emergency on water towing

[santam]

I already have insurance that rebates up to $300 for on water towing. I need a service that will tow me in emergency
without membership in NJ, New York, Penn. and Maryland areas. Mike

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: emergency on water towing

any of the commercial towing services like Sea Tow will tow you if you are not a member, you just have to pay the towing charge and then your insurance reimburses you $300. So if the tow was $700 you end up paying $400. The membership at $150/year or whatever they charge is an installment payment toward the $400, since you shouldn't be using a tow service more than once a decade if at all.

So talk to the services to find out where they are based in relation to where you will break down, so you can call the closest one--or in your case, carry several numbers for diferent locations (that's what I do). Once you figure the possible cost to tow, you can figure whether it's worth it to pay the annual installments, or just pay it all at once if you need it.

For some boaters it's worth it, for others it's not--there are way to many variables to say whether it's right for you.

I've been boating all my life and had my share of breakdowns but never used a service (uh-oh now I'm god smacked). So I have $150 a year in the bank. In the 6 years I've had my larger boat, that's $900 and it goes up every year; I have $500 coverage and my worst case tow would be $1100. So I'm ahead. But that's just me; someone else's math may work out different.

Also if you have a 16' jon boat anyone can tow you in; if you have a 28' cruiser, not so likely. If you boat with lots of friends and relatives nearby who would help you out (I do) then you may not need it as much as one who doesn't.

 

[JoLin]

Re: emergency on water towing

I have Boat Tow US through BoatUS, same as my boat insurance policies. Like HC said, and as with any type of insurance, you can choose to 'self insure' by banking the premiums you'd pay against the time you might need a tow.

Given that my boat is on the larger side, I choose to carry the insurance so I'll have a 'pro' available if I ever need the help. It gives me peace of my mind, which is the primary reason we carry most types of insurance.

My .02

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: emergency on water towing

I'll pay the $150 to Tow Boat US for the unlimited policy. The stuff will hit the fan only when 30 miles off shore and a storm is brewing. A gamble I'm not willing to take.

 

[dingbat]

Re: emergency on water towing

Seeing that you are charged from the minute they leave their dock to the minute they return, $300 doesn't go very far.

If your like me and venture 50-60 miles from home port on a regular basis, $150 a year for unlimited towing is cheap

 

[H20Rat]

Re: emergency on water towing

If your like me and venture 50-60 miles from home port on a regular basis, $150 a year for unlimited towing is cheap

How many times have you used it? If you haven't needed it, that is EXTREMELY expensive! Home cookin' laid out insurance perfectly, it's all a numbers game. Those who can afford to self insure generally come out ahead on things like this, so if you haven't used it for a couple years, you would have been money ahead to just put $150 a year into a savings account and never touch it.

(I"m a huge fan of many savings accounts! A couple clicks and I can add an additional account through my online bank. For things like cars, if I have a payment, the instant I pay it off, the next 'payment' goes to the savings account, for use on the next car. Buying my next car this spring with cash because I didn't quit paying for my old one after the payments ended. Tow insurance is no different...)

 

[dingbat]

Re: emergency on water towing

How many times have you used it? If you haven't needed it, that is EXTREMELY expensive! Home cookin' laid out insurance perfectly, it's all a numbers game. Those who can afford to self insure generally come out ahead on things like this, so if you haven't used it for a couple years, you would have been money ahead to just put $150 a year into a savings account and never touch it..)

You are correct about the gamble, but when you play on the edge on a regular basis the odds are not in your favor.

Up until last year, I used it once in the 10 previous years, $650. Last year, the bill for a single tow was $1,875
Self insuring would have cost me money.

I'm not a gambler. I prefer to pay a fixed annual cost rather than roll the dice and hope for the best.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: emergency on water towing

You are correct about the gamble, but when you play on the edge on a regular basis the odds are not in your favor. Up until last year, I used it once in the 10 previous years, $650. Last year, the bill for a single tow was $1,875
Self insuring would have cost me money. I'm not a gambler. I prefer to pay a fixed annual cost rather than roll the dice and hope for the best.

No matter which way you go, you are always gambling.

11 years x 150 = $1650. Two Tows = $2525. A difference of $875. You Win!
If you get towed again in less than 6 years you win! If Not, you lose!
The Insurance Company is betting you will not break down. You are betting you will.

All insurance is like that. They are betting you will live. You are betting you will die.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
Insurance Companies, like Casinos, make plenty of money. That means most people lose.
If you win to often, they both throw you out the door!

 

[roscoe]

Re: emergency on water towing

No matter which way you go, you are always gambling.

11 years x 150 = $1150. Two Tows = $2525. A difference of $1375. You Win!
If you get towed again in less than 10 years you win! If Not, you lose!
The Insurance Company is betting you will not break down. You are betting you will.

All insurance is like that. They are betting you will live. You are betting you will die.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
Insurance Companies, like Casinos, make plenty of money. That means most people lose.
If you win to often, they both through you out the door!

I like your math when it comes to paying bills.
Gonna try that with the electric bill.

 

[JimS123]

Re: emergency on water towing

"Cost effective" is the only way to operate. Maintain your boat well and you won't have an issue. Being self insured is the economical way. Having a kicker ensures "self insured" will work for you.

I've personally had failures only 3 times. Two of them the kicker got me home. The third time I needed a tow because the main and the kicker failed the same day - One in a million shot!

The SeaTow money I saved over 50+ years of owning a boat would have paid for the kicker and then some.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: emergency on water towing

I like your math when it comes to paying bills.
Gonna try that with the electric bill.

Let me pull my head out and figure that again! :embarassed: :facepalm:
Numbers corrected! :joyous:

 

[dingbat]

Re: emergency on water towing

I have to laugh.....it's $12.50 a month people...that is less than 0.3% on my monthly Verizon bill. $12.50 in fuel wouldn't get me out of the inlet. It wouldn't cover a days bait and it sure as heck wouldn't cover my Thursday night bar tab.

My wife finds more money in the bottom of the washing machine after doing the weeks laundry and I'm buying and maintaining a kicker and opening a "self insured" bank account to save money?

Boating is a luxury........if it ever came to the point I worried about the $12.50 a month I pay for tow insurance, owning a boating would have long since been off the table....lol

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: emergency on water towing

"11 years x 150 = $1150. Two Tows = $2525. A difference of $1375. You Win!"

but don't forget insurance reimbursed you $600 for each tow. 1375-1200= $175 savings by giving the tow company $1150 interest free.

However if I was faced with an $1,800 tow like dingbat as my most likely need, or if I had a bigger boat, I'd probably get it.

Also we have both sea tow and boat us towing here where I live, so by not subscribing, if I need a tow, I can get whichever company is closer to where I break down.

One thing you have to ask locally, not here, is how good the particular franchisee is. In some places, I've heard how a particular company can be terrrible--not worth having. But don't start posting stories about which is better--totally irrelevant to anyone outside your area.

I don't believe in having a kicker for a spare motor on a small boat, but if you have one (or have twins) that's one of the hundreds of variables I mentioned at first that goes into this decision based on your circumstances only.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: emergency on water towing

I pay just a bit over the $150 for Boat US unlimited towing insurance. the last time I needed a tow, it was 25 miles and 3 hours on the end of a rope looking at the transom of the tow boat.

had I not been a Boat US member, the bill would have been $1200. and yes I have towing insurance on my boat insurance. However it is only $300.

$300 does not get you very far in marine towing.

I have never planned on getting a tow, however when boating, remember, "Ship Happens"

I have had the following reasons for a tow in:
water pump impeller failure - towed 5 miles
sheared off lower unit, hitting a large rock - towed 1.2 miles
catch piece of rope in jet drive impeller - towed 3 miles
OMC intermediate gear box failure - towed 2.5 miles
Mercruiser ignition module failure - towed 8 miles
Dead battery (internal short) - towed 15 miles
spun prop hub - towed 25 miles

I never plan to fail. then again with towing insurance, I never fail to plan.

could I have done it cheaper than paying for towing insurance, probably. would I go without towing insurance, no.

 

[drrpm]

Re: emergency on water towing

For a big boat on big water towing insurance makes sense. A small boat on small to medium sized lakes probably doesn't need it. I carry a couple paddles and while paddling a 20 ft bowrider for a mile isn't a lot of fun, it worked when I needed to do it.

 

[JimS123]

Re: emergency on water towing

I have to laugh.....it's $12.50 a month people...that is less than 0.3% on my monthly Verizon bill. $12.50 in fuel wouldn't get me out of the inlet. It wouldn't cover a days bait and it sure as heck wouldn't cover my Thursday night bar tab.

My wife finds more money in the bottom of the washing machine after doing the weeks laundry and I'm buying and maintaining a kicker and opening a "self insured" bank account to save money?

Boating is a luxury........if it ever came to the point I worried about the $12.50 a month I pay for tow insurance, owning a boating would have long since been off the table....lol

Yeah you're right. Pocket change piddly dink. But its not the money.

When I was a youngin I had 2 experiences where I needed a tow. Both times there was no one around and the USCG wouldn't help because I was not in imminent danger. I might add that back then there was no such thing as SeaTow.

So, for the last 40+ years I have had a kicker. Its fun to play with too, AND its good for fishing. Tripurposes.

Drop the kicker and off we go and I'm a half hour late getting home. Call for SeaTow and its an hour and a half before he even gets there and its dark by the time we get back to the ramp.

I realize its different for everybody's circumstances. In my case we could be 30 miles away from the ramp and downstream is Niagara Falls.

 

[NYBo]

Re: emergency on water towing

I have to laugh.....it's $12.50 a month people...that is less than 0.3% on my monthly Verizon bill.

You pay $4200 a month for your monthly Verizon bill???

 

[dingbat]

Re: emergency on water towing

Decimal in wrong place....3%. ~$425 :facepalm:

 

[Ryan50]

Re: emergency on water towing

Well I will share my experience. I should probably copy and paste this in Stupid Human Tricks as well. We just moved to Charleston, SC last August. I had no experience with coastal boating, we were inland lake boaters. I did a lot of research about the hazards of coastal boating and went out with friends who knew the water well prior to going out the first time. We did great and had about 10 successful outings. Last trip of season, in October, I passed the wheel to my brother for just a moment while I looked away and we slowly slid to a stop on the marsh. Tide was going out and it was getting late and cold. We called several towing services and Boat US was the cheapest to pull us out at $600. My insurance reimbursed me $300 so the 1 tow which took the guy about 5 minutes would have paid for 2 years of membership. I am now Boat US member.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: emergency on water towing

Hope you don't need it within the next two years; but if you do you'll be even. After that....just depends.

Everyone on a small boat should carry a paddle; in some places a shove pole is crucial. Often all you need is a short-range self rescue; many break-downs occur just as you leave the dock. Can't see calling a tow service for 20 yards, or even 2 miles, but around home I have lots of boat traffic, a towable boat, and friends/family I could call.

There's a personal aspect, too; I grew up and still boat also in a remote area with no tow service (member or not) and often few other boaters, so self-rescue is my only option. I've learned a lot about repairs and work-arounds; I know the waters and what I need to do to get to safety; I carry tools; my boats are small enough to be manageable. There are lots of places where self-rescue isn't feasible and boaters who can't fix stuff and boats you can't manage; they are wise to have a tow service dialed in.