On the water towing question

POINTER94 · Mar 22, 2004

I got into a psuedo-arguement with my dad this weekend. We were discussing my insurance, (BoatUS)and what would happen if I needed to be towed. He indicated that the Coast Guard will not tow unless boat is in immanent danger. I like to cruise the great lakes and there are a couple of BoatUS tow facilities but that leaves large gaps, (most of the great lakes). My answer to him was I would overcome. Best defence is a well maintained boat. Kept thinking about it and I don't know EXACTLY what I would do. What is the standard procedure for recieving assistance if not life threatening. I have done everything I know to do to be prepared in the event but what other than the assistance of others can one do? I know this is rather open ended but I hate not knowing the answer to one of my dads theoritical questions. A tow on the great lakes could be over 50 miles..............

mellowyellow · Mar 22, 2004

Re: On the water towing question

not sure about tow coverage, but a good kicker motor is the best insurance. at least you could limp back to port...

rickdb1boat · Mar 22, 2004

Re: On the water towing question

If it's not life threatening, it's your decision whether to tow or not. I would tell them to call a tow service if they are WAY out there. I would tow if it were me and it was reasonably close to land. If it's you that's stranded, same applies if others offer assistance. Like was said, a kicker is the best defense..

Bondo · Mar 22, 2004

Re: On the water towing question

Up here in Extreme Northeastern Lake Ontario, There is No Sea-Tow, or anybody else... Maybe a private Marina, If they're not Too Busy... Mostly Boaters, helping Boaters..... (I've towed Many boats in, No Charge) Anyway, The day I discovered Why you have to be careful, when mixing,+ matching Mod.1,+ Alpha 1 parts, I found myself about 12 miles out, with a boat load of people...... In Late September..... After several cell phone calls to friends, they had all mothballed they're boats.... No Help.... Several radio calls to other fishing boats resulted in a Nasty comeback.. If I knew Which boat that fellow was on, I'd have Sunk Him..... Anyway, one of the Gals on the boat is a Charter Captain in SW Fla., Knowing the Proper Radio Lingo, She had the CG headed our way in only a few minutes....... CG's response was for Everybody onboard to put on PFDs,+ they'd be there in ETA 30 minutes(Very Good Blow going on)..... When they arrived, they attached a tow line,+ hauled us back to Sackets Harbor...... No Charge......... I sent the local CG Aux. a check for $100. and a long winded Thank-You letter...... The CG here has a Great Bunch of people.... The Group Leader has turned out to be a Great Friend now.... I am Truly Grateful to these people,+ would go Way out of my way to Help Them........ So, In Answer to your Dad's statement, Yes, He's Probably Right.... But, It's up to the Group Leader as to What's Imminent Danger....... We would have Eventually drifted to shore, Not where I wanted to be, But atleast the Right Country.......

phatmanmike · Mar 22, 2004

Re: On the water towing question

i subscribe to towboatus here in florida and recieve up to 500 dollars worth of assistance per call anywhere within there voice can here me, wether its in the gulf or in some lake or up a river.. you can get the unlimited package, but i didnt need it... they are much more reasonably priced than seatow, check out boatus.com oh yeah, mine is only 59 dollars a year

mattttt25 · Mar 22, 2004

Re: On the water towing question

it's just that- insurance. if you want to take the chance and not pay it (i don't), you may never break down. or you may. if you do need to get towed, expect $500 or more for their services. for me boating in the chesapeake, i figure i'll eventually drift to land (in a few days). if i'm in a bind, i'll suck up the $500.

r j f · Mar 23, 2004

Re: On the water towing question

i use boat u.s. it runs me $120 a year. the first 4 years no need. the fifth year one tow would have cost $525 so i got all my money plus back on one tow. this was off cap cod ma. good luck have fun be safe

ZmOz · Mar 23, 2004

Re: On the water towing question

I would NEVER go out into open water without a kicker. Hell, in the lakes and rivers I go to I'm never more than a couple miles from shore. I'm still going to buy a trolling motor this year to get me back if I need to...

ThomWV · Mar 23, 2004

Re: On the water towing question

I have a single engine, outboard on a bracket, and no kicker. I have never had a kicker. Its not a bit likely that I ever will. We fish off shore almost exclusively, that meaning typically about 35-50 miles off the beach. I used to have Boat US towing insurance. Then I read the policy closley. Now I have Sea Tow. The price is about the same, the service is much better. I have only had to be towed one time, that one time came up with a bill for $1,000 even; right on the nose. I signed the bill and Sea Tow took care of it. Boat US would not have taken care of all if it, in fact its quite possible they wouldn't have even come out for me. The Coast Guard won't tow you unless theire is danger of loss of vessel or life. What they will do is call a commercial tower for you. Got a Master Card? Don't leave home without it, particularly if you have Boat US insurance (unless they have changed the terms of their policys greatly). By the way, it is nonsense that you can just call the coast guard and tell them that you don't need assistance. What do you think they are going to do, let you bob around out there in the hope the wind will blow you to shore? If you are broken down and can't fix it of course they are going to call a tow company to go out and get you. If you demand that they do not what they are going to do is declare you to be "manifestly unsafe", in which case they take charge of your craft, have it towed and probably fine the living hell out of you too for every single infraction the can find .... and I can assure you that if they want to they can find lots of them. On a much more serious note. Boating is great fun and all of that but when it comes down to safety this is no game we're playing here. Hundreds of people die in boating related accidents every year. Just about every one of them is caused by stupidity. It is your job, as Skipper, to not only insure that the boat is in safe conditon every single time it goes out, but also to be prepared for those unexpected breakdowns. Part of that process of being prepared is knowing how to get help when you need it and knowing to do it the very moment you need it. When a boat quits running is no time to be playing around. By the way, read that Boat US policy closely and then think about the worst situation you might find yourself in. Then keep in mind that the towing company is going to charge something between about $150~$200 an hour from the time he leaves his dock until the time he returns. Now figure out how much of that your insurance will cover. Pay particular attention to their range limits. Sea Tow has none.

gstanton · Mar 23, 2004

Re: On the water towing question

I also have Sea Tow. Haven't had to use them yet, but sit around on a weekend with your VHF radio and listen to what's going on! Here in the Tampa/St.Pete area there is a lot of troubles on the water - some responses are delayed (not Sea Tow) and then they start talking prices as mentioned earlier. It's a real education.

ZmOz · Mar 23, 2004

Re: On the water towing question

Originally posted by ThomWV: If you are broken down and can't fix it of course they are going to call a tow company to go out and get you. If you demand that they do not what they are going to do is declare you to be "manifestly unsafe", in which case they take charge of your craft, have it towed and probably fine the living hell out of you too for every single infraction the can find .... and I can assure you that if they want to they can find lots of them.

How would they know you were broken down if you didn't tell them in the first place?

On the water towing question

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