Sea Tow vs. Tow Boat US vs ?
 

I live in San Diego and am thinking about getting a towing policy for breakdowns on the water. Anyone have any experience with them? Any advice?

Thanks,
Tom

Hey Tom,

Luckily for me, I don't have any experience with tow services available on the water. My boatowners policy covers boat towing, and I believe they will pay the bill for any of the tow services if I need them. You may want to check with your insurance carrier to see if that is available.

What Insurance carrier? I can't find anybody to insure my boat. As I keep looking I figure I can at least cover towing.

P.S. When are we going for that ride?

Tom

I've been using Vessel Assist for the past 5 years. When I was researching, I found there to be more VA boats on the west coast.

I've got Tow Boat US , but I'm in Jersey and luckily never needed them. What I would do is find out who has the most tow boats in your normal operating range.

Dont have / use any of them myself right now, but I do know that within the last few months either Boating magazine or Powerboat magazine did a comparison / break-down of them all and it was very informative. There was stronger points / weaker points itemized out in the article for all three tested / compared.

I'd go with Vessel Assist out here on the West coast. They have tow boats up and down the Colorado river lakes as well.

Its the best ins you can get,either one,100 bucks a year!!you cant go wrong cause they are a sure thing tripps

Yo Tripps,

You mean to tell me that with three motors your worried about being towed? :D

I would check to see who has the best coverage in yourarea. I found that Sea Tow had the best coverage on the west coast of Florida, and I am glad to have gone with them. Unfortunately, I have had to use them a few times so I know they provide excellent service.

Hey Dave,youll like this story,last year on the nyc poker run i left libertylanding with half a tank,ran outa gas 1 mile south of the tappan z bridge,drifted about a hour,watched all my buddies that i crused there with go past me. NO ONE STOPPED,the cell phones did not work up there,just said ,out of area, dammm,then some guy in a nice new donzi stopped by and called sea tow and we had there ins,they were very nice,brought me 10 gallons,charged me just for the gas and then followed me to the station on the east side,just north of the bridge cool. now on the HOTTIE TOTTIE run we did this weekend,which was a blast,we were comin back in the moriches bay,low tide,a un named tow boat possibly parked in front of the channel marker,waiting for some happy boaters to come by and make some money. well guess what,i was the first one in 6 inches of water and 20 guys comin up behind me fast,i jumped in and was wavin them to go left. some made it,some didnt. two inboards were next to me,goin nowhere,and a couple of outboards polished there props :eek: :eek: :eek: so i walked over to the MFin tow boat and he said 300 f#^@,so we all pushed and after a hour we got off.if i had ins,it wood have been free,howsthat tripps ps i personally think that the towboat was setting us out of the area boaters up knowing it was low tide,you know last hit before winter$$$$$$$$ hey how u doin? you should do the run next year,check out some of the pics on s+f,i havent been able to gft some on yet,but they are good,on this board also on page three,seeya tripps

I'm on the east coast . I haven't gotten it yet cause my boat isn't ready , AGAIN !!:mad: I'm not sure which one , but a friend of mine has one of them and he told me they will tow his boat or any boat he is on !! THats cool ! I'll just keep his # handy and have him run out to meet me if I need him !:p

tripps , That story sucks ! I think somebody should have sunk the tow boat !

A few months ago a buddy of mine ran out of gas on the river here in downtown Chicago. he drifts over and ties up to a break wall infront of a building near a bridge. He calls me up and is asking what he can do to get back. I say flag another boat down and ask if they can give you a tow. As we are talking a boat comes by and he gets their attention........asks if they can help him out.....i can hear over the cell phone as the guy says no!!! and then proceeds to take off. And his passengers are laughing at the fact!!! So i say try and give Tow BoatUS a call......he does and they say $300 for $20 worth of gas!! :eek: And its will be about 2 hours before they show up!! So i say give me $100 for my time and i'll come down with some gas......i load up four 5 gallon jugs into the back of my truck and head downtown.......now this was when we were always getting those FBI alerts on how carefull we should be. So imagine this.....i pull up right infront of a bridge in downtown Chicago...pop my hatch and pull out 4 big 5gal jugs of gas that are wrapped in clear plastic (to keep from spilling) and hand then over a steel fence to two guys the take them down to the river! :eek: :D If that wasnt suspicious looking terrorist activity i dont know what was!!! LOL :D I'm actually surprised the cops didnt show up to see what we were doing!

I've used Sea Tow for the past several years and luckily have not had to use them...

But, I've heard that while Sea Tow only covers the vessel, Boat US actually covers the individual...so if you have Boat US and you're out on your buddy's boat(who has neither) and it breaks down, you can get the tow/services you need using your Boat US membership. I would double check on this, but it came from someon who has Boat US...

Good Luck

Boat-U.S. vs Sea Tow...
 

...They're both good as far as I'm concerned and are competitively priced with eachother. The most important thing to look at is who is the best represented in your primary boating areas.

There's nothing worse than having to wait a couple hours for one to show up.

I personally have Boat-U.S. as they also insure my boat and they have a bunch of boats in our area as does Sea Tow.

I've used them once when I vapor-locked the 350MAG on my last boat, a Baja Hammer, and I'm glad I had the coverage. The tow came out to $900 for about one hour and I'm fortunate I had the unlimited coverage.

For 99bucks a year, you're covered for unlimited tows...You can't beat it. :cool:

You are mostly correct, Sean!

Boat-U.S. will cover you regarless of whether it's your boat or not.

The only stipulation is you must be the captain(borrowed boat or chartered boat). If the owner is on the boat at the time, you are not covered. (but there are ways around that);)

Tom,

I have my boat insured through State Farm.

About the ride, I'm up for heading out on the water just about every weekend so just let me know what works for you.

At the prices these guys charge i should go buy my own boat and start up myown deal! :D I'd charge half and still make a killing! :D :D

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=1867045057

These prices are freakin' rediculous. It really surprises me that Boat US would charge such rates considering they are supposedly "all about the boater." I can understand covering costs but don't try to pay for the whole operation with one tow.

Fortunately, I've never needed a tow but this thread has really opened my eye's. I will definitely have this coverage next season.

how about you just carry their # with you . IF you brake down , call them and sign up ......... tell them your going out today with your new boat and want it covered ... Give it an hour and call them back for a tow !!:D

Wally , I had one like that,, kind of ..... I once had a 24 baja .I got stuck on the beach and couldn't get off . I was out there with my girl pushing and pushing ... SOme guys come over in a boat and ask if I need help then start laughing and take off !!:mad: Well I got off then !!! I put the drive all the way up , put in in reverse and set it on 5000 rpm's !!!! It backed out after a minute or 2 !!! THen I chased them down and had every intension of launching one of those nice "white" practice flares into there boat but ,, Unfortunatly MR water patrol was there watching as I caught them !! :mad: SO I just told the cop about it and he said he would go harass them and find a reason to give them a ticket !! :D :D

Boot...that's pretty funny...but don't try it with Sea Tow...they have 24 hour policy...which I found out while signing up 50 miles from home:D :D

You'll have to spend the night on the boat...

went with Vessel Assist
 

I went with vessel assist hoping maybe cigarette1 and DYTMAGIC
would take me for a boat ride for following their advice :) All of the companies will not insure you until the next day after you sign up to keep people from signing up after they need it. I went out today anyway and it was too calm. Occasional 3 footer in the ocean, but not much to fly off of.

Tom

I have Boat US. I was at the Cape races and my boat started to sink. I called up Boat US and they NEVER CAME!!!! I was pissed!!! There was a boat right outside when we headed out so I know they were there. The coast guard towed us in and told me that they were useless in that area. I sat out there taking on water for over a hour!!! I called up Boat US and filed a complaint. I have no idea what happened but they did write a letter of appology. I understand that Vessle Assist is best out on the west coast. I also think that they coast guard takes a little more pitty on you if you have the tow coverage and they can not get to you so they are much more likely to tow you in.

Jon

I have Sea Tow. Last year I had to be towed. Took about 45 minutes to get there, and did a great job maneuvering me to the dock.

Sea Tow has two options, one that will cover your boat for $99 and what they call a captain's card that will cover you on any boat you are operating. I think it was $130 or $140 a year. Since I have 7 boats, I get the captain's card. Just the peace of mind is worth the cost of a tank of gas. Here they charge $150 an hour from the time they leave their dock, until the time they get back.

Tom,

I haven't forgot about you. I'm having a few issues with the boat right now. When I get things back on the water, I give you a heads up.

G

Cigarette 1,issues? What happened to the boat Gary?Did you finally find a real reason for that alarm going off?

P.S.I still need your e-mail address so I can sen you the pics.

Sean,

email to [email protected]

My issues with the boat are not mechanical or electrical. I am having issues with the LAW. Long story, can't get into it here,but I should have it resolved within the next couple of weeks.

G

G,
If you are not going to take me out in your boat for a while, we will just have to take mine. Some day when mine is down we can take yours. Maybe we can meet up with Steamin Rice and find some waves to play in. My Vessel Assist is good now that my 24 hour waiting period is up.

Tom

Cig1 and Tom,

Looks like next weekend is the next trip out for us, but it sounds like Douggie Fresh is setting up a lunch run for tomorrow.

G, I hope that you get everything sorted out with your boat. I assume that you always have a seat with one of your fellow CIG drivers, but if you ever get the itch to ride on a smaller boat (29') just let me know and I've got a seat for you..:D

Greg

Thanks guys for the offers. My Cigarette Brothers have been taking real good care of me. Dman, Jeffrey, kwb and Jim have invited me out with them for the past few weeks (thanks). They have given me some of the wildest rides I ever been on.

I believe there is the SCOPE Boat Rodeo this weekend. Tom, this would be a great opportunity for you to meet some of the SCOPE crew and see some very nice boats. I'm sure all the crew would like to put some eyes on your Batboat ;)

G

???????
 

ttt

Towing
 

You'll enjoy this one...
A friend ran his 36' inboard cruiser onto a reef at the Hillsboro Inlet near Ft.Lauderdale. The tow boats were already waiting there... Apparently the dredging crew moved the channel markers to the wrong location.
Tow boat came along side and asked if he was taking on water. Capt. looked in his bilge, and said"A Little". Mr. tow boat said"Quickly, sign here, we need to get you in. He signed and they were off to a marina with a lift.
Turns out that the tow man had him sign a Salvage Agreement. That allows them to take 14% of the value of the boat. In this case $34,000. How you like me now?

FYI west Marine sells towing contracts for $90-$150. Not too bad.

crazy tow
 

i towed a 75' sunseeker from 2 miles off hillsboro inlet off the steeple, now get this with a 21' edgewater w a 120 yami!
thru thr channel and thru the bridge at night with a full incoming tide!! was anyone on land and take a photo???????

the little boat that could f sea tow

Don't eat strange brownies buddy...

8 year old thread, first post, my guess he just found the search engine....

Since 2003 I've use my tow contract three times, two were tows of 30 miles each and one was gas when I made it to the gas dock and the F'ers closed 1 hour early because of a thunderstorm.

I paid only for the gas, (I bought all he had on the boat and close to marina pricing). The two tows on the papers I signed would have been for $700 each had I not had the contract and service. Best Investment I have made while boating!!!

So how fast is that MTI with the new search engines?

I carry unlimited fresh water towing coverage for the Great Lakes through TowboatU.S. I had to use it once last year when I softly grounded my boat near Put-in-Bay and clogged my heat exchanger with crushed shells! The service was fantastic and, yes, now I have a seastrainer!

I know this thread is older than dirt, but I have used my Boat US coverage once.

Last year I was running in the Chesapeake Bay, running about 45minutes when I dropped a valve. 7 1/2 hour tow later we made it back to the dock. The tow boat captains were good guys, just asked me where I wanted to go, since I had unlimited coverage they would tow me pretty much anywhere. They sent a bill to Boat US for $1850. I will always have it, figure that it paid for itself for the next twelve years or so.