Sea Tow

[reh76]

Check out the story of the "Reel Nauti" out of North Carolina, Sea Tow pulled him off the shoals and called it a salvage to the tune of 24K. This was all over the local news around Wilmington a few years ago. If I remember, NC Sportsman ran an article too.

[Blue_Runner]

I've never heard of an issue with a simple towing where the boat wasn't grounded etc. just disabled. It seems they like to get creative when it isn't just a simple towing. As for the $819 bill, I would have tried to flag down another boat if possible. With no membership, a towing company would've been the last options. Hell I might've spent the night out there.

[ssiredfish]

The ones here will actually give you the option to join before they lend assistance!!!!! What yall do to piss them other guys off?!?!?!

[nipper]

Didn't do anything to piss the guy off. I suggested trying to flag down/radio another boat, but with Sea Tow being nearby, the owner thought he would give them a try. We all thought,, based on what the operator said, that $300 would cover the tow of about 2 miles, and that is why the owner opted to avoid the hassle and go for the tow. I was absolutely shocked at the news of the $819 bill after getting the guys boat on the trailer and back to his house.

[ssiredfish]

Oops, just saw the location.........sounds like you found a Masshole.....there's a few around here and from what I understand, populate Maine heavily throughout the year.

http://www.masshole.com/ - Took me 15min to read the home page

[phatdaddy]

from what i understand. there are 2 distinctly different business plans for each company. sea tow nationwide keeps a smaller portion of the yearly dues and the local captains are obligated to respond at very little or no profit. it's like insurance, they are hoping 80% of the members will never use it. towboat keeps a larger portion and re-emburces the local capt at a predetermined rate. like car dealer warranty. with sea tow, the less they tow, the more they make. with towboat us, the more they tow, the more they make. i think we have a member who works for sea tow, i'm sure he can set us straight.
i have found there are good and bad in every profession, doctors, lawyers, contractors, cops,etc.

[THEFERMANATOR]

I know there seems to be alot more horror stories about SEATOW, than there is about TOWBOAT US. Last year there was a couple of tows down around MIAMI where the SEATOW boat PURPOSELY let the boat needing a tow go into a channel before they hooked up so they could call it a rescue instead of a tow and lay claims to the boat. I know I have towed in a few boats before just to keep them from having to go through the hassle of SEATOW. And it also seems to differ widely depending upon wether your in a company owned or privately owned zone. Some companies have SEATOW on there boats, but are actually privately owned and working for SEATOW as a private contractor. It seems that these kinds of outfits are the ones that are doing the shady tactics. Also PREY your not taking on water and need a pump and have to get it from SEATOW. You can count on them filing for a lien on your boat and calling it a rescue instead of a tow then.

[captpete13]

Originally Posted by phatdaddy

from what i understand. there are 2 distinctly different business plans for each company. sea tow nationwide keeps a smaller portion of the yearly dues and the local captains are obligated to respond at very little or no profit. it's like insurance, they are hoping 80% of the members will never use it. towboat keeps a larger portion and re-emburces the local capt at a predetermined rate. like car dealer warranty. with sea tow, the more less they tow, the more they make. with towboat us, the more they tow, the more they make. i think we have a member who works for sea tow, i'm sure he can set us straight.
i have found there are good and bad in every profession, doctors, lawyers, contractors, cops,etc.

I work for the local TowBOAT US. The way it works for us is when a member breaks down, if they have the "unlimited" coverage, they pay nothing for tows and "soft" ungroundings. Even though I have personally pulled boats from "hard" groundings (pulled from dry land)and still didn't charge them. We fill out a tow sheet which the customer signs. That tow sheet has the total bill which is submitted to BOAT US. They cut us a check for the tow. Our BOAT US rate is a little less than non BOAT US but we tow a LOT more members than non members. I used to work for Sea Tow back in the 90's. If I remember right each franchise would get a share of membership revinue. That money is used to pay the captain doing the tow. So there is much less motivation for them to tow you. Hell I'll tow you wherever you want. They can't wait to get rid of you if they even come out.

[bksah2]

Pick up a good used kicker motor and never pay for a tow again