Boat Towing; Redux

[Vegas Naturist]

In reference to the thread "Towing Another Boat" (didn't want to hijack or redirect the thread, so I'll start another), I have been towed in before, and payed it forward by towing others since then. My question is has anybody used or is a member of BoatUS? They offer a service similar to "roadside assistance" for boaters and use TowBoatUS or Vessel Assist in case you need to be towed or ungrounded. They cover the entire cost of the tow (depending on your membership level). The membership cost seems fairly reasonable for the annual membership and the towing assistance. Just wondering if it's worth it and or if anybody used it, what was your impression. I'd hate to be stuck on the lake with no other boaters around to assist, and cell phones aren't always reliable. I should add boating is only one of our hobbies. because we also off road in the back country and hike, we always have a SPOT unit with us...

Thanks
John

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: Boat Towing; Redux

In reference to the thread "Towing Another Boat" (didn't want to hijack or redirect the thread, so I'll start another), I have been towed in before, and payed it forward by towing others since then. My question is has anybody used or is a member of BoatUS? They offer a service similar to "roadside assistance" for boaters and use TowBoatUS or Vessel Assist in case you need to be towed or ungrounded. They cover the entire cost of the tow (depending on your membership level). The membership cost seems fairly reasonable for the annual membership and the towing assistance. Just wondering if it's worth it and or if anybody used it, what was your impression. I'd hate to be stuck on the lake with no other boaters around to assist, and cell phones aren't always reliable. I should add boating is only one of our hobbies. because we also off road in the back country and hike, we always have a SPOT unit with us...

Thanks
John

I haven't personally used it, but a boating friend blew a bearing thru his outdrive and had to be towed back to the ramp, 8n hrs. away. Cost $2950, cost to him; his $175 dues. Was it worth it? I think so.

I also carry Boat US tow insurance, and I have a new boat and trailer.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Boat Towing; Redux

Absolutely worth it if you have a vendor/operator in your area. Be sure to read the entire contract before signing up though and check their service area and hours of operation. There are definitely "less than reputable" commercial salvage companies out there, I would stick with the big names given a choice. Get the best coverage that is offered by the company you go with. The $$$ adds up REAL quick especially if there is any kind of salvage work needed, including un-groundings, de-watering, righting, etc? When I worked for Sea Tow many years ago, they only had one package option. I think it was $49 and it covered everything up to 3 miles offshore except running out of gas, and then we only charged for the gas, not the time.

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: Boat Towing; Redux

Don't know the size of your lake or the amount of boat traffic on it, but I have always had towing insurance and wouldn't be without it. If nothing else, its great peace of mind.

Sea ya...

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Boat Towing; Redux

Don't know the size of your lake or the amount of boat traffic on it, but I have always had towing insurance and wouldn't be without it. If nothing else, its great peace of mind.

Sea ya...

Give the OP's location is Henderson, NV, pretty sure I know what lake he is probably on! (given that there really is only one lake in a couple hundred mile radius, and its a big'un...

Me personally, haven't had any towing insurance in a LONG time. Of course, the nearest operator is 600 miles away, not sure if I'd get my money's worth...

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat Towing; Redux

It's all situational. A boat towing service makes sense for some, not for others. Large boats offshore, absolutely. Small boats inshore, it depends. Look at economics, access and back-up.

Economics:

First, most boat insurance policies cover your cost of towing, up to a certain amount, maybe $600. So you already have it and are already paying for it.

Second, the tow companies will tow you if you are not a member. You just have to pay full freight.

So let's say your a member for 4 years at $150/year and you get towed. The tow would have cost you $800. Instead it cost $600 (dues for 4 years). If didn't have it, you pay $800, your insurance pays you back $500, the tow cost $300. You saved $300 not being a member.

Access:

If you can't reach them by phone or radio, then no point in having it. A 3 mile limit makes no sense either. You really have to overlay your service and your boating area.

I keep the numbers of both services in my boat, and know their home base (they charge from the time they leave their dock). if I need a tow, I'll call the one closest at the time. That's for around home, where I may be 20 miles from my home base. But when I go to a remote area elsewhere, there are no tow services available. I spend about half my boating in each location, so a membership would only help me half the time.

If you need a tow once a year you have bigger problems to solve before you go out again.

Back-up:

If you are in a small boat in an area with lots of other boats around, and they are boaters, not just boat owners, who help out other boats, you have the back-up of waving someone down. In my case I have friends and family on the river I could call if I had to (and they can call me).
But if I was going out alone on weekdays in the winter with no one around, it would be different (except the $ thing).
I have heard stories here where people had to call the towing service to get a mile tow to the dock, with other boats around. That's just sad.
You may have a kicker; you may be where it is feasible to get to shore for help, or to paddle/row/shove/drift to home/help, what boaters have done for generations, and still do among the adventurous. Or you may not be physically able to help yourself.

The only answer to the question is: it depends!

 

[Cincyrunner]

Re: Boat Towing; Redux

I think it's always a good idea to have some kind of back-up plan for the "what if". I became a member last year for the sole purpose for going on vacation...the lake we were going to is large enough that it may have been difficult to flag down another boater, if needed. That couldn't have been more further from the truth, as we found out that during the week the boating traffic thinned out a lot and not much on the lake. I think there were times when we'd be anchored in a cove and didn't see another boat go past in hours. This of it in terms of having a few spare parts with you. You don't expect to have to use those parts, but it's always good to have a spare fuel filter with you just in case. Or having a spare tire for my tandem-axle trailer...I'm not expecting to get a flat, but if I do I'm prepared to change it.

Local lakes around where we live are relatively small and do not have any kind of towing service available. So having the membership here does me little good, except it does cover me for over land towing. So here we rely on other boaters to help each other out. I've twice had to tow in a boat because they wouldn't start...once just last week. I actually towed this one guy twice....the first time I towed him to the shore where he had a friend waiting with tools so they could try to fix it, and the second time I towed him to the dock when they couldn't fix it. He was very appreciative and tried to pay me $20 for gas, but I turned that down. I told him that us boaters need to help each other out and there's going to come a time when I'm going to need some help out there, and I hope there'll be someone there to turn to.

So our summer vacation this year is getting closer and we're going back to the same place in TN. And I just got another email reminder that it's time to renew my membership. So let me get off here so I can take care of that.

 

[snowman48047]

Re: Boat Towing; Redux

I live on Lake St. Clair, 374,000 something acres, with acces to Erie and Huron. I have a 20' Lund Alaskan. It goes in the water as soon as the ice is gone (March) and it comes out when the canal is getting ice (November). That being said you can't always find other boats close to you in March or November. July, yes.

I have a back up 9.9 kicker motor. I have used it when the 50hp died.

I have a back up 3 gallon portable gas can. I have used it when I discovered my fuel gage was not working properly and I was out of gas.

I have BoatUS towing. I have used it it when the shtuff hit the fan.

Bottom line you cant have enough back up / emergency plans.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat Towing; Redux

You don't have to be a member to "have" seatow and boatUS (at least not here; better check). It's just a question whether you pay for the tow in annual installments, or all at once. I "have" seatow; I haven't paid them anything and they haven't towed me. I hope it stays that way!

 

[Vegas Naturist]

Re: Boat Towing; Redux

Thanks for the replies. We mostly boat on Lake Mohave for a variety of reasons as opposed to the big'un. We also have a share at the London Bridge Resort on Havasu and spend a week there every year. I did some checking and found out there is no Vessel Assist on Mead, so you're at the mercy of other boaters so to speak, or one of the marina's who may or may not be available to assist. They are, however, on Mohave and Havasu so this is a good thing. I also found out I can "link" my SPOT's "Help" button to TowBoatUS's dispatch, and they will send Vessel Assist to my GPS location. That may be a handy thing to have in the event doodoo occurs. Only downside is once I link it, I can't situationally "un-link" it. I'll have to figure a way to work around that when we're off roading and such, and not on the water.

I do understand the economics of it, (thanks Home Cookin' for bringing that up in the discussion ) but being a poor school bus mechanic, funds aren't always readily available when the unexpected happens, so this may be a viable option. Thing is, Skinnydipper only left me stranded once, and that was because she thought she needed fuel in order to run, go figure. Having said that, I always prefer to have a plan B, and sometimes even a plan C.

John

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat Towing; Redux

You're welcome. You can repay us with pics of your next rendevous.

 

[Vegas Naturist]

Re: Boat Towing; Redux

You're welcome. You can repay us with pics of your next rendevous.

LOL, I'll do that, just don't be disappointed as we don't skinny dip, we chunky dunk...

 

[CoffeeHound]

Re: Boat Towing; Redux

LOL, I'll do that, just don't be disappointed as we don't skinny dip, we chunky dunk...

TowBoatUS's could make a killing around here if they charged by the tonnage mile like Freight lines do..!! Just sayin: Chunky Dunkin is an understatement in the local lakes !! :facepalm:

 

[G-Daddy]

Re: Boat Towing; Redux

I boat in Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic coastal waters and the Great Lakes. My TowBoatUS towing insurance runs $125 for a year. On April 28 we were making our first Striper trip of the year. We launched at Somers Cove Marina in Crisfield, ran up through Tangier Sound, through Kedges Straits and out to the shipping channel. Just as we reached the shipping channel everything on the boat went dead. Called TowBoatUS and in two hours they had reached us. It took them 4 hours to tow us the 24 miles back to the marina, another half hour to make sure I had the boat secured on the trailer and then they had another hour plus back to their home port on the Western side of the bay. I got a copy of the towing invoice and BoatUS paid the towing company $1,480. I think the $125 per year is worth the expense.