tow boat US or Sea tow .

[irwinsailor]

I"m going to get a towing card and have been wondering which towing service is the best for the money. What company is best?

[Vasco]

IS,

Six of one and half a dozen of the other. I've always had Seatow mainly because you need a US address for Towboat US. From personal observation Seatow seems to have more franchises north of SC and Towboat US south of SC. I'm only familiar with US east coast. It doesn't really matter as they'll honor each other's tows if the one you have has no franchise nearby. That's with the $100 unlimited towing. Just don't leave without some sort of towing inurance if you're doing the ICW.

[exposure]

I selected seatow because they have fewer limits on towing distance, including offshore. As I was told by one of their reps, "If we have the range, we'll come and help". I think BoatUS has limits based on member level, and an absolute limit as well. Read the fine print.

[exposure]

Boatus:
$105 provides for Unlimited Towing Service -
great for boaters that want the peace of mind that
comes with unlimited service. Good within a 25
mile radius of TowBoatU.S. home port & covers
up to $1,000 outside a TowBoatU.S. Service area.

SeaTow: ($119)
Unlimited free service area towing (to home port, transient
dock, or dock to dock)
Covered ungroundings
Fuel drops (not including cost of fuel)
Jump starts
Prop disentanglements
Navigational assistance, sea condition reports, radio checks, tidal and community information
Subscription to Lifelines
Coverage for boats up to 65-feet long.

Seatow does not mention distance limits at all, other than the statement of "service area towing". You may want to ask for a clarification of that statement.