DONT take it as a bad mark against the name BoatUS/TowBoat, as IT IS THE OPERATOR OF THE AREA that makes the decision as to how they treat people and how their franchise is ran...
Boat US or Sea tow
- Thread starter Monty VM
- Start date
Marke14 - Call them and ask them, so you know the limitations of the coverage.
Before starting on a delivery last week of a sailboat (not mine), I talked to BoatUS about the specifics of my coverage. They told me what centreline wrote above - that I would be covered on any boat I owned, borrowed, leased, chartered, or was standing on UNLESS THE OWNER WAS ON BOARD. I didn't ask any followup questions, but if I were to do that, the first would be "What if the owner is not in charge of the vessel?". This could easily be the case if an owner hired and paid a captain, yet remained on board for the journey.
Before starting on a delivery last week of a sailboat (not mine), I talked to BoatUS about the specifics of my coverage. They told me what centreline wrote above - that I would be covered on any boat I owned, borrowed, leased, chartered, or was standing on UNLESS THE OWNER WAS ON BOARD. I didn't ask any followup questions, but if I were to do that, the first would be "What if the owner is not in charge of the vessel?". This could easily be the case if an owner hired and paid a captain, yet remained on board for the journey.
When I was running a sport fishing/diving business in the Keys or the 81 foot schooner in Charleston Harbor, I used Boat US as a member. Never had a problem with either, in fact the relationship was very professional.
When I bought this boat, I used Boat US for the first year because I didn't know the boat at all. I'm glad I did. I needed their services several times because of a very difficult to diagnose fuel issue and the membership saved me literally thousands.
I do not understand people who expect a towing company to take on the full responsibility for the boat to be towed and their own equipment for peanuts. Once that tow line is secure, the towing company has 100% of the responsibility, even if the boat being towed doesn't have (wasn't manufactured with) a cleat strong enough to tow the boat by. Ask any tow boat operator to tell you about some of his 'tows from hell' stories.
If you let the USCG tow your boat, you are basically putting your boat in the hands of a mostly unskilled and inexperienced boat operator. Their job is SOLAS (people), not towing small boats and quite frankly, most aren't very good at it. I'll stick to the professionals every time.
When I bought this boat, I used Boat US for the first year because I didn't know the boat at all. I'm glad I did. I needed their services several times because of a very difficult to diagnose fuel issue and the membership saved me literally thousands.
I do not understand people who expect a towing company to take on the full responsibility for the boat to be towed and their own equipment for peanuts. Once that tow line is secure, the towing company has 100% of the responsibility, even if the boat being towed doesn't have (wasn't manufactured with) a cleat strong enough to tow the boat by. Ask any tow boat operator to tell you about some of his 'tows from hell' stories.
If you let the USCG tow your boat, you are basically putting your boat in the hands of a mostly unskilled and inexperienced boat operator. Their job is SOLAS (people), not towing small boats and quite frankly, most aren't very good at it. I'll stick to the professionals every time.
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Right about the Coast Guard. Their job is to save the people and they will not tow a boat of they can avoid it. They'll take the people off and let the tow company come later to clean up the mess. Of course that automatically makes it salvage as the boat is basically abandoned at that point. I volunteered with the USCG Auxiliary for over twenty years and we all found it very frustrating that they trained is to tow boats but then wouldn't let is do it for real. That's one of reasons I went commercial.
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The CG isn't in the business of towing and they certainly don't want to be seen as though they are in competition with commercial tow companies. However, CG small boat operators receive the best training in the world and are quite capable of doing so and are routinely expected and do save peoples' lives in situations or conditions which would cause commercial operators to hide under their bed.
Have Boat US and used them once. Returning from the Bahamas the rudder cheek-plates broke after crossing the Gulf Stream when I was off-shore still. They got a tow right out to me and he was professional and towed me into an anchorage where I signed the paperwork and never saw a bill. I was more than happy with the response time and the tow in although it is no fun being towed when you don't have a working rudder to help steer the boat...
Sumner
============================================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
Sumner
============================================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
at the time I wrote headquarters and posted on TheHullTruth, and other boating forums. legally they are correct that it can be called a salvage. -Boats Us also sells insurance for that. probably any operator will do that, if the boat is at risk. and the boat was taking on water over transom and no bilge and batteries shorted. the coastie didn't think it was close to tipping, and boarded to hook up a rope.
http://www.boatus.com/towing/salvage-p2.asp
I've also had a buddy towed back from the gulfstream to the keys.
15 hour tow. charge was only like 300 with the unlimited card. so worth it then..
http://www.boatus.com/towing/salvage-p2.asp
I've also had a buddy towed back from the gulfstream to the keys.
15 hour tow. charge was only like 300 with the unlimited card. so worth it then..
I have unlimited boat us. My marina has a "no sail into dock area" rule that is selectively enforced. By that I mean that on the weekends when it is crowded, then use a motor or get a tow back to your slip. I have sailed into my dock twice, and once when I had a shifting problem I called for a tow which was promptly given. Another time I had a fuel clogging problem. With some non sailors on board I made the decision to ask for a tow. Again the tow was prompt and professional. The last time was after a race when my crew was exhausted and we had a major rigging disaster. The motor balked due to another fuel issue ( resulting in removal of the fuel tank for a complete internal cleaning) and we looked up and saw the tow boat heading into the channel leading to the marina. A quick call on the radio and he gave us a very welcome tow back to the slip in time to join in the post race festivities.
My annual insurance covers me for $1000 each incident $40/year. I ask who do I call, the agent said "You pick!"
He did chuckle a bit at me, when I asked for the tow coverage. I ask why the chuckle? ANS:
Aren't you a sailboat with auxiliary power?
Good point!
So lowered my coverage to "pull me off a sand bar" typical rates.
Jim...
PS: It was for the Admiral's peace of mind.
He did chuckle a bit at me, when I asked for the tow coverage. I ask why the chuckle? ANS:
Aren't you a sailboat with auxiliary power?
Good point!
So lowered my coverage to "pull me off a sand bar" typical rates.
Jim...
PS: It was for the Admiral's peace of mind.
i have tow boats US unlimited gold ...when reading the what they will do part ...it said they would bring you fuel ...i was amazed that that was part of the coverage ...in my be prepared mind i just could not see one going out without ample fuel...but then i talked to one of the operators and mentioned this ...he said i would have been amazed at the number of fuel runs they have to make...to me it's like swiping the debit card machine and the screen saying ...do you know your pin ? only in alabama
Even with sails you might need help. I've done a couple tows where the sailboat's engine wouldn't start, they were out on Lake Michigan with light winds, and couldn't sail against the river current flowing out of the harbor entrance. We don't have tides here and the rivers flow the same direction all the time, so you're pretty well screwed in that situation. It's either wait maybe for days for the wind to pick up enough to beat the current, or get towed in. On a Saturday afternoon a passerby will probably pull you in if you ask nicely, but 0300 on a Tuesday you're on your own. Most of the calls we handled were at night.
I suppose one question might be--Under what circumstances would I need a tow or "rescue" from TowBoat US or Sea Tow? And then: Is that service actually offered and at what cost? So, coastal cruising. Along which coasts and how far from shore? What nautical mile range would your towing contract cover and to what destinations would you be allowed to be towed? What alternative "public" services function in that range?
Let's start with an "emergency" at no more than 30 n.mi. from shore. If a life-threatening medical emergency the USCG would dispatch its assets and/or organize dispatch of other available assets--so, that is not something for which one needs a towing service. If sinking outright, or being driven ashore with no control over the vessel (e.g., lost of steerage), then that's something your service and the USCG would likely coordinate assistance for if you have a service. If "non-emergency" like being stuck aground somewhere and the boat is not in imminent danger of being destroyed, then you'd need the service b/c the USCG would not come and pull you off and you could eventually lose the boat. This would be salvage and w/o insurance--$$$$ to your wallet.
Other non-emergency break downs: loss of steerage with sea room, rig failure, loss of engine power (what ever reason), & perhaps seasickness. A sailboat has two sources of power, so if one goes (the rig or the engine), the other should be available. A sailboat might have 3 alternative steering systems assuming the rudder is not lost: the wheel, the emergency tiller, and the autopilot if installed below decks. If an engine-crippled sailboat arrives at a harbor entrance and cannot safely enter under sail, the harbor patrol will come out and tow you in--so, do not need a towing service there.
The only other thing besides being stuck aground that I can see where you absolutely might need an insurance, member-enrolled (prepaid), towing service if owning a sailboat would be when you're sitting 5, 10, to even 30 n.mi. offshore and there is no wind, your diesel won't start b/c the battery is dead (or other reason) or is overheating so you cannot run it long, it's sloppy, your crew is puking and you want to get home--then you might wish to call TowBoat US and ask for help--b/c there would be no one else.
Disclaimer--I have towing insurance (TowBoat US-Vessel Assist) for the past 17 years that I've never had to use.
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The instance where we ran the bad fuel, we sailed her all the way back to our inlet, and only needed the tow to get back up the canals to our dock. The guy from Tow Boat US was extremely good, and maneuvered us back to our dock through three draw bridges and several small canals full of boats with only a boat length of canal width available with no issue or fuss. This insurance is well worth it.
thank you for all of the responses. we have had Liberty out of the US for the last 9 years. we are not live aboards though. We will be based in NOLA for a while. We intend to explore the gulf, the carribean, the east coast and the St Lawrence sea way. all over the course of the next several years. My thought process was no more than some protection in the event of a problem. Approaching Key West on our return recently we had our stuffing box completely give out. and yes I had it inspected not long ago. water was coming in like a faucet partially turned on. not a big deal less than 40 miles from land and we had power and bilge pumps. then our alternator blew and as it turns out was actually drawing power from the batteries. The spare had a wiring problem I did not know about from a rebuild and did not generate power. When it became clear we would lose power completely I used the Sat phone to call the USCG. They came out right away. Got us a hand pump, the gusher pump on a hunter is not usable when someone is at the helm, a really bad design. And stayed with us as we had no lights, no electronic navigation and only a hand held radio. we had back up battery GPS and charts of course but there are a lot of shallows out there. They asked if we had a towing membership and we did not. They brought us extra fuel as it was rough with wind and waives on the nose trying to get in. It didn't occur to me to ask them for fuel we just would have done our best but they provided a lot of comfort and security on a dark night without power and with water coming in. They even had the next group who met us at the US demarcation point have a vessel that could tow if need be. They were great. We called in case the next thing happened that made it a truly bad situation but it got me thinking that there is some safety in a tow membership now that we will be mostly coastal cruising for several years.
Interesting account. The response you got from the USCG was a "vessel assist", although I'm confident that you would have received a tow from them if you had needed one. The escort and other assistance they gave was enough, however. It's always interesting to hear how one seemingly manageable problem can develop into a suite of problems that together present a real threat to one's boat and the safety of its crew. It also helps us to understand the genesis of safety rules and regulations for some kinds of boating activities, such as yacht racing. In particular, a vessel in an ocean yacht race these days must have two manual bilge pumps, one operable from the cockpit and the other operable from below decks, each on a separate over-the-side discharge. Plus, at least two bailing buckets with tethers of, I think, a couple gallons capacity each. The fact that your Hunter does not have a built-in manual gusher operable from the cockpit is one reason why some might not see it equipped as a "bluewater" vessel--a subject always in much discussion on this forum. Leakage from a stuffing box is a fairly common thing--did you have extra packing of the correct size aboard, and do you know how to repack one?
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I have the same boat and it does have a manual bilge pump "at the helm" . Read @Monty VM profile, 22k+ miles in this blue water boat and he is testimony to come from Oregon to Key West. To pump and steer is the "pain", so is manual pumping.
I was impressed with his systematic patient problem solving.
A good Captain.This make me feel a bit "spoiled" to have our USCG available and this Post discussing which Tow company to use.
I wonder what the story would have been if @Monty VM had the problem between Panama and Grand Cayman ?
The new thread should be "Captains are you Prepared?"
Jim...
PS: I look forward to hearing @Monty VM stories of high sea adventures is OUR model Hunter.