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BOATU.S. TALLIES UP TOP TEN LIST OF STATES
WITH THE MOST REQUESTS FOR ON-THE-WATER ASSISTANCE

Why do Boaters Call for a Tow?

With Labor Day marking the end of the summer boating season in many
parts of the country, the nation's largest provider of on-the-water
towing and assistance, BoatU.S. Towing Services, has tallied up a list
of the top ten 10 states that had the most requests for assistance this
season. They a


1. Florida
2. California
3. New York
4. New Jersey
5. Maryland
6. North Carolina
7. Massachusetts
8. Virginia
9. Texas
10. Washington


While the list largely follows boat registration data for each state,
several states had more requests for assistance than anticipated. New
Jersey, Maryland and Massachusetts, ranked respectively #23, #25 and
#29 in the nation based on the number of registered boats, were #4, #5,
and #7 (respectively) in requests for on-the-water assistance. Last on
the list with the fewest requests for help was Vermont.

The top five reported reasons why boaters called BoatU.S. we
1. Unknown engine failure
2. Grounding
3. Out of fuel or other fuel problems
4. Battery problems & jump starts
5. Engine overheating

Preventing each of them:

#1--Maintain your engine
#2--Know the waters and tides
#3--Duh! Fill your tank and replace your fuel filters
#4--Keep two batteries fully charged and use a battery switch
#5--replace your impeller/water pump as suggested by manufacturer. Check
for weeds, plastic bags or other debris in water uptake areas

All but #1 should never happen. That being said, I've had #3 happen to me
on an older boat (new to me though) that had a faulty fuel gauge. The gauge
went from 1/2 full to empty in less than 2 miles. I've heard of poor gas
mileage, but a half tank of fuel in my boat is 75 gallons.