Stand-up paddleboarding has exploded in popularity across the UK — from coastal SUP hire hubs to inland lakes and canal-based tour operators. If you run a SUP centre, school, club, or multi-sport watersports facility, you’re managing a unique mix of risks: public interaction, water-based activity, equipment hire, instructors, changing facilities, vehicles, and often a busy online booking system.
This guide explains what “SUP centre insurance” typically includes, what to watch for in exclusions, and how to build a policy that actually matches how you operate.
SUP centre insurance is usually a tailored package combining core business covers (like public liability and property insurance) with activity-specific protection (like instructor liability, equipment hire risks, and participant injury considerations). In the UK, it’s often arranged as either:
Sports facility insurance (for a venue with premises, staff, and multiple activities)
Watersports operator insurance (for hire, lessons, tours, and events)
Commercial combined insurance (a broader package that can include property, liability, and business interruption)
The right structure depends on whether you’re primarily a venue, an activity provider, or both.
If you do any of the following, you should treat insurance as a core part of your operating model:
SUP lessons (beginner to advanced)
Guided tours (coastal, river, lake, canal)
Board hire (hourly/daily)
Kids sessions, schools, youth groups
Corporate events and team-building
Races and competitions
SUP yoga or fitness sessions
Operating from a beach hut, kiosk, clubhouse, or watersports centre
Selling equipment or merchandise
Running online bookings and taking card payments
Even small operators can face big claims. A single incident involving a participant, a board collision, or a changing-room slip can become expensive fast.
Insurers price SUP centres based on real-world loss patterns. The more clearly you can show control measures, the better your terms usually are.
Common scenarios include:
A participant falls and injures a shoulder or wrist
Collision between boards during a lesson
A member of the public is hit by a board near a launch point
A participant is injured while carrying boards on land
SUP is generally low-impact, but water introduces severity:
Cold-water shock
Exhaustion during tours
Changing tides and currents
Sudden weather changes
Entanglement hazards (weeds, ropes, moorings)
Boards, paddles, buoyancy aids, leashes, dry bags, and radios add up quickly.
Theft from trailers or storage racks
Damage during transport
Accidental damage by customers
Saltwater corrosion and wear
If you have a base, you may have:
Slips/trips in reception, walkways, pontoons
Changing rooms and showers (water + foot traffic)
Café or retail area exposures
Fire risk from electrical equipment, heaters, dryers
Instructor error allegations
Staff injuries (manual handling, lifting boards, working near water)
Volunteer-led sessions and safeguarding considerations
A storm, flood, fire, or contamination event can shut you down during peak season.
Many SUP centres rely on:
Online booking platforms
Payment processing
Customer databases
Social media and email marketing
A cyber incident can mean lost revenue, reputational harm, and GDPR exposure.
Public liability covers claims if a third party (including participants in many cases) is injured or their property is damaged due to your business activities.
Typical claim examples:
A passer-by trips over a paddle left near the launch area
A customer’s phone is damaged during hire due to staff handling
A participant alleges negligent supervision during a lesson
What to check:
Does it cover instruction and coaching?
Does it cover hire to the public?
Are events and competitions included?
Are there age restrictions?
Any exclusions for open water, tidal water, or certain locations?
If you provide advice, instruction, coaching plans, or risk assessments, PI can be crucial. It covers claims alleging your professional services caused loss or injury.
Examples:
A participant claims the instructor pushed them beyond ability
A tour briefing is alleged to be inadequate
A school group alleges poor supervision standards
Many policies blend this into a sports liability wording, but don’t assume — confirm it.
If you employ staff (including part-time and seasonal workers), UK law generally requires employers’ liability.
Covers:
Staff injury claims (e.g., back injury lifting boards)
Occupational illness claims
If you own or rent premises, property cover protects:
Buildings (if you’re responsible)
Contents (furniture, POS systems, computers)
Stock and retail items
SUP equipment stored on-site
What to check:
Is equipment covered in the open or only in locked buildings?
Are trailers, racks, and containers included?
Any security requirements (locks, alarms, CCTV)?
Some insurers offer specialist “sports equipment” cover for:
Theft
Accidental damage
Loss during transit
If you hire equipment out, confirm whether:
Customer-caused damage is covered
There’s a requirement for signed waivers or hire agreements
There are limits per item and total
Business interruption can replace lost gross profit if you can’t trade due to an insured event (like fire or flood).
For seasonal businesses, it’s often the difference between a bad month and a lost year.
Tip: Make sure the indemnity period is long enough (often 12–24 months), especially if you’d need time to rebuild or replace stock.
Personal accident can pay a fixed benefit if you (or named instructors) are injured and can’t work.
This is especially useful for owner-operators.
If you transport boards, pontoons, or safety equipment:
Consider commercial vehicle insurance for vans
Check whether trailers are covered (some need separate cover)
Confirm cover for equipment in transit
Cyber insurance can help with:
Data breaches and GDPR response costs
Business interruption from ransomware
Fraud and social engineering losses
IT forensics and incident response
If you take online bookings and store customer data, cyber is worth serious consideration.
SUP centres often get caught out by wording. Watch for:
Exclusions for open water or tidal waters
Exclusions for competitions, races, or events
Limits on participant-to-participant injury claims
Requirements for qualified instructors only
Restrictions on minimum supervision ratios
Exclusions for children under a certain age
Exclusions for night paddles or poor visibility sessions
Security conditions for equipment stored outside
Wear-and-tear exclusions (important for saltwater operations)
If your business model includes tours, kids sessions, or events, your policy must explicitly allow them.
To get a clean quote, be ready with:
Location(s): lake, river, canal, coastal, tidal
Activities: hire, lessons, tours, yoga, events
Annual turnover and peak season months
Number of instructors and their qualifications
Max group sizes and supervision ratios
Safety procedures: briefings, weather checks, rescue plan
Equipment values and storage arrangements
Any previous claims or incidents
Use of third-party booking platforms
The more organised your risk management looks, the more comfortable underwriters tend to be.
A good insurer loves a well-run SUP operation. Practical steps include:
Written pre-session briefing checklist (wind, tides, route, signals)
Clear ability screening and “turn-back” rules for tours
Mandatory leashes and buoyancy aids where appropriate
Documented equipment inspection logs
Defined launch/landing zones to separate public foot traffic
Staff training in water rescue and first aid
Incident reporting and near-miss logs
Clear hire agreements and customer declarations
Secure storage: locked containers, racks, CCTV, alarms
Costs vary widely, but pricing is typically driven by:
Turnover and number of participants
Tidal/open-water exposure
Claims history
Instructor qualifications and ratios
Equipment values and theft risk
Whether you have premises (and their construction/security)
The best approach is to build the policy around your real operation, rather than buying the cheapest option and hoping it fits.
A simple way to think about it:
Mobile instructor / small hire operation: liability + PI + equipment-in-transit
SUP centre with premises: commercial combined + sports liability + equipment + business interruption
Multi-activity watersports facility: facility insurance with declared activities and events
If you add new activities (kayaks, coasteering, swimming, surf lessons), update the policy immediately — undeclared activities are a common reason for claim disputes.
If you’re teaching the public, you should have at least public liability and instructor/professional liability. Many venues and councils will require proof of insurance before allowing access.
Often not. You may also need cover for instruction (if you provide it), equipment damage/theft, and employers’ liability if you have staff.
Some policies treat participants as third parties; others have restrictions. Always check whether participant injury claims are covered and whether there are exclusions for “assumed risk” activities.
Sometimes, but only if security conditions are met. Many policies require locked trailers, approved hitch locks, or storage in a locked compound overnight.
It depends on the working relationship. If they’re effectively working under your control, you may still have exposure. It’s worth getting advice and ensuring contracts and insurance responsibilities are clear.
Not always. Events often need to be declared, and some insurers apply special conditions for competitions.
SUP yoga can change the risk profile (balance, falls, group supervision). Make sure it’s declared as an activity.
If you store customer data, take payments, or rely on online bookings for revenue, cyber insurance can be a smart add-on.
If you run a stand-up paddleboard centre, school, or watersports facility, we can help you arrange insurance that matches your real-world operation — from coaching and hire to equipment, premises, and business interruption.
Get a quote or speak to a broker: 0330 127 2333
Visit: https://www.insure24.co.uk/
Tell us where you operate, what activities you run, and how you store and transport equipment — and we’ll point you to the most suitable cover.
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