I was surfing the web this morning and came across a few companies offering extended warranties for boats. They cover inboards, stern drives, jet boats, etc... The only caveat is that the boat must be covered under it's original manufacturers warranty when the warranty is put in place. The policies are expensive - about $500 a year. Personally, not worth it to me but it might be good for someone who has a boat that is a "lemon". Anyone have any experience with these?

The one on my car never covered anything that ever broke down. They are a complete rip-off.

There are companies that offer extended warranties for just about anything. Anytime you buy a VCR, TV, refrigerator, etc. the sales guy always tries to sell you an extended warranty. In most cases it isn't worth it. <BR> <BR> I looked into getting one for my boat. But then I played the "what if" game. I had a list of all the breakdowns I had on my last boat and checked to see if the warranty would have covered it: <BR> <BR>Ballast pump: It would have covered, but the deductible would have made it hardly worth the effort, especially since I would have had to take the boat to the dealer to have the pump replaced instead of just swapping it out myself. <BR> <BR>Heater Core: It wasn't covered! It wasn't consideded part of the cooling system. If I had bought the "yacht" policy instead of the "runabout" policy then the heater would have been covered. <BR> <BR>Gosh, I only had two things fail in three years. Not bad. Warranty would have been a total waste. <BR> <BR>Also keep in mind that the extended warranty does not kick in until the regular warranty expires. So if your engine breaks down in the first 3 years, you still have to go back to the boat and/or engine manufacturer to deal with it. There is also an incredible hassle factor involved. Here is the proceedure, as described to me: <BR> <BR>1) Take your boat to the dealer who sold you the policy. He will investigate the cause of the problem, and file a claim with the extended warrantee people. <BR> <BR>2) The warrantee people examin the claim and either deny it, authorize it, or request additional information. <BR> <BR>3) Eventually the repair shop gets the authorization and they complete the repairs. <BR> <BR>This process can take weeks! My dealer said that what they do is just go ahead and make the repairs then fudge the paper work to the warrantee people. If your dealer plays by the rules, you could have your boat out of commission for weeks during prime season. <BR> <BR>No thanks.. <BR> <BR>

You also have to maintain exemplary service records. Some even require you to have your vehicle serviced by an authorized service center. The costs to have your boat serviced by the dealer could well exceed a covered repair for the life of the warranty. <BR> <BR>Extended warranties are ok if they are backed by the manufacturer. Aftermarket extended warranties are just too much of a pain.