Insurance for your gear ?

[CDKPhil]

Hi all,
Just wanted to know if any body could recommend an insurance company that will deal with astro gear. I will have a portable setup and I wan't insurance to cover me where ever I go. $30k+ is a lot to lose in one hit.

Better to be safe than sorry.

Cheers
Phil

[traveller (Bo)]

Hi Phil,
To the best of my knowledge, there are no specialist astro insurers in Australia, simply too small a market.
Have you talked to your current house and contents insurance provider?
Most insurers provided "named insured items". These are in addition to normal house and content insured items and are "portable".
So if your house is robbed and the astro gear went AWOL, they will cover under normal house and contents insurance. But if you go to an astro camp and has your gear nicked at a servo, the "named insured items" will cover for that.
Whatever you do, read their product disclosure statement (PDS) very carefully to see what's an insured event and what is not.
Named insured items are usually for portable goodies like camera gear, bikes (the human powered kind) and jewellery.
HTH.
Bo

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

Having the experience of stuff being stolen (not astro but some quite expensive) while we had it away from home, you should make very sure that your contents insurance will cover it. Ours does but only within Australia. Travel insurance almost certainly will not.

Anything more than some specified value (varies between insurers) must be nominated and may require a valuation and additional premium. This is especially true for items like expensive cameras and jewelery but items like mounts and OTAs might fall into that category. For instance I only got about half the value of my iPod, even though I had the receipt and serial number.

Ensure you have documentation for everything, including model and serial numbers.

[Allan_L (Allan)]

Similarly, My house and contents insurance covers any items up to $1000 anywhere in australia.
Additionally, however, I have nominated my telescope as being of $5000 value and that is specifically covered anywhere in Aust.
Yes. It increased the premium, but only by a tiny amount per annum.

I am insured with APIA.

Talk to your insurer.
Good luck.

[acropolite (Phil)]

Ditto with the house insurance, my any personal items are covered for loss or damage anywhere in Australia up to $10,000.

[CDKPhil]

Thanks guys.
I thought that might be the case.
I asked the question, just incase someone new of a specialist insurer.

Thanks for your replies

Cheers
Phil

[stevous67 (Steve M)]

Well, I posted this same topic some time ago with only one solid coverage policy for high cost mobile astronomers. This is Chubb. I have a 70k policy for my gear that is totally mobile and with no set individual limits. In fact the entire contents of our home too is covered anywhere in Aust.

[CDKPhil]

Thanks Steve
I will look into that.

Cheers
Phil

[Gem (Grant)]

If anyone is a veteran, DVA (Deparment of Veteran Affairs) offers cheap insurance with no excesses.