Towing services????

[Home Cookin']

Re: Towing services????

Coast Guard will tow you? They won't do that here. That 'service' was canned years ago.

Bottom line, ANY insurance is a gamble- if you don't use it, it's money down the drain. Statistically, it doesn't make sense for anybody to carry insurance of any kind. If you break down far from home in your first year of ownership, however, you can be out a bundle. Some prefer not to roll the dice. It isn't always just about dollars and cents.

My .02

generally Coast Guard won't do a long tow unless there is danger, but where I am on ESVA, it's a short tow, and often it would be dangerous to leave me out there, except when there are other boaters around, who will help. At home (Norfolk/Ches Bay) they won't tow if you are floating OK. On the marsh, if I were floating, I could make it to safety on my own power but it wouldn't be fun. It's just what duck hunters do.

And you're right about the gamble. I insure my house, but not my cell phone or TV (extended warranty). I like low premiums and high deductibles. I do not take chances with liability, though, because the risk (worst case) is too high--much higher than a tow.

 

[Mason78]

Re: Towing services????

I have considered getting Towboat since I am often the only one on the lake. I have 2 paddles but getting back to the ramp on a windy day with a paddle isn’t going to happen.

Will Towboat come and get me if I’m stuck out on a lake in the middle of Ohio? Somewhere like Alum Creek or Indian Lake?

 

[JoLin]

Re: Towing services????

Will Towboat come and get me if I’m stuck out on a lake in the middle of Ohio? Somewhere like Alum Creek or Indian Lake?

Take a look at emilsr's post in this thread (#5). You should probably give Towboat and/or Boat Tow US a call.

 

[pevaguy]

Re: Towing services????

I would think that they would have to tow you a really long way for any tow to exceed $800. That sounds way out of line.

In the area I boat in, several years ago I found out SeaTows rate was $300.00 per hour starting when they leave their dock until they get back to their dock. It would have been $900.00 but they took pity on me and let me off with charging $300.00 plus a membership. I won't leave the dock again without having a membership.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Towing services????

You guys are paying alot for tow services. I have Boat US, unlimited towing, out to 75 miles off the coast for $125 a year.

I had a fuel problem last year, about 3 miles from the ramp. The bill would have been close to $500 if I didn't have insurance. I'm reguarly 30-40 miles away from home port. Could you imagine how much that tow would cost?

 

[littlerayray]

Re: Towing services????

canadian law dictates if someone is in distress for example run out of gas or what not and helping them does not bring you or your vessel into danger that you must stop and offer assistance wether it be towing the boat back to shore or securing dead boat and bringing the boaters to shore it is the law.
but i would stop and have stopped and have towed boats that have run out of fuel i have also gone and brought a 10gal gerry can full of fuel to boaters and i would hope someone would do that for me .

so long story short
Do unto others as you would like to have done unto you

oh and i would never get towing insurance biggest waste of money especially if you keep your vessel in top shape and follow the 1/3 rule
that is
1/3 fuel out
1/3 fuel coming back
1/3 reserve
this is one rule i live by

 

[pevaguy]

Re: Towing services????

Sorry to say but anything mechanical can break regardless of being kept in tip top shape. It wouldn't matter if you have 1/3 or a full tank if it is contaminated, something breaks, or possible strike a submerged object that takes out everything that extends below your hull.

 

[jayhanig]

Re: Towing services????

Sorry to say but anything mechanical can break regardless of being kept in tip top shape. It wouldn't matter if you have 1/3 or a full tank if it is contaminated, something breaks, or possible strike a submerged object that takes out everything that extends below your hull.

I watched a guy last summer who took off only to have his engine quit not half a mile from the dock. He had to be towed in. The SeaTow guy said one of the local gas stations was selling bad gas. Hey, it can happen to anyone at any time. Littlerayray is living dangerously. All it takes is one time and whatever savings he may have had are wiped out in an instant.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Towing services????

canadian law dictates if someone is in distress for example run out of gas or what not and helping them does not bring you or your vessel into danger that you must stop and offer assistance wether it be towing the boat back to shore or securing dead boat and bringing the boaters to shore it is the law.

I'd check that 'law' again. I highly doubt that 'rendering assistance' includes being forced to tow somebody or bring boaters back to shore in the event of a breakdown. If the boat and its occupants aren't in imminent danger, the assistance you're required to provide is as little as making a phone/radio call to a towing service, and only if they can't do it themselves.

In effect, what you're telling us is that you don't carry towing insurance because, in your opinion, somebody else would be forced by law to help you if you broke down. First, as I stated above I think you're misinterpreting the law. Second, unless you're overwhelmed by the situation (injured, boat is sinking or on fire), you have an obligation to help yourself. That responsibility shouldn't be forced on anyone else.

My .02

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Towing services????

towing someone has been discussed a lot and the majority consensus is that you ought to help out a stranded boater when it is reasonable to do so. You have to get them out of danger unless you put yourself/your boat in danger. Otherwise it's all a matter of circumstances. They include:
the relative size of the vessels
availability of other help including commercial towing
weather/light/tide conditions and are they getting worse
distance to tow (or take them to get gas, parts, etc.)
age/ability (gender?) of the stranded
ability of the non-stranded (and it doesn't take much skill to tow recreational boats; every boater needs to know the skill)

What doesn't really matter is why they broke down; other than those like littleray who live a charmed life, it can and will happen to any of us. Others have smugly said that since they take care of their boats they never break down; that's just foolish--and the kind of person I might give a paddle instead of a tow.

But this is wrong: watching a guy break down a half mile from the dock and then watching him call sea tow. I can't think of any reason why the person watching didn't go tow him back. A boater would never do that.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Towing services????

I have had a towing service for years. At first I bought it out of necessity when I had an old boat, now out of peace of mind.

I used to have Boat Tow. Never had any problems with them. We used them once when we got our new boat when we didnt realize the fuel guage was sticking and ran out. The bill the guy submitted to Boat Tow was $875 on a clear day on the St Johns River.

Last year we switched to SeaTow. Not because of anything Boat Tow did, just to try a differant company. Plus the fact that SeaTow is independantly owned, whereas Boat Tow is under the Warren Buffet umbrella. I much prefer my money go to the little guy.

But then after I switched my towing, I still wanted the magazines that Boat Tow provided, so I paid for that and the magazines havent come since. Now all I get from Boat Tow is them trying to sell me something, so unless SeaTow really screws up something, I will never go back to Boat Tow.

To purchase a tow policy is your preferance and you have to make that decision. Is there a lot of boats where you go? Will someone give you assistance if you need it? Can you afford a $1500 tow if you need it? For me it was an easy decision. About $12 a month to cover my boat and trailer. I boat at least 3-4 times a week, and there are days where I dont see another boat for the entire day. I have plenty of friends that would come help at the drop of a phonecall, but I would rather not go that route and put them out if I can help it. Plus there is their time and fuel etc.

I have actually seen people that have both services. There was a guy that had his boat towed to Silver Springs for a holiday, then had the other service tow it back at the end of the weekend. LOL.

 

[Mason78]

Re: Towing services????

canadian law dictates if someone is in distress for example run out of gas or what not and helping them does not bring you or your vessel into danger that you must stop and offer assistance wether it be towing the boat back to shore or securing dead boat and bringing the boaters to shore it is the law.

If that is really what the law reads; then it is ridiculous.

That is precisely the type of ??big brother?? legal attitude that I detest.
Nobody is going to TELL me that I have to carry passengers on my boat to shore.
I will evaluate the person and their situation, then determine if I want to allow them onto my boat.

What if I do not have adequate safety equipment on board (Vests). In Ohio I am required to have one vest available per passenger. So if I travel to Canada do I have to carry extra vests in case I run into a stranded boater?
Or do I have my wife tread water until I return after dropping off the other boater(s)?

Just to clarify?? I believe that I have a MORAL, not legal responsibility to assist a stranded/distressed boater. It is simply the right thing to do.
Assisting them may mean towing them to the ramp, that may mean bringing them gas, that may mean transporting them to shore, or it may mean a phone call to emergency services.

 

[Mason78]

Re: Towing services????

.
you have an obligation to help yourself. That responsibility shouldn't be forced on anyone else.

Wow!.. personal responsibility for yourself! What a novel concept! (sarcasm)

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Towing services????

Wow!.. personal responsibility for yourself! What a novel concept! (sarcasm)

It is a rarity these days.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Towing services????

With the price of gas these days, it really isn't reasonable to expect a stranger to tow you for any distance. ESPECIALLY on a body of water served by the towing services. I know the other boaters on the Upper Chesapeake where I occasionally boat consider having a tow membership to be part of being a responsible boater (I would still consider someone like Home Cookin' who explained that he's well aware of the risks and "self-insures" for this to be responsible).

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: Towing services????

As several have hinted at, there is no peace of mind but this is really about math. I'll use the numbers that I've seen thrown around on this thread. Assuming tow service costs $125 annually, it would take 7 years of saving to just set that money aside in your bank account to have over $800. So one would then need to assess if they are the type of person that requires towing service more or less often than every 7 years. If so, buy towing insurance. If not, it's more fiscally advantageous to put that same money into savings.

Peace of mind is a misnomer because you are paying someone else to manage your finances, and maybe eventually, profit off of you if you don't use the service. I don't get any peace in my mind from that thought, but again, it depends on your boating/maintenance ability, your vessel, how far you typically boat from the marina/dock/ramp, and your faith in the helpfulness of others. Once you've reconciled those questions and a few others, you can make a sound decision about whether tow insurance is right for you.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Towing services????

I guess one thing to consider is how much of a burden do you want to be on your fellow boaters? I know I would stop and help someone out because I would want someone to stop for me. I also know that I will do what ever I can to assist someone in trouble. If they have seatow or another towing service then all I have to do at the most is wait around until it arrives. I have had to pull people in before who don't have seatow, know how much it costs and don't have the money on hand so basically I am their only hope. I can't leave them there so I have to incur the burden of helping them because they did some fancy math in their head or just decided that it was not worth the money.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Towing services????

Well, aside from the financial arithmetic, there is the convenience of calling a phone number (that you have on a tag with your boat keys) (or use the VHF Radio) . . . give them your member ID # and your location, and then in a few minutes having the Tow service arrive . . .

Been there done that . . .

In my 7 years of powerboat ownership, I have:

Mechanical problems = 1

Ran out of Gas = 1

Got stuck on a sand bar = 1

I managed to fix the mechanical problem, so I only needed a tow twice.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Towing services????

If you get stuck on a sand bar any way you can get out and push off?

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Towing services????

If you get stuck on a sand bar any way you can get out and push off?

Well, see, the issue was that I anchored near shore and went into town to get an ice cream cone . . . the wind changed direction and blew the boat over a sandbar while the tide was going out. The boat was fairly well stuck by the time I came back from town . . . I think we got the boat to move 2 inches . . . .

Another time I got stuck on an out-going tide and was able to pull the bow around with the anchor using about 10:1 scope . . . I still had to wait for the tide to come back in again to fully break loose.

Now I check the tide on the gps more religiously and generally use 2 anchors, so the boat stays in place.

Other times when I have gotten slightly grounded on a shallow area, I just have the crew go sit on the bow and it lifts the stern up a bit.

It really depends on how stuck you are, etc. My sailboat was easier to get unstuck, because you could either use the sail or the halyard to heel the boat over hard, which then pulled the keel up . . . It took me a while to get used to the power boat and the things to avoid getting stuck.