Yacht-Pool International

What Yacht-Pool International does

YACHT-POOL International is an Austria-headquartered insurance broker specializing in marine and maritime coverage, founded in 1976 by Dr. Friedrich Schöchl. The company operates a focused product portfolio organized into three segments: charter skipper insurance (liability, deposit, accident, consequential loss, cancellation, price protection), boat and yacht insurance (hull, liability, passenger accident, seizure), and specialty lines (jet ski, houseboat, professional skipper, cabin/berth charter). Its broker platform comprises online quote and application workflows, a dedicated damage reporting portal, and ancillary services such as a flight-booking product for charter customers.

The company's commercial model is built on quote-based, individually priced annual recurring policies distributed through direct online channels, inside-sales phone/email support, and referral partnerships with charter companies and marinas. It serves thousands of individual charter skippers, boat/yacht owners, and SMB operators across eight European countries via localized country-specific websites and a dual legal entity structure (Austrian parent and German subsidiary). Revenue is generated through insurance premiums intermediated as a broker.

YACHT-POOL's competitive positioning rests on category-defining intellectual property: it originated the all-risk yacht hull coverage wording and skipper liability insurance through its founder, and its Charter Fair Contract was adopted by EBI and ICOMIA as the international model charter standard conditions. It also operates a three-pillar quality certification ecosystem (Checked & Trusted Financial Security, Skipper, and Secure Marina), creating a network of vetted charter operators, trained skippers, and certified marinas. The company remains privately held and founder-led, with no disclosed funding, M&A, or institutional ownership.

Name

Yacht-Pool International

Legal name

YACHT-POOL Versicherungs-Service GmbH

Website

https://yacht-pool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

YACHT-POOL International is a privately held, founder-led insurance broker founded in 1976 that specializes in yacht, boat, charter skipper, and specialty marine insurance for individual sailors, yacht owners, and SMB operators across eight European countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Insurance

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)

akta.pro primary industry

Yacht & Pleasure Craft Insurance (FSAJAHAI)

Keywords

• Yacht insurance
• Charter skipper insurance
• Marine liability insurance
• Boat hull insurance
• Charter deposit insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottobrunn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Premiums: YACHT-POOL generates revenue through insurance premiums collected from policyholders for various yacht, boat, and charter skipper insurance products including hull insurance, liability insurance, deposit insurance, and cancellation insurance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Yacht-Pool International is an insurance broker that designs and distributes specialized marine insurance products for yacht owners, boat owners, and charter skippers. Its portfolio includes charter skipper insurance (liability, deposit, accident, consequential loss, cancellation, price protection), boat and yacht insurance (hull, liability, passenger accident, seizure), and specialty coverages (jet ski, houseboat, professional skipper, cabin/berth charter). The company also operates the Checked & Trusted quality certification program for charter companies, skippers, and marinas, and provides the FairCharter Contract adopted by international industry associations.

Product overview

YACHT-POOL International is an insurance broker founded in 1976 by Dr. Friedrich Schöchl, specializing in marine and maritime insurance products. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio organized around two core segments: Charter Skipper Insurance (including Skipper Liability, Charter Deposit, Skipper Accident, Charter Consequential Loss, Charter Cancellation with PLUS variant, and Charter Price Protection) and Boat/Yacht Insurance (including Hull, Liability, Passenger Accident, and Seizure coverage). Specialty insurance products include Jet Ski, Houseboat Charter, Professional Skipper, and Cabin/Berth Charter insurance. The company also operates quality certification programs under the 'Checked & Trusted' brand (Financial Security System, Skipper, and Secure Marina seals) and provides the FairCharter Contract as a standardized industry framework. Additional services include Flight-Service for integrated travel booking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Checked & Trusted Financial Security System: Quality seal awarded to charter companies whose creditworthiness, business conduct and fleet condition have been rigorously checked
• Checked & Trusted Skipper
• Checked & Trusted Secure Marina
• Charter Fairtrag (Fair Charter Contract)
• Charter Cancellation Insurance PLUS

Quantifiable outcome

• Charter deposit insurance reimburses up to 95% of deposits
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EBI (European Boating Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational association in Brussels that, along with ICOMIA, adopted YACHT-POOL's Charter Fair Contract as a model for international and official general charter standard conditions.
• ICOMIA (International Council of Marine Industry Associations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational association in London that, along with EBI, adopted YACHT-POOL's Charter Fair Contract as a model for international and official general charter standard conditions.
• VDC (German Marine Industry Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman association that collaborated with ICOMIA, EBI, and YACHT-POOL to develop a new charter framework agreement to strengthen customer rights in the charter industry.
• Christian Kargl (Rigging Expert)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExpert on rigging issues who conducts rig inspections for YACHT-POOL policyholders upon request, particularly in the Adriatic region. Provides certificates for insurance records.
• Leading Marinas (Secure Marina Program)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with leading marinas to develop quality standards for the Checked & Trusted Secure Marina certification, focusing on safety measures and damage prevention.
• Trade Magazines (YACHT, Ocean 7, Boote, Yachtrevue)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegular coverage in trade publications provides editorial credibility and industry authority. Articles on customer rights, charter contracts, and skipper liability insurance.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Sailogy: Sailogy is a digital yacht charter booking platform that increasingly offers embedded insurance at point of booking. Comparable as a distribution channel for charter insurance and a potential competitor/disintermediator to traditional brokers like Yacht-Pool in the online charter segment.

Broad incumbents

• AXA XL (Marine): AXA XL provides marine insurance including yacht and charter coverage as part of its global specialty lines portfolio. A broad incumbent with significant underwriting capacity and European distribution — competing with Yacht-Pool in the upper-end yacht and charter insurance market.
• Lloyd's of London Syndicates (Marine): Lloyd's is the dominant global marine insurance market with hundreds of syndicates underwriting yacht hull, liability, and charter risks. Comparable as the underlying capacity provider for much of the marine insurance ecosystem — Yacht-Pool likely places business through Lloyd's-backed carriers.
• Allianz Marine: Allianz offers marine and yacht insurance as part of its global P&C portfolio, including hull, liability, and charter coverage across European markets. A broad incumbent with significant capital, distribution, and brand recognition — competing against Yacht-Pool's niche specialization with scale advantages.

Regional players

• BoatUS (Geico Marine): BoatUS is the leading US boat insurance provider offering hull, liability, and charter coverage through Geico Marine. Comparable as a boat-owner-focused insurance specialist, but primarily serving the US recreational boating market rather than European charter skippers.

Direct peers

• Pantaenius: Pantaenius is one of Europe's largest specialist yacht insurance brokers, offering hull, liability, and charter insurance across multiple European jurisdictions. Directly comparable to Yacht-Pool in product portfolio (yacht insurance, skipper liability) and target customer (European yacht owners and charter skippers), but with significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Haven Knox-Johnston: Haven Knox-Johnston is a UK-based specialist boat and yacht insurance broker offering hull, third-party liability, and charter insurance. Comparable as a European marine insurance broker serving private yacht owners and charter operators with similar product categories.
• KGM Underwriting: KGM Underwriting is a specialist UK marine insurance underwriter (operating at Lloyd's) offering yacht hull, liability, and charter insurance products. Comparable product portfolio and target customer segment, with the distinction of being a carrier rather than broker.
• Navigators & General: Navigators & General is a UK specialist marine insurance broker providing yacht, motorboat, and charter insurance with policies underwritten at Lloyd's. Closely comparable product set (hull, third-party, charter) and target market of European recreational marine customers.
• Moody Insurance (MIB): Moody Insurance Brokers is a US-based specialist marine insurance broker serving yacht owners, charter operators, and marinas with hull and liability coverage. Comparable as a marine insurance specialist with charter industry focus, though US-centric vs. Yacht-Pool's European footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yacht-pool-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yacht-Pool International