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| Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About BoatUS Towing Q: What does the service level on my Membership Card mean? Q: What does “Unlimited” mean? Q: How do I know whether I need salt or freshwater Unlimited towing? Q: What is “NEW” to long time Vessel Assist Members? Q: Is my BoatUS Towing Service valid wherever I boat? Q: Do I have to join BoatUS to continue my Vessel Assist Towing Service? Q: If I'm broken down at my dock, does my BoatUS Towing Service still work for me? Q: Can I use some other towing company than Vessel Assist to tow my boat? Q: What is the difference between Towing and Salvage? Q: Does the BoatUS Towing Service provide for recovery and towing of my boat should it sink? Q: Does the BoatUS Towing Service apply if I am a guest on a friend's boat and the owner is aboard? Q: Is it true that towing companies bill from the time they leave their dock to the time they return? Q: What does the service level on my Membership Card mean? This amount represents the amount that BoatUS will pay for provided services. It is NOT a deductible. You are responsible for all charges in excess of your chosen service level. Q: What does “Unlimited” mean? If you require service within a BoatUS Towing Service Area and are towed within that area, we will pay an “Unlimited” amount for provided for services as listed in the BoatUS On-Water Towing Service Agreement. Outside this area, services are provided up to $2,500 for the Unlimited Captain’s Card and $3,000 for the Unlimited Gold Card. Q: How do I know whether I need salt or freshwater Unlimited towing? $34 Freshwater Unlimited towing applies to all inland lakes and rivers up to the point where the water becomes "brackish" (which includes salt) It doesn't limit you though to only one lake such as the competition's lake card. If you use your boat on Fresh and Saltwater, you want to upgrade to Saltwater option. $116 Saltwater Unlimited applies as "anywater" towing no matter if you boat on salty or freshwater or both. It's the right thing to go with since you'll have no worries no matter where you boat. Q: What is “NEW” to long time Vessel Assist Members?
Q: Is my BoatUS Towing Service valid wherever I boat? Yes. BoatUS Towing Service follows you and your boat. No matter where your homeport is or where you keep your boat, if you're within a Vessel Assist service area, BoatUS will provide for towing service up to your selected service level. Even if you are boating in an area that does not support a Vessel Assist Service Provider, BoatUS will reimburse your commercial towing service up to your service level, $2,500 for Unlimited Captain's & $3,000 for Unlimited Gold, when authorized by the BoatUS 24-hour dispatch center. Q: As a Pacific Coast Member, I have become accustomed to the Vessel Assist service providers in my area, will I now have to use BoatUS towers? The familiar local and experienced Vessel Assist captains and companies have not changed. You will still be serviced by the same quality towers you have used, heard on the radio or seen in the past. Vessel Assist is now the sole service provider to both Vessel Assist and BoatUS Members on the Pacific Coast. Q: Do I have to join BoatUS to continue my Vessel Assist Towing Service? Yes. Rather than a Membership in VAAA (Vessel Assist Association of America) you will now receive a Membership in BoatUS (Boat Owners Association of The United States). In addition to towing services, you will be part of the world’s largest association of over 600,000 recreational boaters which has provided savings, service and representation on Capital Hill for over 40 years. Q: If I borrow my friends’ boat and require service, will it be provided for under my BoatUS towing Service? Your new BoatUS Membership and Towing will provide for any recreational boat you own, borrow or charter. If you borrow a boat and the owner is not on board, service will be provided up to your selected service level. If the owner is on board, it is the owners responsibility to have proper towing service Q: If I'm broken down at my dock, does my BoatUS Towing Service still work for me? BoatUS Towing Service is for tows due to breakdowns in while at sea or stranded at a restricted use dock. In addition, if your boat will not start while you are at your home dock, rental dock, or a non-restricted use slip, partial payment for the tow may be available to you. By setting up the tow through normal channels, calling our dispatch center or contacting a Vessel Assist company directly, BoatUS will provide 50% of the towing charge incurred to the closest repair facility for the purpose of engine repairs, up to your current towing service level. Of course, tows due to pre-existing conditions are not provided for at all and BoatUS does not provide for fuel delivery or jump starts at a home dock or mooring. Q: Can I use some other towing company than Vessel Assist to tow my boat? Yes, if dispatched by BoatUS through the 24-Hour Dispatch Center if the closest Vessel Assist tower is not available. BoatUS has partnered with a fleet of over 100 Vessel Assist tow boats on the Pacific Coast contracted and ready to go. When you call the National Dispatch Center, you will receive assistance from the closest available Vessel Assist company. If there isn't one in your area, the dispatcher will help you locate other assistance. There are little to no major boating areas without BoatUS Towing Services. All other parts of the country BoatUS Members can use TowBoatUS companies. Q: When “The Online Guide” doesn't list any Vessel Assist or other approved companies in my area, whom should I use? When you contact the National Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869, the dispatcher can check to see if any approved towing companies have been added to your area since The Guide was published. If there are still no towers in your area, the dispatcher will use other resources to locate the assistance you need in local marinas and commercial towing services. Outside the country tows are reimbursed by BoatUS Q: What is the difference between Towing and Salvage? BoatUS establishes Towing-Ungrounding as "any operation not involving immediate peril to the boat or to a legally protected marine environment and requiring only one towing vessel with lines attached to the grounded boat to refloat it or to the disabled boat to tow it." Salvage includes "any operation involving immediate peril to the boat, the marine environment or the use of special salvage equipment (pumps, airbags, dredging equipment, cranes, etc.)" For more information about the difference between Towing and Salvage, please click here. Q: Does the BoatUS Towing Service provide for recovery and towing of my boat should it sink? The BoatUS Towing Service provides assistance should your boat suffer from a dead battery, an engine breakdown, runs out of gas, or requires a "soft" ungrounding while on the water. It is not designed and does not provide for salvage operations such as a sinking or stranding. Salvage operations, including towing from the salvage site, usually are paid for by a yacht or boat insurance policy, such as BoatUS Marine Insurance. Check your insurance policy and deductible amount for salvage incidents to be prepared. Q: Does the BoatUS Towing Service apply if I am a guest on a friend's boat and the owner is aboard? Every BoatUS towing level provides Towing Service for any boat which the Member owns, borrows, or charters. If the Member is a guest on a boat and the owner is also present, regardless of who is at the helm, the owner would be responsible for having the appropriate towing service, not the guest member on board. Q: I use my boat for charter fishing and diving (or I deliver boats for a dealer). Can I use my BoatUS Towing Service for that boat? The BoatUS Towing Service applies only to a "recreational boat owned, borrowed or chartered" by the Member. Once a boat is used for hire, for commercial purposes, or the Member is a paid captain, the boat or Member is considered commercial. In these cases, the appropriate commercial towing insurance should be purchased as a rider to their policy. Q: Is it true that towing companies bill from the time they leave their dock to the time they return? Yes. Towing companies begin charging for their service from the moment they get underway at sea. Even after you are already safe and sound in your own slip, the clock doesn't stop until the tow boat has returned to its home dock. Remember to take that into consideration when selecting your towing service level. Our fleet is the only program out their where they are to be paid for their time. So they are dedicated to get up at 2am in the morning to service your boat and help you, when money is also helping them! Further Questions? Please click here or send an e-mail to towing@boatus.com.
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