These guys sound like Phucking pirates!

Forgive my ignorance, but are we talkng about off-shore, as opposed to inland bodies of water?

It's the same on land, these are the same type people running these bussinesses that operate towing co's on land, praying on stranded boaters and moterists at their weakest moments. Wreck chasers are illegal on land but it happens all the time. It's the insurance co's that need to fight to change the laws. Their the ones paying out the hugh settlements most of the time.

After reading threads like this... as I was watching King Sting getting assistance at the LOTO Shootout after opening the hull, I wondered if their insurance covered them. Anyone know?

It applies to any navigable body of water where there also is a towing & salvage provider.

Rivers, Great Lakes, Bays, in shore & offshore.

I'm not sure about reservoir lakes that are not considered navigable.. And I don't know if it makes any difference whether or not it's navigable.

x2.

If you are lucky, a tow provider doesn't have a strong presence in your area. Locally, (Rochester, NY) Towboat is here but not much juice behind them resulting in local law enforcement assisting in a tow. Law Enforcement CAN tow if the vessel is a navigation hazzard. I can't speak for other areas, I will say that locally Towboats rape the operator of the vessel, its disgusting.

While some particular operators try to gun for salvage.. Most of the skippers are there for a small paycheck just to be on the water and help people.

Don't be too hard on them cause they do have their place. They've saved my azz about 15 times over the years. Not a year has gone by that i did not get my money's worth on the membership. It's great.

It just requires the owner to be informed and diligent.

My opinion is that mostly the skippers you have to watch out for are the "long time employed" operators that have slowly learned how to make the most money and of course, the franchise owners/operators themselves.

Keep in mind that not EVERY Sea Tow Driver is anywhere close to being aggressive enough to just up and claim salvage any time he can.

But they will "feed" off of your demeanor and actions. If you pizz on'em or be an azz, they might get pushy. If you sling some courtesy out there while letting them know that you are in full control of your boat and that you are not going to allow the vessel to become a hazard or major spill, it can work to your advantage.

Always be nice. If you start out being an azz, you've got no place to go thereafter.. If you let them know too soon that you are willing to challenge, you're setting yourself up for failure. Don't forget the law and various authorities will always error on caution and back them if they claim you are responsible for spillage, nav hazards, etc.

Heat shrink ALL of your bilge pump connectors and TEST THEM. This one thing will do a lot to prevent you from ever having to discuss this again.

Oh, and have more than one bilge pump so if it dies, you can still get some water out of the boat.

I would suspect that was NOT a salvage. The boat was beached and was not going to sink any further since the drive was sitting on the bottom. The owner also was there the entire time.

I recommend testing your bilge pump EVERY TIME you go out. It only takes 30 seconds. It might save your boat. Also bring a manual pump.

Michael

Heck i have a spare one in my cuddy with alligator clips on it to hook it to a battery and 6' of hose clamped to it should i ever need it in a emergency. i also use the pumps that turn on every 3 minutes to check for water so i can hear them come on whenever i'm near my boat, i have 2 of them in the bilge.

That being said, i thought places like towboat US were on the up and up?? I'm here in Rochester NY and i was thinking about getting a membership since they are cheap and should i be a few miles out in the lake with no one around and my boat wont start or a drive breaks or something electrical component takes a dump that i can get a tow in without paying stupid money.

Can these places can try to claim salvage for simply towing in a boat with a mechanical or electrical failure???