IRCWCC will pick up the cost of site insurance for the battle sites we use. Johnny you should be getting a check from Tommy for the cost of the site insurance. As Johnny said you would be crazy to host a event and not have site insurance in place, most pond owners require it (just ask my wife). Carl
A small, new group (2-3 boaters) would probably go bear until enough people join to make insurance more practical. There are already people around the State of FLA writing off home owner's insurance due to lack of availability or cost. Paying Namba, MWCI, IRC whatever may get interesting in a region where people are getting out of the habit of paying insurance.inch: Manuel Mejia, Jr.
I know this is probably going to sound mean, but if you cant afford the insurance to participate in this hobby, then you should find another hobby. Compared to the cost of paying a claim/judgement against yourself out of pocket, insurance is downright cheap.
People in Fla. have insurance problems way bigger than our hobby, its called no insurance because of hurricanes. I was looking at property in the Keys and my agent laughted when I asked her if State Farm wrote policies there.
The cost of insurance pales in comparison to the cost of building a combat vessel, to say nothing of an actual judgement for personal injury (as Chase points out). A cruiser usually runs about $400. Insurance is much less than that.
Insurance is a waste of money if you get the wrong type or it has some small print rider that leaves you with only a " you are not covered in this case" letter from the insurer. There seems to be several policy types for battlers mentioned. Which one is best for a newbie ? Cost really is not the issue here. Validity of insurance is. In general, I sense Floridans are a bit more skeptical about insurance than in other places. Bogus policies have burned many of us here.
Rob, excellent info. A few questions. NAMBA covers not only racers, but also multiple types of combat clubs. I'd assume that the insurance does not care what combat rule set is used. As long as that safety rule set is followed. For example IRC guys decided to use MWC speeds for cruisers. Or an IRC guy wants to try a larger rudder on his ship. If I was a NAMBA member at a site with NAMBA insurance battling with other NAMBA members BUT there were guys battling without NAMBA insurance, am I still covered. Would the officers or board members of the combat club be at any additional personal risk for a claim? If there are only two NAMBA members at a NAMBA site, there still is coverage. Like if my buddy & I went to the pond for a 1 on 1.
Hi Bob, Those are good questions, and I'll do my best to answer them accurately. Please note that the NAMBA rulebook is available here. 1) "NAMBA covers not only racers, but also multiple types of combat clubs. I'd assume that the insurance does not care what combat rule set is used. As long as that safety rule set is followed. For example IRC guys decided to use MWC speeds for cruisers. Or an IRC guy wants to try a larger rudder on his ship. " Your assumption is correct, as far as gameplay is concerned. I was on the team that put together the NAMBA combat rules back in 2003. We realized that we had to confine our efforts to safety concerns, since there are so many different flavors of combat possible. Even so, it took weeks of work to reach a consensus. It's a testament to all concerned that the rules still stand, 11 years later. All of that said, an individual club might have additional safety rules of its own, and those rules become, for insurance purposes, NAMBA rules as well. Therefore, each participant must follow all of the safety rules at a combat event, whether written in the NAMBA rulebook, the club rulebook, or issued by the CD or safety officer. 2) "If I was a NAMBA member at a site with NAMBA insurance battling with other NAMBA members BUT there were guys battling without NAMBA insurance, am I still covered. Would the officers or board members of the combat club be at any additional personal risk for a claim?" This is going to be a complex answer, and would really require an attorney to fully address it (something I'm definitely not.) But here's what I think is the correct answer: NAMBA members are only covered by NAMBA insurance if battling at a NAMBA insured site. In order to secure a site certificate, the group applying for it has to be a registered NAMBA club, and as such, is required to comply with NAMBA rules, club safety rules, and all governmental regulations. NAMBA rules require that all contestants in a NAMBA event be NAMBA members. If the club leadership knowingly violates NAMBA rules by allowing non-NAMBA members to compete, then the leaders' coverage may be in doubt in the event of a claim against them. This is not as heavy-handed as it sounds, however, because individual event coverage for guest captains is available at any NAMBA combat event, for $11. My own club, Western Warship Combat Club, routinely signs guest captains up at our events, and have never had anyone refuse. That $11 applies to the full NAMBA membership dues for the year, should the guest decide to later apply for membership. The important thing to keep in mind is that NAMBA is an association of active model boaters. All of the people in leadership positions are volunteers and model boaters, and we are all keenly aware that insurance companies do not stay in business by honoring every claim that lands in their in-boxes. We NAMBA members have to do everything in our power to cover all of our bases, and that means following all of the rules to the best of our abilities. 3) "If there are only two NAMBA members at a NAMBA site, is there still coverage. Like if my buddy & I went to the pond for a 1 on 1." Yes, if all of the requirements outlined above are met. Rob Wood NAMBA Combat Chair
Is there a limit to how many one time event memberships you can use? If you only go to NATS, can you just pay the $11?
From the NAMBA Single Event Insurance form: Single event insurance may only be used once in any calendar year by a specific individual. Should that individual desire to participate in a second event in a calendar year, a full membership will be required. The single event fee paid at one event will be credited to the price of a full membership should that membership be consummated within the same calendar year. Rob Wood NAMBA Combat Chair
Nein, nein, NEIN!! TJ is STRICTLY VERBOTTEN. (I get into way too much trouble every time I go there!)
OK, here's how I read this: a "spectator" is not required to be a NAMBA member (members would be 'participants'), so non-NAMBA members (and their property) are covered by the liability insurance, which is primary. If you are a NAMBA member (i.e., a participant), you are covered by the Personal Accident insurance, which is secondary. So if someone who is simply watching the battle or just walking by (i.e., a spectator), is hit in the glasses by a stray round, the liability insurance will cover it. This is why it is important for everyone running a boat to be a NAMBA member, because someone running a boat that is not a member is unlikely to be considered a spectator, and they would likely have no coverage at all. Furthermore, a spectator that receives a personal injury or property damage from a non-member's boat is also not likely to be covered.
I'm wondering how NAMBA members affiliated with IRCWCC are affected if they're doing a local battle that is not strictly to IRCWCC rules, i.e. local rule allowing ships older than 1905 to battle, or hypotheticals. Or fer'instance, if a Big Gun destroyer was allowed to battle (assuming that the captain of said DD was a NAMBA member). As long as all captains are NAMBA members, would we be good, or would we need to form a separate club and register with NAMBA in order to be covered at such a battle?
I'm wondering how NAMBA members affiliated with IRCWCC are affected if they're doing a local battle that is not strictly to IRCWCC rules, i.e. local rule allowing ships older than 1905 to battle, or hypotheticals. Or fer'instance, if a Big Gun destroyer was allowed to battle (assuming that the captain of said DD was a NAMBA member). As long as all captains are NAMBA members, would we be good, or would we need to form a separate club and register with NAMBA in order to be covered at such a battle?
Posted By Tugboat on 01 Nov 2014 06:55 PM I'm wondering how NAMBA members affiliated with IRCWCC are affected if they're doing a local battle that is not strictly to IRCWCC rules, i.e. local rule allowing ships older than 1905 to battle, or hypotheticals. Or fer'instance, if a Big Gun destroyer was allowed to battle (assuming that the captain of said DD was a NAMBA member). As long as all captains are NAMBA members, would we be good, or would we need to form a separate club and register with NAMBA in order to be covered at such a battle? IRCWCC rules and membership is required at ALL sanctioned events, So, no funny ships, no too old ships, no big gun ships, and no hypo ships. Now if you set up another club that includes all of these variants let me know, I would love to see these battle, You could do a un-sanctioned battle but all the IRCWCC rules should apply. Carl
