Towing services????

[littlerayray]

Re: Towing services????

You DO? I wouldn't...





(sorry, couldn't resist- ROFLMAO!)

it must be the way i read your posts earlier and how i interpreted it happens sometimes

 

[JoLin]

Re: Towing services????

No harm done, it just got frustrating. Slow down a little and take the time to really read and understand what's being said. Nobody says have to agree with it, but you can't just run off half cocked and start making accusations. Thanks for manning up and admitting you might have misread us.

I haven't met a single person on this board who I think would just cruise by another boater in distress.

Have a great day!

 

[littlerayray]

Re: Towing services????

hey like i said i've been wrong before and will be wrong again and im not afraid to admit im wrong

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Towing services????

hey like i said i've been wrong before and will be wrong again and im not afraid to admit im wrong

me too. I bought an eraser once.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Towing services????

Am I the only one who leaves like $40 in cash on the boat in case someone has to help me? I have towing service but I try to be prepaired and if someone goes out of their way to help me than I would like to at least compensate them for it. I have ran in to all kinds of people out there. Don't have tow service, don't have any cash, ran out of gas, ran out money and can't afford the tow etc. I have never had anyone help me but I must have helped like 6 people in the last 2 years. From towing, to lending my jump pack, to climbing on their boat and fixing a loose MAF sensor connection. I don't mind helping other people because I would want them to help me and I think the karma gods have been pretty good for me because of the assistance I have offered others.

I also think there is an ethical delema with leaving someone on the water. Its not a safe place to be. Weather can change, boat can drift, they can be low on water etc. Yes some people do not think to leave extra water, cash what ever on the boat and yes they are dumb for taking the boat out with 1/4 tank of fuel and pay day 5 days a way but I feel I still have to help them. Its not like they can sit in the break down lane and wait for a friend to come get them.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Towing services????

good idea to be prepared and carry tools/parts for emergencies and cash (and a blank check) are a good idea. A lot of people don't think through their emergencies: they carry a prop but not a prop nut, for example. Jumper cables (just as much for someone else as yourself) and a gallon jug of gasoline. if you use portable gas tanks, a funnel or use your chlorox bottle bailer). Think think think.

As for leaving people adrift, that all goes back to evaluating the circumstances, and helping those in "distress" but maybe not those who have alternatives. Generally, though, anyone without power needs to have the means to stay put, so if they don"t have an anchor or in too deep water, you might at least tow them to the nearest shallow water, marker to hook to, etc.

 

[maverick974]

Re: Towing services????

I have a walleye boat but I'm a bass fisherman. A walleye boat and a bass boat are almost the same except a walleye boat is made to handle much larger water. The lakes around the Phoenix area are pretty big. Roosevelt Lake is 25 miles long so when you break down, it can be a LONG way back to the ramp.
In my case, I don't have tow insurance but that's only because I have 3 engines on the boat. The main power source is the 90 hp on the back. I also have a small gas kicker motor and as a last resort, I also have an electric bow mount trolly up front.
I've been stuck at the back of one of the lakes around here late last year. I put in some gas but apparently the fuel gauge is not accurate as I found out at the very back of the lake one day. The gas kicker got me back to within about a mile of the dock. The electric trolly got me the rest of the way. It was slow going but I feel pretty safe with 3 different propulsion systems on my boat so for that reason only, I don't have tow insurance. If I had anything other than this style of boat with 3 motors, I would have tow insurance without question. That's one of my pet peeves. I don't like to be stranded.
I have however, towed many, MANY people in when they have a problem. It amazes me how many people go out on these large lakes unprepared for an unexpected situation.

 

[emilsr]

Re: Towing services????

I'm sometimes amazed at how many boats will pass another boater in distress and not stop to assist. Hopefully nobody here falls into that category.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Towing services????

There was one guy here (this has been discussed so many time you can't count) who announced that his boat doesn't have sea tow written on it and he will never help a stranded boater--it's all their fault for not being as perfect as he is and having perfect equipment perfectly maintained. he wasn't going to waste his time, risk his boat, risk gettting sued (the stupidest reason not to help) etc. etc. You know the type. Well, when he came out with that, you could just hear all the other members hooking up their trailers and heading to his lake so we could all stand by and laugh at him when he does break down, as all of us will, and has to paddle his own perfect self back to shore.

But I think even he, in a weak moment, would be like the rest of us and ALWAYS assist if there is imminent danger of injury or death and we could do something short of putting ourselves in similar danger. After that, when it's not as serious, the balancing of the circumstances comes in, and that's where we all agree in principle but differ in practice.

 

[littlerayray]

Re: Towing services????

i think most people here will agree the karma gods will either favor you or kick you in the butt

on another note i boat on a waterway that is notorious for smuggling since the reservation sits between Canada and the U.S. I am a little leary about stopping and assisting sometimes, because smugglers have been known to hijack boats this being said if my wife and kids are in the boat i will aproach but keep a safe distance so i can get out the area fast if i see something is off. like if i see a weapon or fidgeting and uncharacteristic behaviours.

 

[onegreatsteak]

Re: Towing services????

I had no idea that there were actual companies out there, Are they worth it? I would like to think that another boater would help me out if I needed a tow. Thoughts?

If you are on a busy lake it may not be needed. But on the ocean one tow by the Coast Guard can blow 5 years + of payments especially if you are far out. if you are over 50 miles the tow services charge extra too, but not like the Coast Guard.

Even if you maintain your boat like a professional, one bad tank of gas can take out 4 outboards. I can tell you outboards don't like diesel very much. I Had a small amount that did not show up till the next day when the fuel pump diaphragm dissolved.

"Bleep" happens, and your not necessarily in control or at fault when it does. The towing services will bring out gas and other minor parts to help get you going instead of towing if possible. they need to get to there next customer quickly too.

 

[Lurch77]

Re: Towing services????

Bringing this thread back from a short slumber.

We just became members of TowBoatUS. You need to be a BoatUS member, and with unlimited freshwater towing, the bill is $67 per year for us. We boat on the water of Green Bay a lot. While it is no ocean, it is part of Lake Michigan, and you simply cannot count on other boaters to help. You can be out there and not have another boater come within miles of you all day. Even if I pay for this service for 20 years and never need them even once, it will have been worth it. A lot of people only look at the money spent and service received, and don't think about the peace of mind aspect. I can go out with my family and not have to worry about things in the back of my mind, like a water pump failure, or some other problem that cannot be addressed miles from shore.

TowBoatUS has a port about 20 miles from us on the other side of the bay, but even if they are unavailable at the time, we have other marinas that can tow us, and TowBoatUS will reimburse us 100% of the tow fee as long as we contact them. In fact they are the ones that will arrange that other towing company for you if they are unavailable.

They have some other packages that offer other services for varying amounts of money. Just depends what you need.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Towing services????

AThey're our only boating lobby in DC.

NMMA has far more lobbyist dollars than BoatUS, and although they don't directly represent boaters, any legislation that makes a boater unhappy is going to make the manufacturers unhappy also. (NMMA also has their own PAC)