Welcome back, everyone. Thank you so much for tuning in. Today we're going to do something a little bit different. We're going to talk about towing coverage on the water, what that is, and is it something you need? And then we're going to look at the different options that boaters have available to them. Before we get into the video, I do want to say that these are just my opinions. They are my honest opinions, but they are just how I feel. Do your own research, talk to local port owners, talk to some of the locals in your area to get a better feel as well. Now, full disclosure before we get into this, I previously worked in the marine insurance industry for about a decade. I gained a lot of experience working in the marine insurance industry dealing with boat claims and boat towing. I actually managed a team that was responsible for handling first-party property damage claims on boats, meaning repairing boats that were damaged as a result of like striking a submerged object or sinking, but that team was also responsible for selling and servicing a membership, but also dispatching when a vessel was in need of a tow. While managing the department, I played a pivotal role in helping to rewrite the service agreement, which is basically the contract of the membership. The new service agreement provides better coverage at the same price with just a freshwater and a saltwater option. This was a huge improvement for boaters, and it did not come at any additional cost. So, with that said, I'm going to try to remain honest and unbiased as I give my opinions on the subject. And before we get into today's video, I want to say this is not a sponsored video. There is no financial affiliation or even any obligation for me to recommend one over the other. These are simply my opinions. So, first I want to get into what do I mean when I say a tow? A tow is specifically when a vessel breaks down on the water and it is inoperable and unable to proceed under its own power from point A to point B. Most importantly, a tow is not salvage, which we'll get into in a minute, and it is not an emergency response service. If you're having an emergency on the water, use channel 16 on your VHF or call 911. Don't call your insurance and don't call a towing membership. Now, when I say the word salvage, what What I mean? Well, when a vessel's considered to be an imminent peril and it needs recovered, that's a salvage. That's a completely different subject that would fall under insurance, not a towing membership. It's very important to have insurance for that because it is very, very expensive, but it's not the same as towing. And when I say imminent perils for vessels, I mean things like sinking or the vessel's run hard aground, not just breaking down on the water. All right, so when we get into the do you need it question, we need to look at how do towers bill? Well, typically they bill from the time they leave their dock to the time they get to your vessel, the amount of time it takes to hitch up and tow your vessel to safety, and then their time back to their dock again. This means that it might take them an hour to get there, 3 hours to complete the tow, and an hour to get back to their home dock, meaning the total tow time was 5 hours. Most towers are going to charge somewhere between $250 and $450 an hour, depending on the area, and that puts the average cost of the tow over $850. So, in my opinion, I think the cost alone makes the answer pretty simple. Do you need towing coverage? Yes, you do. I think it's important to remember that even new boats can break down. They can have electrical issues that can affect both engines. It's not necessarily something that you want to risk. Now, what options do you have as a consumer? Well, there's two major companies in the industry, TowBoatUS and Sea Tow. Now, on the surface, they provide similar coverage, they're priced in about the same price range, and they have ports throughout the United States. Now, with that said, there are differences. They're different companies and they're managed differently. The pay structure for the towing ports are different. So, let's get into some of those breakdowns. Okay, first up, the red guys, TowBoatUS. They offer two different membership levels, a freshwater membership for $130 a year and a saltwater membership for $215 a year. Overall, they offer similar coverage except the freshwater is specific to freshwater, being lakes and rivers that aren't immediately on the coast. In contrast, Sea Tow has two levels of coverage, a $169 a year lake card and a $269 gold card that extends to salt water, making TowBoatUS the better value between the two, just looking at price so far. Both service agreements offer coverage for any boat you own, rent, or charter, with TowBoatUS extending it to any boat you borrow as long as the owner is not on board. So, the own, rent, or charter is a pretty big deal. If you own the vessel and somebody in your family or a friend takes it out and they break down, there's coverage for that vessel. If you rent or charter a vessel, then you also have coverage. With TowBoatUS extending it to any boat you borrow, if you're on a friend or family members boat and they're not on board, you have coverage for that tow as well. This gives you a lot of added peace of mind and it also extends to multiple vessels. So, if you have a couple different boats or you have multiple jet skis, the towing coverage becomes an even better value. Now, one other thing that's important to note is both companies offer dock-to-dock tows. That is specifically when your vessel breaks down at the dock and needs a tow to a repair facility for the purpose of repairs. It's not meant for it you have to have the boat winterized or you need to do some spring prep or an oil change, like routine maintenance. It's meant for actual breakdowns that render the boat inoperable. Now, if you keep your boat at a dock, mooring, or marina, there's a lot of peace of mind that comes with that. If one day you go to start up your boat and the engine won't crank, well, you have an option to get it to a repair facility. Now, one other thing that you really need to look at before you go ahead and pull the trigger is both companies have a service locator tool. This helps you as the customer determine if they have boats in the areas that you live and intend to operate your vessel. You always want to look at that before moving forward because you don't want to find yourself in a situation relying on a third-party company. Now that we've looked at some of the similarities, let's talk about some of the differences. TowBoatUS has a larger fleet. This means they have more boats at more locations throughout the United States. If you're someone who likes to travel with your boat, I've fished all over Florida myself, it gives you a lot more peace of mind knowing that they're probably where you're going to be boating. Again, you can confirm that with a service locator tool. Having more boats in especially crowded areas like South Florida gives you an added benefit because that typically reduces the wait time. The busiest weekends of the year are typically going to be Memorial Day weekend, Independence Day, and Labor Day. If you get stranded out on the water, there's probably going to be a wait time for the tow. Having more vessels helps reduce that wait time. Now, I think the pay structure difference is important. I think SeaTow thinks it's important, but I'm not sure I agree with them on their distinction and how that benefits the customer. The ports are not owned by SeaTow and they're not owned by TowBoatUS. They're independent companies that have contracts with these companies to service the members. SeaTow port owners are paid by the number of memberships in their area. So, when you buy and retain a membership, that local port receives a portion of that money. In contrast, TowBoatUS port owners are paid for actual tows, meaning that unless they're the one selling you the membership directly, they're probably not receiving any financial gain for that direct purchase. Instead, they're paid for towing by the hour. This means that when they complete that 10-hour tow, they send the invoice in and that invoice, as long as it checks out, is paid. Now, based on SeaTow's website and marketing material, I think they see this as a benefit, not a con. I like to look at it as who has more incentive to tow you when you break down, the company that has already taken your money or the company that needs to complete the tow in order to receive the money. Personally, I think that the company that is incentivized to complete the tow is the company that's paid for the tow. Some of the negative stories I've heard from SeaTow's side is that the towers do not want to actually do the tow. They want to do on-the-water troubleshooting and then even pushing back their estimated time of arrival until you finally give up and call someone else. May or may not be true. I have not independently verified these. I don't really have a way of doing that, but something to consider when you're looking at it. And again, every port is different. There are different owners. Some locals have outstanding customer service from SeaTow. Some have outstanding customer service from TowBoatUS. So, what I'm ultimately saying is your mileage may vary there. I think there are some outstanding captains on both sides and I think overall you're probably going to have a pretty good experience. Okay, now the big question. Who do I recommend? Well, my personal recommendation is TowBoatUS. But, you ultimately have to decide what is best for you. Make sure there's ports in your area with vessels that can service where you intend to fish or operate your vessel. Now, with that said, does my recommendation tie back into my experience and what I did for work before YouTube? Yes, it does. I have no obligation to recommend TowBoatUS. This is not a sponsored video. I have no financial obligation or benefit for recommending them. And I have no moral or other obligation to recommend them, either. It's simply my opinion that TowBoatUS is the better option in most scenarios. It's a more affordable option with more towing vessels at more locations across the US with similar towing coverage between both companies. I've met hundreds of port owners across the United States and I think they're all great people. They're all pleasure to work with and most importantly, they prioritize safety. TowBoatUS works very closely with the Coast Guard in their area and there's a huge focus on proper training and proper safety across the industry. Now, I think the emphasis on safety is a huge benefit to the customer. You want a good experience and you want a safe experience. You want captains that have been thoroughly vetted and have gone through a lot of additional training. Now, that's not to say SeaTow doesn't train their captains and they don't care about safety, but from what I've seen, there's a huge emphasis on safety on the TowBoatUS side and I think that goes a long way. Also, they provide similar coverage at the end of the day, but TowBoatUS is cheaper. and although the coverage is similar, TowBoatUS has more ports, they have more vessels. It's just ultimately going to be more accessible to you, and I think the payment structure, despite the advertising and what it says, is better on the TowBoatUS side. Again, because I want a captain who is incentivized to complete the tow. Now, again, the question of do you need it? Yes, I think everyone needs some form of towing coverage if they plan to operate their vessel on the water. With that said, there are some other options that are typically available through insurance. In most cases, you can add additional towing coverage to your policy at a more affordable price. However, it's important to remember that that only applies to the vessel on the insurance policy in most cases, and there's probably going to be some other limitations about dock-to-dock coverage and other restrictions that might apply. If you have a single vessel, it may be a good option for you, but if you have multiple vessels, you plan on using other vessels that you own, borrow, or charter, or maybe you just want the added peace of mind knowing that you have a dedicated membership that's specific for towing, and when you call in, you're going to get people who understand the needs, I think that the membership is probably worth it in those cases. With that said, if you have a trailer, or you intend to trailer your boat, get the roadside coverage as well. With both companies, I think it's like 15 bucks, it's cheap, and it covers tows, I believe, up to 100 miles. It's well worth it. Boat trailers, you know, they're going to run into problems eventually with the bearings and with the brakes, axles, things like that. Having that peace of mind can go a long way, and it is a pain in the ass finding a towing company that can handle a boat. It's typically on a flatbed, and you already have the height of the flatbed in addition to the trailer and boat and everything else. It's nice having a company who will call around and find a company that can handle that for you. Now, with that said, these are just my opinions. It's important to do your own research and find out what works best for you, and most importantly, if they have the towing vessels in your area. I think both options could lead to a great experience and both options could give you peace of mind. All right, everyone. Thank you so much for watching. I know this is a different format than what you're used to seeing and there's no body camera footage, but we're mixing things up a little bit. If you're looking for a fish and wildlife content specifically, head over to our other channel where we have hundreds of body camera footage featuring interactions with game wardens across the United States. Thank you so much for watching and have a good day.