RIA Training · For BC Pleasure Craft Dealers

A denied claim at the start of summer is the outcome we prevent.

Pleasure craft is a recreational purchase, often made with enthusiasm and in a hurry to get on the water. The training prepares your team to explain winterization, engine-hour limits, and charter-use exclusions clearly — before the customer signs, not after a claim is denied.

Who at your dealership needs this

If your role includes offering, explaining, or processing any of the eligible insurance products on a pleasure craft sale, the new framework applies. The training covers the regulatory foundation and applies it to the specific dynamics of recreational vessel sales.

Products typically offered in this industry

Pleasure craft dealerships offer specialized warranty insurance, plus GAP and credit protection on financed sales. The program includes dedicated product modules for each.

Module 2I

Pleasure Craft Warranty

Specialized warranty insurance for boats and marine systems — engine, electrical, onboard equipment — subject to use and maintenance conditions. The primary RIA product for this industry.

Module 2B

GAP Insurance

Guaranteed Asset Protection for financed pleasure craft purchases — covers the difference between vessel value at total loss and the outstanding loan balance.

Module 2A

Credit Protection

Life, disability, and sometimes job-loss coverage tied to pleasure craft financing. Offered in some financing programs alongside the primary warranty product.

What the training prepares your team for

The industry-specific module pulls from real situations your team encounters. Customer profiles, common scenarios, and the conduct risks unique to this environment.

Typical Customers & Scenarios

Customers purchasing a new vessel in early spring, eager to be on the water
Customers trading up from a smaller boat to a larger one
Customers asking how warranty insurance differs from the manufacturer's warranty
Customers planning to operate in saltwater for the first time
Customers who may rent the vessel to friends or family to offset costs
Customers planning to keep the vessel in another jurisdiction (US, Mexico) seasonally

Industry-Specific Compliance Risks

Confusing warranty insurance with the manufacturer's warranty
Overstating coverage as "anything that happens on the water"
Failing to explain winterization and off-season storage as coverage conditions
Failing to disclose saltwater operation conditions or exclusions
Failing to disclose charter, rental, or commercial use exclusions
Not explaining engine-hour limits or other usage-based conditions

The full training framework

Six core modules covering the regulatory and conduct foundation, plus the product-specific modules for what your business offers, plus the dealership industry module.

RIA Framework

What a Restricted Insurance Agency is, why certain businesses are now regulated, and your role and limitations.

Insurance Fundamentals

How insurance works as a legal contract, key terms, limits, deductibles, conditions, exclusions, and the claims process.

Sales, Explaining, and Processing

The mechanics of presenting and processing an insurance product within a transaction.

Compliance, Disclosure, and Regulatory Responsibilities

What must be disclosed, when, and how it's documented — including disclosure required before agreement.

Ethics, Conduct, and Customer Protection

The Code of Conduct, professional ethics, and the customer-first standard.

Integrated Customer Conversations & Applied Decision Making

Real customer conversations that pull the preceding modules together into applied practice.

Plus the relevant product modules — 2I (Pleasure Craft Warranty), 2B (GAP), and 2A (Credit Protection) depending on what you offer — and the Pleasure Craft Dealerships industry module, which applies the foundation to your environment.

How the program teaches the conversation

The Pleasure Craft Dealerships module includes a sample compliant conversation comparing what to say with what to avoid. Here's an example from the curriculum.

✓ Say This

"This warranty insurance covers specific components on the vessel — engine, electrical, onboard systems — subject to use and maintenance conditions. Things like winterization, engine-hour limits, and how and where you use the vessel can affect coverage. The product is optional and separate from the manufacturer's warranty. I can walk you through what's covered, what's excluded, and the deductible so you can decide."

✗ Don't Say This

"You're covered for anything that happens on the water — bring it back to us if anything breaks."

A scenario from the program

Each industry module includes scenario practice. This one is from the Pleasure Craft Dealerships module — the kind of question your team will work through.

Pleasure Craft Dealerships · Industry Module · Scenario Practice

A customer considering casual rental

"I might rent it out to friends a few weekends a year to help offset the cost. That's fine, right?"

A.Sure, that's pretty common
B.As long as you don't advertise it publicly
C.Renting out the vessel — even occasionally, even to friends — may be considered charter use, which is typically excluded from coverage. I'd want you to know that before you decide
D.Most policies allow occasional rentals

Correct answer: C

Charter and rental use is typically excluded under pleasure craft warranty policies, even when informal and infrequent. The compliant response surfaces a coverage condition the customer would not otherwise know about, and lets the customer make an informed decision about whether the product fits their plans.

Frequently asked by pleasure craft dealers

Which modules will my team need to complete?

Every representative completes the six core modules (Modules 1 through 6). On top of that, they complete the product modules for what your business offers — typically 2I (Pleasure Craft Warranty), and 2B (GAP) or 2A (Credit Protection) if you offer those on financed deals — plus the Pleasure Craft Dealerships industry module that applies the foundation to your environment.

How does the training handle winterization and storage requirements?

Directly. The Pleasure Craft Dealerships module identifies winterization and off-season storage as coverage conditions, not afterthoughts. Improper storage that leads to damage — for example, freeze-related damage from skipped winterization — is one of the most common reasons claims get denied at the start of the next season. The training prepares representatives to raise this proactively, before the customer signs.

What about customers who rent their boats out occasionally?

This is identified as one of the most important and least understood conduct risks in this industry. Charter, rental, or commercial use is typically excluded under pleasure craft warranty policies — even informal, occasional rental to friends. The scenario practice in the industry module walks representatives through exactly this situation: a customer mentioning casual rental, and how to surface the exclusion without dismissing the customer's plans.

Does the training address freshwater vs saltwater operation?

Yes. Saltwater operation rules and exclusions are covered as part of the industry module's compliance risks. BC's mix of inland freshwater and coastal saltwater means the training prepares representatives to ask about intended use and disclose any product-specific limits or exclusions on saltwater operation before agreement.

What about our Designated Representative?

Your dealership must appoint a Designated Representative — an officer, director, or partner — who oversees regulatory compliance and acts as the primary contact with the Insurance Council of BC. The Designated Representative completes a separate course administered directly by the Council. ILScorp's program is for your representatives offering the insurance products.