Towing charges

[George]

Towing Insurance

All pretty good comments. I had Boat US towing insurance until I realized that there are no towing companies where I normally sail so I dropped it. Was this a mistake?

 

[Dan18277]

Hey Jon

In the long run, the insurance companies are the winners and we are the losers. You gotta be "nuts" to buy insurance when you can afford not to. Its just "common sense".

 

[sv Makai]

If you can't get yourself off

What happens if you can't get yourself off. Do you have friends with the boats and know how. Or the first time you pay $650 or more for the tow..... Most charge by the hour from the dock to the return. Insurance is a bet. The Insurance company is betting that as a group most will not require the Insurance/tow. When you are buying insurance your are putting off the risk of the expense to the insurance company. A simple tow can be prevent a minor incident from becoming a disaster. We paid for 6-7 years before we needed it. Then it was expensive. Since we had unlimited we didn't pay a penny.It is a risk each must decide to take, but it can be a false savings not to buy if you ground, have engine problems, or.......

 

[Paul F]

Boat Insurance

In the thin waters of the Gulf, I have been pulled off twice the first time at a cost of $350, the second $950. They had to come out twice waiting for high tide. Both of these were covered by my boat insurace policy at much less than the annual fee for Boat US. An insurance towing option on the policy let me add the insurance needed for this area, about $1,000. With this insurace you can call the tow boat service closest to the grounding rather than wait for the one you have contracted with.

 

[Dan18277]

Try a Different Tack

Judging from the other responses, I am not convincing many people that tow insurance is, in general, a bad investment. I really have trouble calling this an investment.A good charity might actually distribute 75% of its donations to the people who need help. Do you think that an insurance company is doing that well? Based on my experience, the return is not much better than 5%. I would be interested in the ratio of pay-outs to pay-ins for tow insurance. 10%?, 25%, or a very optimistic 50%? You have to consider overhead, even if you don't consider profit. You have just added a massive layer of overhead.Then there is the motivation factor. I will be less apt to get myself in trouble, if I know I have to get myself out. Also I will work harder to get myself out of trouble, if I know I have to pay for it myself. I recognize the risk that I might delay getting help too long, but I consider myself mature enough to work that problem.

 

[sv Makai]

insurance is not an investment

Insurance is not an investment. Is is a device to spread the expense of the risk. The risks still exist if you have insurance. Being self insurned, ie no coverage, you are paying for the entire bill if it is required. If you are insured you are spreading the expense with a large group that will reduce you current out of pocket expense.Insurance is paid in small annual amounts and the present value of the money into the future is not the same as paying the tow company today. To consider a break even you would need many years of no incidents. That is the risk expense you are laying on the insurance company.If you never require any help you have won the gamble of no insurance. If you need one tow you may have lost and lost big(as noted in the previous post). The opportunity to wait it our doesn't always exist.In the Bay we have run aground and worked our selves off without calling for a tow even though we had coverage. In ponce inlet we were hard agound, tried to get our selves off including running a line ashore and winching. We were stuck at high tide. The one time expense was equal to all of the last 6-7 years of paying for an unlimited poilcy. I don't think having insurance or not makes you work harder to not to become stuck or being able to get yourself out. It does provide additional protection should you have a grounding or boat failure that requires assistance. We have seen many boats towed in from some system failure. In the Caribe there are no tow companies. Yet I seen and have helped experinced cruisers with a tow. It can happen to anyone! There is nothing wrong with having no tow insurance you just need understand and be ready to pay all of the bill. Some problems are beyond our control.

 

[Bob Todd]

Nobody else has said it, so...

I guess I will. Just be careful. Most of the tows I've seen are due to inattention, carelessness, laziness, or just plain stupidity.1. Towed in because they ran out of fuel...in a sailboat. Please...spare me the details and don't announce it, unless you want EVERYONE to think you're incompetent.2. Grounded. Anyone ever hear of kedging? Better still, be more aware of your surroundings and avoid grounding in the first place. I've seen many groundings in a sailor's home waters. Charts anyone?3. Why should I sweat and break my back? I have towing insurance. I've heard this one around the docks MANY times. Sounds like power-boater logic. It’s total laziness.Now, I'm not saying that towing insurance is totally unnecessary. If you do extended cruising in unfamiliar areas it may be essential. All I'm saying is that I see a lot of people out there that could be just a tad more resourceful when they get themselves into a bind. People these days are just so quick to pull the trigger and call for a tow.Don't forget the most important thing...YOU are the master of your vessel and are responsible for the safe operation of same. YOU are also responsible even if it means you can't join in the fun with your passengers because of the task at hand.Sure, I enjoy a little fun with my passengers while I'm out. BUT...don't think for one second that I am not being vigilant.The only reason I have towing insurance is because it is (by default) part of my policy. However, I do ensure I have increased coverage on extended cruises. Not for the reasons stated above, but for REAL emergencies.Okay, I have my asbestos suit on...flame away!Cheers,Bob

 

[Paul Akers]

Would you drive your car without insurance?

Try that analogy! Certainly it's not liability insurance we are speaking of, but the idea is the same. *pop It's your choice! Towing insurance has been "peace of mind" for me. Just look at the range of questions posed on this topic. Most are eliminated with towing insurance. The rest are eliminated with the "peace of mind" thought. It's a small price to pay for a year's worth of coverage.

 

[william]

review rules

I agree Bob, Sea tow is expensive, we should all take precautions, at least update your charts and review rules regarding right of way and costal navigation proceedures. Leave lots of space between commercial fishing boats and your vessel.

 

[sonofasailorsailing]

Sometimes, it is unavoidable...

Running aout of gas is one thing, but blowing a head gasket is quite another. Not all groundings and towing needs are avoidable. When I told my wife that I was considering towing insurance, she asked, "How much?" When I told her about $100 more than regular membership in BoatUS for unlimited towing, she said it's crazy not to get it. The meer peace of mind with this is worth the slight extra expense involved.

 

[sonofasailorsailing]

Great minds

LOL...Paul, I think we had the same thought at the same time. You beat me though.

 

[Bob Todd]

Like I said...

Not all tows are avoidable. Certainly major mechanical failure qualifies.Cheers,Bob

 

[Bill Bell]

Tow Boat Bull Shoals

Dan,Your lake is pretty deep. I bet that if you need a tow, you would have to flag down a bass boat with a 250 hp engine. Probably no commercial tow services on the lake.I once paid $175 for a tow in 1990 when I had the $50 minimum Boat US insurance. Since I have had the unlimited insurance that I have never used.I did see a boat hard aground at high tide in Gun Cay Bahamas. They called Sea Tow Fort Lauderdale and spent $4500 for the tow.

 

[Dan McGuire]

Bull Shoals

Not sure how relavent, but the lake is deep, just over 200 feet at the dam.My marina, we call it a boat dock, would do the tow. I would be nervous about anybody towing which are not familiar with sail boats. Very few such persons exist in this area.I checked on tow insurance some time ago. It is my understanding they would arrange for someone, such as my marina, to perform the tow.Some of the more recent postings would be the only reason I would want tow insurance. They cited peace of mind. If a $100 a year, or whatever, will do that, then go for it.

 

[Bruce]

Thanks for all the comments!

Thanks for all of the great comments--I have purchased an unlimited towing deal from BoatUS for only $95.00. I decided that the "peace of mind" thing was totally worth it--I'll have someone to call if I need to and if I never need to, all the better. From all of your comments, I realize that the $50.00 coverage just ain't gonna cut it. The higher limit options border on worthless but the unlimited is the way to go. Thanks everyone.

 

[Rich]

Bruce made a good choice...

In my first boatowning season I signed up for the Boat U.S. unlimited towing package for $99--I had no idea what might happen out there and figured I could cancel it if once I knew better. At the end of that season I was coming home to the Marina and found I could not restart the outboard on the Catalina 25. The marina was surrounded by a railroad bridge that did not allow passage without power, the tide was pushing me close to shore, and dark was falling, so nothing was left to do but call for a tow.When I exchanged paperwork with the towboat I noticed that my out-of-pocket expense for that 200 yard tow would have been $399! I can't imagine what it would have been a couple of miles offshore.I think the unlimited towing package is probably a very good investment, all things considered. Mine has paid itself ahead for the next 4 years...

 

[chuckwayne]

good choice Bruce!

I'll second Rich's comments- my new 356 dropped 2 props-the first time I was able to sail back to the dock, but the second we were totally becalmed, and in the ship channel! (idiot skipper left the dinghy outboard ashore, and the oars were too short for the galley slaves to row the Hunter) The Seatow tow would have been $500 if I didn't have the unlimited coverage to get me a few hundred yards (bought after we lost the first prop!). It's cheap insurance to protect your investment. As to the pirates comment, remember they have to have all those expensive towboats parked all over the place, and man them with paid skilled employees....

 

[Mark]

You poor sods

Down under we have volunteer sea rescue groups that jump at the chance to tow you in. And the cost? Nothing, zilch,"0".Perhaps I do live in the lucky country?

 

[Paul Akers]

Mark?

But what about liability? What if one of your friends damages your boat when trying to tow it?

 

[Paul Akers]

Good choice, Bruce. Now my Story.

Since the "bad" stories are now coming out, then I will tell mine. I had been towed three times for ligitimate reasons (overheated w/clogged intake, mixing elbow, alternator burned up) and my insurance dropped me with no warning. I had a towing provision in my policy. So I was getting ready for a cruise & had to find another carrier. I did, but it had no towing policy. I then bought the unlimited policy from Boat/US. A week later I was about 50 miles from home and my new alternator quit while I was in a particular boat yard. They couldn't work on the boat for another week but said I could leave it at the dock (their "work slips" were full and I would have to pay to leave it). Well, at $3.50/ft for my L37 (over $100/day)). I called TowBoat/US. The tow was several hundred dollars (about 20 miles) and got the boat fixed right away. (It was foggy and the RADAR would have killed my batteries). So the towing insurance paid for itself very easily.