Boat US ????????

[sidecar7]

We are a returning couple to sailing after some years off to deal with heart surgeries and prostate cancer. All is pretty good now. We purchased a very nice Catalina 22 that we keep in a marina in the Cesapeake Bay (Worton Creek, MD). Is a Boat US towing package membership useful? Has anyone had experience using it? Good? Bad? Ugly? Thanks much. Dale

[tommays]

Its boat us OR sea-tow and the best one is a local thing to each area, in Northport there a tie and sit out on the water looking at each other waiting for a breakdown

For the 150 a year compared to a cheep tow costing 600+++ dollars and it covers me on ANY boat i might be using (i have sail and power)

[speciald]

I have been pleased with SeaTow. I needed an emergency tow a few years ago in Bermuda where they have no contracted service - they paid, no questions asked.

[SecondWindNC]

I agree with the above; we use SeaTow in our area, but it's really a matter of which one has the better service where you are. Either way, the membership is well worth it. Use it just once, and it's paid for itself. Don't use it that year, and $150 +/- is still a small price to pay for peace of mind.

[casioqv]

You might consider an auxiliary drive system also, such as a small 2 stroke outboard with an integrated fuel tank. Towing insurance is probably still worthwhile, but this would avoid most of the possibility of needing a tow.

[redcobra]

I have Boat US insurance and towing and have been very pleased. When my engine died in a blow in a busy channel near the head of Middle River, I dropped the hook and called and they came and got us,guided us to the slip and made sure we were tied up in a very professional manner.

[bubb2]

It's a scam I say, towing is a scam. It's a sailboat. Who ever heard of a sailboat fouling it's prop on it's own anchor line. Thru hulls never leak and on board pumps always keep up. No power, no problem, it's a sailboat. Sails never blow out, never get torn. No, it does not happen. It's a scam I tell you.

[WinterRiver]

You forgot, Bubb, that sailboats also never, ever, ever have keels that touch the ground except when hauled. Yup, it's a scam!

[NaviGsr]

It seems silly to have to get a tow in a sailboat. Where I grew up, losing a motor was never an issue. In fact, you sailed whenever you could, up to the mooring or even the dock. I think it depends on your priorities or what gives you peace of mind. I am not a boat owner, and I can understand people wanting the security of being able to fall back on that tow- especially the larger the boat.

I would also point out that it's "services" such as these that break apart some of the generosity rarely found on land that exists on the water. What happened to people offering tows or helping you off that shoal versus assisting until Seatow arrives to charge an arm and a leg?

There are rare places where losing headway will put you and your boat in danger. But how often in your lifetime will that happen and could a towboat even get there fast enough to save you?

If you have sails and a mast you can get by in most situations even without a rudder. Rely on your skills and not your wallet!

[bob77903]

I've got Boat US just in case I get to carried away feeling for the bottom in the ditch...plus it keeps that Murphy guy away