House insurance . Just add on sports equipment

^^^ agreed but ask and describe your gear well. Some try to get out of it calling it boating equipment.

My HBF home ins covers all my gear in house, in car, anytime it is not in use. New for old.
When I had to claim was no drama, and it costs stuff-all extra.

Previous company whined and almost doubled the cost of my contents insurance just to have WS gear as specified portables.

EDIT replying to AussieBoats

^^^ What if you have a crash? Or car catches fire? Or any other accidental damage...?

I have my gear over 1k listed, with a combined val of 8k/claim with NRMA (underinsured in a total loss situation, but the extra costs to double the limit to 16k was about 850/year), haven't claimed yet so can't comment on that side of things

Imax1 said..
Do people actually pinch windsurf gear ?
**** me , I thought it was just me and a couple others that stilll sail.

I doubt windsurf gear would be targeted in Oz, not even by ice junkies. However, ice junkies did steal my car from the beach with windsurf gear in it whilst I was out sailing. Lost a nice Quatro waveboard, 3 Ezzy wavesails and a carbon mast that day. They were after the car, the windsurf gear was just in the wrong place at the wrong time (gear was handed to the coppers 12months later after it was found in a cave in a National Park). AAMI covered me for the insured value as the windsurf gear was specified and noted as portable home contents under the title of sports gear.

I once had the argument with another insurer "So if I leave a $20K bicycle unsecured and it is stolen you will cover it..... if a surfboard is stolen you will cover it....... but not a $2K windsurf board in a locked car as you say it is actually a boat?"
Reply: "umm, yes"

Needless to say I left them

Excluding car insurance, I think I've made a total of 4 insurance claims in my life (incl travel, health etc), and 3 of them were initially rejected. I disputed all 3, threatened to take it to court on 2 of the occasions, and ended up getting each of these claims approved in full or in part. Insurance companies try on all sorts of rubbish arguments that dont stand up to scrutiny once you actually read the policy. One tried to argue that the common area of a shared house was "public space" so not covered against theft. Similarly, I'd like to see an insurer explaining to a court why a windsurfer board should be considered a boat.

Moral of the story: don't be shy to push back. Most of them will baulk at the idea of having to send someone to appear in the Magistrates Court over a $1000 claim.