how mny orgs would pay a direct to a tow boat to be at the race sites just dedicated for a helping hand if an incident should occur? Could we contract a set fee that the orgs would pay and tow no matter what and if no incident moneys still paid? Would be interested in putting a crew together dedicated for this.

Joe,

Please do expand your thoughts.

Remember this we are not looking for the legal answer or term. We were looking for the HONORABLE answer.

It is one thing to call a lawyer, its another all together to live up to your word and do what you say you are going to do.

Honor, Integrity, core values which are the true measure of a man and how he runs his business.

LOL - we can skip the skiing part and go straight to the tie up part :p


and I wont post the details since it wasnt my boat but I did get to see somebody get dry fk'd on a dock by sea tow ... I couldnt believe it. The boats fk'd and then your fk'd ... not a good deal. Just makes a bad day worse :(

Wow!!! My first thought motivated by the little devil that sits on my left shoulder is I want to be a Sea Tow Captain, to bad for me that I am right handed and the angle that sits on my right shoulder gives me the strength to through a helping line to a fellow boater in distress. Too bad that the Coast guard, sheriffs boat patrols, DNR, municipal marine units, or any other tax funded marine patrol has to spend so much time rescuing and chasing illegal immigrants, drug runners, ect. that they don't have to time to render assistance to an American boater in distress. After all, when is the last time you heard of the fire department filing a salvage claim on a house that they just saved.

This is an eye opener that every boater should read. I actually know enough to be dangerous. I have both Sea Tow and BoatUS thinking that was like a get-out-of jail free card. But instead, I read that I could just be leaving a blood trail for the sharks to zero in on me when I am in trouble.

Thank you for this thread !!!!

I was told that Boat US offers a $140.00 yearly program thats unlimited. Does this a apply to asalvage tow also ?

If every boater in the US was notified and educated as to the business practices of Sea Tow how long do you think it would take for then to go out of business. If everyone here (any all the other forums) convinced one of their friends that had a contract with Sea Tow to cancel, do you think they might get the idea and change the way they take care of their customers?

This is exactly my thoughts. Let me ask this, if i my vessel merely needs towed in because of some mechanical issue than it is covered but if any circumstance arises that can qualify this as a salvage than regular rates of piracy kick in?


you know i can understand those kind of costs if a vessel needed to be bagged, righted and heavily worked to return it to port/land but this was just dragged in so the owner/race staff could crane it out. No resources of Sea-tow were needed other than a line and about a half hour pull around to the crane.

Richie and Larry glad you guys are alright. It suck that after what you went through you were forced to deal with that.

No, it does not. SeaTow loses money sending a boat out to pull people in who merely forgot to buy gas or ran their stereo to the point that the boat wouldn't crank. They bank on someone nudging a sandbar and calling for help and the next thing they know, they owe a ten thousand dollar salvage fee and their boat has been impounded until it's paid.

Pretty close. A salvor can declare it to be a salvage operation if vessel condition or water conditions may cause jeopardy to your vessel. Here's an example- you're moored someplace all afternoon. You have the stereo on. Unbeknownst to you, your bellows got a tear in it and your bilge pump has been running. Now your batteries are dead. You call for a "tow" SeaTow gets there and it's discovered that you are getting water in the bilge. They toss a $60 Rule into the back on an extension cord and "tow" you in. Your boat was just subject to a salvage operation. They would make the assertion that your boat was in jeopardy of sinking had they not taken action. Now, had you sent your girlfriend back there with a Folgers can (I know how you are Dave) and had her bail while they towed, it would have been a tow. I would imagine they may have protested her manual exercise and possibly put up a fuss, duping someone unwittingly into a salvage situation. Here's another one- you run out of gas halfway back to port. You call for a tow. While you're waiting a big storm kicks up. You're getting water over the transom and tossed around. Your "tow" is about to turn into a salvage operation. They'll assert that if not for their actions, your vessel very well could have capsized or sunk. They may be right. Remember, the law is not written to compensate a salvor for the value of the time and effort he's spent on your behalf, it's written to compensate him for the material value of property he's prevented damage to or demise of. Also, the way the law is written, if they can't salvage the boat, they get nothing.

In defense of these guys- they have saved many, many boats from the bottom or the rocks. They've saved boat owners and their insurance companies many many dollars in losses and environmental issues. And they have probably saved a few lives The trouble is in the gray areas- the spots the recreational boater typically deals with. The commercial operators all know the drill. It's the weekend boater that is most likely under-insured that they can get their fangs into and really hurt. It's the situation where 2 minutes of tug gets you off the sandbar- something many other passers-by would do for the asking but SeaTow wants $8 grand for. Fortunately, virtually everyone with good, real insurance has coverage to pay these fees.

Why is Sea Tow even allowed on the course knowing that there going to call it a salvage,OSS?

Why cant the course workers with boats tow them in?Thought the volunteer extra boats on the course was for to give race boats and race personal assistance(Volunteer!!!) If I was out there I would tow them in, Ive towed a many boats, never even expected anything in return.So by maritime law I can hit them with a salvage bill and not even tell them untill I get them to the dock


Can you by salvage insurance along with towing?

Ok some know this already, and I get some idea of inside knowledge, but who is exshipdude? I have been readying this thread from the beginning, and can think of 2 distinct times that I would have been a salvage also according to whats being said. 2 soft groundings.