liable for a balloon on a string ? single line kite?

accidents and fun ..best of friends

WELDNGOD - 6-1-2009 at 10:00 AM

I too would buy kiter ins. if it were available. Cause #@%$#! happens,sometimes in spite of all that you do.

dylanj423 - 15-1-2009 at 08:13 AM

So I was looking around, and stumbled on kite insurance through PASA

http://72.167.126.210/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=69

There's the link for joining PASA, the first level looks like "Kiteboarder Level" which has several levels of certification, it looks like.

I cant tell if there are certification level requirements for obtaining the insurance, or if you can get it by joining. Just wanted to let y'all know that there is indeed insurance available to us.

$50 bucks a year to join

Safe Nafe - 24-6-2009 at 10:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by carltb
the bksa costs £30. (dont know the conversion rate atm) it gives me £5'000'000.00 public liabilty cover and £10'000 personal injury cover.


Holy moly that's like a license to kill.

Krohn1999 - 25-6-2009 at 02:50 AM

In Germany it is also normal to have insurance for Kiting. If you want to get a Buggy Number it is Required to have it, and many spots require it to ride there.

The companys vary greatly from each other and you do need time to find the right Insurance for you.

I have kiting/Buggy/Mtb/Kitesurfing all covered in my normal liability insurance at no extra cost. The only restriction is the lines are limited to 30 meters and the kite weight to 5 Kg. I am also covered up to 7.5 Million Euros per person.
I hope I never have to use it, but I'm glad I got it.
Btw. my insurance is good world wide (Including USA)

bwebb78 - 25-6-2009 at 08:24 AM

I haven't looked into it here, but would assume that my liability umbrella policy would cover it.. since it covers me, if anyone sues me for anything..??

indigo_wolf - 25-6-2009 at 10:21 AM

Was gratified to find out that AFLAC still covers me for short/long term disability if I do something stupid while flying static or on the landboard :thumbup: Buggy doesn't currently apply for me, so I didn't want to jinx things ;-)

The agent was in the office reviewing policies with everyone today.

ATB,
Sam

WIllardTheGrey - 25-6-2009 at 02:05 PM

my life ins that I get thru the union says I'm coverd in ANY mishap that kills me, the rep was at my house the other month, I pointed out the 12m had the spars inflated in the corner of my living room he turned kinda pale and said "Yes that too."

Quote:
Btw. my insurance is good world wide (Including USA)


What company?

kitemaker4 - 25-6-2009 at 02:12 PM

So I was looking around, and stumbled on kite insurance through PASA


Pasa will not cover kite buggys. We have already contacted them and they said no.

Susan (npw goddess)

Krohn1999 - 25-6-2009 at 11:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by WIllardTheGrey


Quote:
Btw. my insurance is good world wide (Including USA)


What company?


The Company is called VHV I have almost all of my insurance by them. I don't know if it is avialable in the states, but if it is im sure they have diffrent policies. People are not so "I'm gonna sue you"happy over here.

kitemaker4 - 26-6-2009 at 10:49 AM

Krohn1999 check your u2u.

Susan (npw goddess)