"wf3h" wrote in message
...
On Aug 22, 2:59 pm, "Calif Bill" wrote:
"wf3h" wrote in message

...
On Aug 22, 2:13 pm, H the K wrote:

wf3h wrote:
my boat insurance covers towing. is it worth it to get towboat or
seatow in addition? not sure who the insurance company uses (agent I
talked to on the phone didn't know).

any experiences?

If you are a member of BOAT/US, membership includes on the water towing
for a limited distance, or at least used to...The full towing package,
about $100 a year, is more than worth it the first time your engine
craps out and you can't get it started. A tow of a modest distance from
where you are to where your ramp/marina is can easily add up to $400 or
more...

boat/us is a pretty good deal. not sure how it would work with my
insurance company...they say if i need a tow, just call their service
line and they'll arrange it...but i don't know what that means. most
insurance company folks don't seem to know alot about boats.
---------
Depends on the coverage. Towing as about $150 an hour or more, and is from
the time they leave the dock till they return. My boat US covers $50. Is
nothing. When I went offshore a lot, I had Vessel Assist. Never needed it,
but came close a couple times. Once someone had siphoned gas, and I did
not
notice. Ran out about 3 miles from the harbor, but kicker in those days
was
on a separate tank. Other time, coming back in the Golden Gate by Pt.
Bonita, see I am overheating. Bad pulley and fan belt is close to wore
out.
Made it. As stayed on the high side, but the water was knarly and did not
want to stop and wait for a tow. There are different levels of towing
coverage. Check the for the one that covers most of your area of
operation.
different distances from the harbor. A big, older boat, I would definately
get towing package.

That's good advice...if there's a limit, they should be aware of it at
the agency. i asked them what coverage and they said they'd tow to
nearest point where i could get service...but when you talk to the
phone monkeys you're never sure you're getting the right answer

I think my BoatUS policy has $50 or may $150 in towing included.

On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:22:06 -0400, Gene
wrote:

My opinion is you need boat insurance AND additional towing coverage.

I agree with that and my preference is to have them totally separate.

Insurance companies have a bad habit of remembering claims and using
them as a reason to increase rates or deny coverage. SeaTow reserves
the right to cancel you for excessive claims also but I think you'd
really have to abuse them a lot before that happened.

On Aug 22, 9:58*pm, Wayne.B wrote:
On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:22:06 -0400, Gene

wrote:
My opinion is you need boat insurance AND additional towing coverage.

I agree with that and my preference is to have them totally separate.

Insurance companies have a bad habit of remembering claims and using
them as a reason to increase rates or deny coverage. *SeaTow reserves
the right to cancel you for excessive claims also but I think you'd
really have to abuse them a lot before that happened.

I have a friend who had his boat towed from his dock to another marina
and Boat US paid for it. It was about 15 miles and would have cost a
fortune. The only time I ever needed my towing insurance, I forgot I
had it and went through all sorts of "get off the sandbar" schemes
before someone came by and pulled me off. I guess sailors figure
there's nothing more shameful than getting pulled of a bar by a
powerboat.
I'd say the BOAT US unlimited towing for $150/yr is such a good deal
that you'd be foolish to not have it.

On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:13:53 -0700 (PDT), Frogwatch
wrote:

I'd say the BOAT US unlimited towing for $150/yr is such a good deal
that you'd be foolish to not have it.

SeaTow is about the same price if I recall correctly. You'd have to
read the fine print for both organizations to find out what unlimited
really means. If you're hard aground both will claim that it is a
"salvage" operation instead of towing. Salvage is a whole different
ball game and it is where they make their real money.

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:13:53 -0700 (PDT), Frogwatch
wrote:

I'd say the BOAT US unlimited towing for $150/yr is such a good deal
that you'd be foolish to not have it.

SeaTow is about the same price if I recall correctly. You'd have to
read the fine print for both organizations to find out what unlimited
really means. If you're hard aground both will claim that it is a
"salvage" operation instead of towing. Salvage is a whole different
ball game and it is where they make their real money.


I think SeaTow and Vessel Assist are under the same corporate umbrella now.

On Aug 22, 6:22*pm, Gene wrote:
On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 11:06:06 -0700 (PDT), wf3h
wrote:

my boat insurance covers towing. *is it worth it to get towboat or
seatow in addition? not sure who the insurance company uses (agent I
talked to on the phone didn't know).

any experiences?

How MUCH towing does your boat insurance cover? Assistance tow? The
dreaded *salvage*? On water vs. on trailer?

My opinion is you need boat insurance AND additional towing coverage.

If my agent couldn't explain what he just sold me, I would quickly
kick him to the curb.
--


yeah that's the worst part about the insurance...no one seems to be
able to explain it, but all of a sudden, if you need it, i'm sure
they'll be able to tell you why they can't help

On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 11:19:01 -0700 (PDT), wf3h
wrote:

On Aug 22, 2:13*pm, H the K wrote:
wf3h wrote:
my boat insurance covers towing. *is it worth it to get towboat or
seatow in addition? not sure who the insurance company uses (agent I
talked to on the phone didn't know).

any experiences?

If you are a member of BOAT/US, membership includes on the water towing
for a limited distance, or at least used to...The full towing package,
about $100 a year, is more than worth it the first time your engine
craps out and you can't get it started. A tow of a modest distance from
where you are to where your ramp/marina is can easily add up to $400 or
more...

boat/us is a pretty good deal. not sure how it would work with my
insurance company...they say if i need a tow, just call their service
line and they'll arrange it...but i don't know what that means. most
insurance company folks don't seem to know alot about boats.

Bob,

Send the money and get Sea//Tow or BoatUS tow package - I have the
Gold Sea//Tow package with Trailer Assist - covers me on any boat I am
on and in charge of and full Trailer Assistance if something goes
wrong - soft groundings, battery/gas - it's a hell of a deal for $149
a year.

I have the "tow" assist on my boat insurance package also - it's
worthless - check your deductible because it could be as much as
$1,500 which could be the cost of a tow.

With Sea//Tow, I've never used the towing service, but my brother did
with his boat when he had a series of engine problems before he
swapped out his engine - didn't cost him a dime from Point Judith to
Fall River and that happened twice in one week.

I keep telling him I'm paying his tow bill. :)

Bill time can be as much as $100/hr starting when the engine are fired
and also depending on what kind of boat they use to come get you
(average is $75/hr). And I've never heard a complaint about Sea//Tow
from any of the boaters I've talked to about it. Consider that at
$75/hr from Point Judith to Fall River was 7 hours - $525 for the tow
plus fuel so it could have been as much as $900 (diesel) at the height
of the fuel price thingy last summer.

We figured that when he was having all those mechanical problems, he
could have spent well over $4,000 - everything from a battery jump to
tows to the, ahem, soft ungrounding he had done when he drifted up
onto Seal Rock off Newport. :)

73

On Aug 24, 7:53*am, Tom Francis - SWSports
wrote:

We figured that when he was having all those mechanical problems, he
could have spent well over $4,000 - everything from a battery jump to
tows to the, ahem, soft ungrounding he had done when he drifted up
onto Seal Rock off Newport. *:)


yeah i think that i'll bite the bullet and do it. the towing services
aren't perfect but they've GOTTA be better than an insurance
company...