I have a friend in West Palm that has been a member from the get go with Sea Tow. He was out on his girls friends bout, he is 58, and the motor died on her boat. He called sea tow the sere great to come out to a loyal member towed them in and then found out he did not own the boat and her name was different than his and handed him a $1,700.00 Bill. Can you say thank you loyal member
My personal experience in insurance is 1.) you only insure what you cannot afford to go without. 2.) Insurance companies mostly are not set up as a towing service. All major insurance policies are designed to fix or replace a boat in the event of an accident. Most major companies specialize in Auto and homeowners policies and the boatowners is not comprehensive enough to cover every situation you encounter on a boat. My advise, Insure your boat with a reputable company who you know will pay in the event of a claim. Get you features and benefits, like towing, from a seatow or Tow boat US. I have seen Seatow not pay on their insurance policies many times because they don’t understand what they policies they have actually cover. I personally have mine insured at State Farm and have BoatUS for towing.
Another side note that is similiar, Do you buy life insurance through a company like gerber that sells baby food? Doesn’t really make sense.
I have also run the numbers for towing on offshore trips. If you are not a member Seatow and towboatus they charge you a higher rate if you call them and it will cost you $5000 just to get towed from 30 miles or less. I had a insured get stuck on a sand bar in the charleston harbor in a sail boat and their tow bill was $9000.
State Farm Agent
N Myrtle Beach
I think the real question is “Sea Tow vs Towboat US”… Advantages and disadvantages?
Both are jam up, outstanding companies who deliver what they promise. There is no wrong decision between those 2.
I started the first assistance towing business in Savannah, long before SeaTow came to be and that job wore me out 
Never knew how many fools were out on the water until then. Never knew how many people thought being late to dinner was an emergency either.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
quote:I wonder if there is a difference between outer towing limitations, etc? I've heard 70 for Sea Tow and 100 for Towboat US, but not sure on that...
Originally posted by Cracker LarryBoth are jam up, outstanding companies who deliver what they promise. There is no wrong decision between those 2.
I started the first assistance towing business in Savannah, long before SeaTow came to be and that job wore me out
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Also, I know that when I have filled up at Ashley Marina, they ask me if I have Towboat US and offer a fuel discount. That is a huge perk over Sea Tow and if used enough could actually pay for the membership on it’s own…
quote:
Originally posted by Mcrist12I have a friend in West Palm that has been a member from the get go with Sea Tow. He was out on his girls friends bout, he is 58, and the motor died on her boat. He called sea tow the sere great to come out to a loyal member towed them in and then found out he did not own the boat and her name was different than his and handed him a $1,700.00 Bill. Can you say thank you loyal member
Screw Sea Tow, Towboat will get my business. They are like insurance companies, you get punished for using the services you pay for in the beginning.
So i guess the question now is sea-tow vs. towboat. I’ll review the plans and compare today. The fuel discount is appealing if that turns out to be true. At the moment i have about 40 available gas cards from Teeter- pay $20 for a $25 gas card to shell. That’s typically the way ill fuel up but hanging the nozzle up and swiping another card every 6 gallons is a PITA.
Check the link below:
https://www.seatow.com/membership/comparison
Be very aware of the type of coverage you buy. If you’ve been told the Gold Card covers any boat you are on, you’ve been mis-informed. It will not cover a friend’s boat you are on, but will cover any boat you own, rent, borrow, lease, or charters. I guess you could say the friend’s boat you are on was “borrowed”…IMO, that opens up an ethical can of worms, tho.
Anyway, I have always just had the Gold Card with ST…only used it once in a dock-to-dock tow when I had a transmission go out.
It’s well worth the price of an annual membership.
“Never argue with an idiot…he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.”