Anyone who has lived in Buford, GA, for any length of time knows that summertime here revolves around the water. When it gets warm, Lake Lanier fills up with pontoons pulling out of Holiday Marina and the coves off Lanier Islands Parkway. And when you put that many boats together on the same water, the odds of a bump definitely go up.

GA Legal Requirements on Recreational Insurance and Watercraft

Georgia doesn’t require boat and watercraft owners to carry insurance coverage. However, any vessel with a motor must be registered, as must sailboats measuring 12 feet or longer. Additionally, anyone born on or after January 1, 1998, must complete an approved boating education course before operating a motorized boat.

Why It Still Makes Sense to Have Coverage on Lake Lanier

No insurance requirement sounds great at first, but there are a few things worth keeping in mind. Lake Lanier is the most visited U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake in the country, and the section near Buford stays busy all summer long.

According to Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources, nearly half of all boating accidents in the state involve collisions with another boat or a fixed object. On a busy weekend with hundreds of boats on the water, all it takes for two boats to collide is a tight turn around an island or a wake someone doesn’t see coming.

What Recreational Insurance Can Do for GA Pontoon Owners

Recreational insurance from Town & Country Insurance is designed to cover exactly these kinds of incidents. The right policy will help cover damage to another person’s boat, as well as any repairs your own boat may need. You’ll also have some protection against the storms that build up over Lake Lanier.

Get Your Protections in Place Before You Launch

Nobody buys a pontoon expecting a rough day on the water, but once you leave the dock, you want to be able to relax. Get in touch with Town & Country Insurance to learn more about matching your coverage to how you actually enjoy the lake.

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