Do I Need Both?

[RSH]

We have SeaTow for our Lagoon 380. Recently I was told I should have both SeaTow AND BoatUs. Our cat is in the Tampa Bay area.

Is this sensible advice, or just somebody having fun at the newbie's expense. There were some terrifying stories of boats being taken under salvage rules and being held hostage for tens of thousands of dollars if we didn't "have both".

[landsend]

No. Just make sure they service your sailing area which I'm sure they do. One towing company is enough.

[RSH]

Originally Posted by landsend

No. Just make sure they service your sailing area which I'm sure they do. One towing company is enough.

Thank you

[letsgetsailing3]

You only need one if they cover the area you're in.

[Sailmonkey]

For a counter perspective, we’ve never had either one.

[landsend]

If you get the towing package insurance you will never need to use it. It's like spare parts. Go figure.

[CaptTom]

If you're going to actually go cruising around the US, be aware that there are some areas each service doesn't cover.

Three times I've had TowBoat US tell me "Sorry, we can't come get you there. But we can call the Coast Guard for you." (Note: All three times were on other people's boats.) One time this happened less than 10 miles from where I know there was a TowBoat US vessel tied up. The one time I was on a boat (someone else's) that needed SeaTow, they came out about 20 miles offshore at 2 AM.

Two lessons: (1) I need to be more selective about what delivery gigs I take, and (2) I have accounts with both. I can't say if these four cases were flukes, or if one service is more responsive than the other.

[BenBowSirocco]

In Tampa Bay having one or the other is plenty.

When we were stateside we lived in Tampa bay and had a membership for 3 years without using it, then one night we needed it after buying our current new to us boat, and it saved us $2,400 dollars.

If we were on the shores of the USA I would buy Towboat US.

[jewt]

I have had both for the last 15 years and have one or the other, one for a engine failure near Little Harbor in the Bahamas and a few others for grounding (mainly the ICW in Ga.)
The Bahamas one cost me $600.00 cash, three trips to the ATM while the Captain of the sportfish waited one the dock.

The other occasions it was mostly Sea tow that answer the call when out of towboat's (Boat/US) area.

Boat/US did reimburse me for the cost of the Bahamas tow when I presented them with a copy of the bill.

The insurance is pocket change compared to not having insurance. Of course the last time I was in the Bahamas neither provided service unless you were able to get out of Bahama's waters.

Jewt S/V Bifrost '89 Morgan-44 CC
MCAS Cherry Point, NC

[tomfl]

I was crew on a boat being moved from Burnt Tree to Apollo Beach. The owner had just bought the boat and there was an ongoing problem with the electrical starter for the engine. You can only get one tow for the same problem from either SeaTow or BoatUS. So the owner called one first and then the other the second time. Not the most common situation but if your boat is new and possibly unreliable it may be useful to have both.

[44'cruisingcat]

You have two engines and sails. That's a pretty good level if redundancy.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

You have two engines and sails. That's a pretty good level if redundancy.

Not sure if this was a response to my comment about the delivery boat the cat had a bad chain plate on the port stay so the main halyard was jury rigged as a stay to a cleat on deck and since both the inboards were dead there was an outboard mounted on the rear cross member with an electric start and a short in the electrical system.

[mrybas]

Towboat and Seatow are made up of franchised local owners. Some owners do a better job at buying and maintaining boats, towing/safety gear, hiring captains, etc. Ask boaters in your area who they use and if they have actually used the service. Usually one is better than the other for a certain area.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by tomfl

Not sure if this was a response to my comment about the delivery boat the cat had a bad chain plate on the port stay so the main halyard was jury rigged as a stay to a cleat on deck and since both the inboards were dead there was an outboard mounted on the rear cross member with an electric start and a short in the electrical system.

Might want to be a little more selective of the deliveries you take on

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by mrybas

Towboat and Seatow are made up of franchised local owners. Some owners do a better job at buying and maintaining boats, towing/safety gear, hiring captains, etc. Ask boaters in your area who they use and if they have actually used the service. Usually one is better than the other for a certain area.

Exactly this. And that regional variation is why it's not a bad idea to have both if you travel far and wide.