You just bought the ultimate summer toy: a $12,000 electric hydrofoil (e-foil) surfboard. It uses a lithium-ion battery and an underwater propeller to let you fly two feet above the water at 25 mph. You take it out on the lake, feeling like a superhero.
While carving a tight turn, you lose your balance and wipe out. The board keeps going, flying directly into a group of kayakers. The carbon-fiber wing slices through a kayak, injuring the paddler and sinking their gear. A week later, you are served with a $50,000 personal injury lawsuit. You casually call your homeowners insurance to handle the liability, assuming a surfboard is covered as standard sporting equipment.
The Brutal Truth: Why Standard Policies Deny This Claim
Your homeowners insurance carrier will defend you if you hit someone with a standard, unpowered surfboard. But the second you attach a motor and a battery to it, you trigger the Watercraft Liability Exclusion.
Your standard HO-3 Policy is not a marine liability policy. Standard policies strictly limit liability coverage for motorized watercraft. Typically, coverage is excluded for any outboard motor with more than 25 horsepower, or any inboard motor with more than 50 horsepower. However, many modern policies have updated their definitions to outright exclude any personal watercraft (PWC) capable of high speeds, including jet skis and e-foils. Because your board is a motorized vessel, your personal liability coverage is completely voided, leaving you to pay the $50,000 lawsuit out of pocket.
How to Actually Protect Yourself (The Fix)
An e-foil is a high-speed, motorized carbon-fiber blade slicing through public waterways. It is a massive liability.
- Buy a Personal Watercraft (PWC) Policy: You must insure an e-foil the exact same way you insure a Sea-Doo. Purchase a dedicated PWC or Boat policy. This provides specific marine liability coverage and Protection and Indemnity (P&I) to cover the kayaker’s medical bills and property damage.
- Insure the Hull (Physical Damage): A PWC policy will also cover the board itself if it sinks, catches fire, or gets stolen from the back of your truck. Standard homeowners policies will cap theft of motorized watercraft at around $1,500.
- Add a Watercraft Umbrella Endorsement: If you already have a Personal Umbrella Policy (PUP), make sure your broker explicitly lists the newly purchased PWC policy as underlying coverage, so your $1 Million limit extends to your time on the water.
The Claims Adjuster’s Secret
When an e-foil claim hits my desk, the first thing I do is look up the manufacturer’s spec sheet. Some e-foil manufacturers intentionally label their motors “under 5 HP” to trick buyers into thinking they don’t need boat insurance. If the victim’s lawyer proves the board was illegally modified or that the manufacturer lied about the wattage, your generic homeowners liability will drop you instantly for operating an unendorsed high-powered vessel. Get the marine policy.
The Verdict (TL;DR)
The Risk Level: High (High speeds and sharp underwater hydrofoils create massive bodily injury risks). The Solution: Purchase a dedicated Personal Watercraft (PWC) marine policy for liability and physical damage. Estimated Cost: $200 to $400 annually.
If it has a motor and goes in the water, it’s a boat; don’t let a “surfboard” label trick you into a $50,000 uninsured lawsuit.