RV, Boat & Camper Insurance in Missouri

Two policies you already have. Neither one really covers the toys.

Here's the guess that costs people the most: "The truck's insured and the house is insured, so the camper and the boat must be too." Your auto policy generally lends its liability to a trailer only while it's hitched. It doesn't fix the trailer itself. Your homeowners policy gives a little coverage to small boats, and usually stops at anything with a real motor, especially once it leaves your property.

So the toys get their own coverage, matched to what they are. A motorhome is a vehicle and a house at once. It needs liability at or above Missouri's 25/50/25 minimum and Missouri's required uninsured motorist coverage, because it's registered like a car. It needs physical damage coverage, because it's a big investment. And vacation liability is worth a look for the nights you're parked at a campground. A camper, travel trailer or fifth wheel needs its own physical damage coverage for storms, theft and fire. A boat or pontoon needs its own policy too, and a good one includes fuel spill and wreck removal.

Missouri weather keeps things interesting. Spring brings hail, high winds and tornado warnings. Summer storms can drop a tree limb on whatever's parked under it. And the Meramec and Bourbeuse rivers have flooded to record levels more than once. That's why comprehensive on a stored rig or boat quietly earns its keep all year, and why we'd rather adjust it for storage than see you cancel it.

We actually explain the coverages to you and let you pick what works for you. We're a Farmers agency with more than one door: Farmers first, including Farmers family company Foremost, and other companies through Kraft Lake when Farmers isn't the best fit for a particular rig or boat. Putting it with your auto and home may lower what you pay.

An RV is a vehicle and a house. Insure both halves.

That's the whole reason RV insurance is its own policy and not a line on your auto policy. Get the vehicle half wrong and you're underinsured on the road. Get the house half wrong and you're underinsured everywhere you park.

Motorhomes versus campers

A motorhome is a registered motor vehicle, so Missouri's 25/50/25 liability minimum applies, the same as a car: $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 property damage. Missouri also requires uninsured motorist coverage at $25,000/$50,000. Underinsured motorist and medical payments are optional, and both are worth a conversation. Given the size and weight of a motorhome, the state minimum is a starting point, not a plan.

A camper, travel trailer or fifth wheel doesn't move on its own, so your tow vehicle generally covers liability while it's hitched. What people hear is "covered." What's true is "covered for one narrow thing during one narrow window." The camper's own damage, what's inside it, and every unhitched hour need coverage of their own.

The parked half nobody prices

When the rig stops moving, it becomes a little house, and house risks show up: guests, dogs, awnings, hookups, and everything inside. Vacation liability handles the campsite. Personal belongings coverage handles the contents, and the default limit is often modest compared with what people actually bring along once you add electronics, fishing gear and tools.

If the rig is your home, everything changes. A full-timer's policy is the right fit because there's no homeowners policy standing behind you anymore. Plenty of people who sell the house and hit the road never switch off the weekend policy they started with.

Camping season, Route 66 trips, and the months after

Most rigs around Sullivan stay busy from spring through fall, with weekends at Meramec State Park, a run down historic Route 66, or a week at the Lake of the Ozarks. Then they sit for the winter. Plan for both halves. On the road, make sure liability and vacation liability are real limits. In storage, keep comprehensive in force, winterize the plumbing, and tell us where the rig is kept. A storage building, a gravel lot and your own driveway aren't the same risk to an insurance company.

River floats and lake weekends. Insured like you mean it.

There's a lot of water close to Sullivan. The Meramec and Bourbeuse rivers are right here for float trips and fishing, and the Lake of the Ozarks is an easy drive for a pontoon weekend. Whatever you launch, it's worth knowing what covers it. A canoe or kayak may get some limited coverage under your homeowners policy, usually with caps. Add a motor, and that coverage often shrinks or goes away. A jon boat with an outboard, or anything you trailer to the river, usually belongs on its own boat policy. The liability side matters most. If someone gets hurt on your boat, or your boat damages someone else's, you want a policy built for the water.

Who actually sets the requirements

Marinas commonly want proof of liability at a set limit before they rent you a dock or slip, and some want to be named on the policy. Bring us the dock agreement and we'll match it. Lenders require physical damage coverage on a financed boat and will want to be listed as loss payee.

The other half has nothing to do with paperwork. If your boat sinks, wreck removal can be your responsibility. If fuel gets out, environmental cleanup can be your responsibility. Neither bill is capped by what the boat was worth. So "it's an old boat, it's not worth insuring" is a gamble, not a budget decision.

Pontoons and family boats

Pontoons are built for a crowd: kids, grandparents, friends and the dog. That's a lot of people on board, so liability and medical payments deserve real limits. Ask about coverage for the trailer, the motor, and gear like electronics, tubes and fishing equipment, and about uninsured boater coverage in case the other boat has none.

Winter storage

From fall to spring, most boats around here sit on a trailer, in a shed or on a lift. Many boat policies offer a storage or lay-up period, and comprehensive can stay in force for theft, fire and storm damage while the boat sits. Many policies also expect proper winterization, so ask us how yours handles freeze damage to the engine before the first hard freeze.

Jet skis, ATVs, and the rest of the garage

Personal watercraft deserve more respect than they get. They're fast, and they're often handed to a friend who has never driven one, which means a lot of liability for the price of the machine.

ATVs, UTVs and side-by-sides need their own coverage too. Your homeowners policy generally won't respond once they leave your property, and sometimes not even on it. Coverage can handle trail liability, theft and the trailer itself. Foremost, a Farmers family company, is well known for this kind of coverage and may be a good fit. Tell us where you actually ride, because your own land, a riding park and a public trail aren't the same risk. Street bikes belong on a motorcycle policy.