Frequently Asked Questions

Although commonly referred to as such, a Sea Tow membership is not insurance. It’s assurance. We’ll come to your aid when things go wrong – provide a tow, deliver fuel or jump start your battery so you can get back on your way… It’s our job to help ensure your safety and we take that seriously.

Boat insurance is intended to protect very significant investments -your boat, electronics and gear, etc. – because disasters strike unexpectedly. Many boaters choose to skip the insurance, but it is a huge risk to be left without the means to repair or replace the boat you’ve worked so hard to acquire, let alone handle legal costs should you be faced with lawsuits after an accident.

Maintaining a Sea Tow membership as well as having boat insurance makes common sense – the two are intended to work together to ensure your boating needs are met in unexpected situations, however minor or major they may be.

Boat towing coverage through insurance is never as comprehensive as a Sea Tow membership. Sea Tow has boats, insurance agencies do not. When you need help on the water, you’re still going to need to call us to assist.

A Sea Tow membership is NOT part of your boat insurance policy. If you do not have a Sea Tow membership (our signature yellow card), you are NOT a member.

Boat towing through insurance means, no priority service, paying out of pocket, filing claims, and never knowing who is coming to get you.

Sea Tow membership is simple. You know what you are covered for and not, with no unexpected out-of-pocket costs.

The short answer is yes. But the average cost of service for non-members is roughly $950. That is the industry rate – not our rate alone. So, $249/year for a Gold Card membership and $169/year for a Lake Card membership, is a small price to pay for Peace of Mind on the Water™.

The moment you don’t renew your Sea Tow membership, will be the moment you will need to call Sea Tow.

We always encourage boaters to do some investigation with their insurance providers.

Some questions to ask are:

• WHO is coming to service me on the water? Is there a guarantee that someone will come and that I won’t need to pay out-of-pocket?
• Is there a dollar limit on coverage?
• Will I get towed where I want within my home area or just the nearest safe port?
• Is there a deductible on boat towing coverage?
• Is there a limited use area or a limit on times of use (daytime or nighttime)?
• How long does reimbursement take?
• Does reimbursement count as a claim or casualty loss? Will it impact my future rates?
• What boats are covered under the policy?
• Are there any restrictions on coverage?

No, your membership privileges do not apply when you are a guest or on borrowed vessels, regardless if the owner of the boat is onboard or not.  Gold and Lake Card members are eligible for member services on any boat owned, rented or bareboat chartered by the member.

Yes. You will be serviced in accordance with our Membership Agreement and U.S. Customs regulations.

Call the local number printed on your membership card or hail them on VHF channel 16. Alternately, you can contact our 24/7 Customer Care Center at 800-4-SEATOW (473-2869) and they will transfer you to your local Sea Tow.

In emergency situations ALWAYS call the U.S. Coast Guard or 911 first.

Call Sea Tow via phone at 800-4-SEATOW (473-2869), one-touch to call via the Sea Tow App or contact your local Sea Tow on VHF channel 16. Call “Sea Tow, Sea Tow, Sea Tow, this is the vessel [name].” The local Sea Tow Captain will answer and take you to a working channel.

We do not have any specific offshore distance limits. How far offshore Sea Tow will go to get you is only limited by the sea conditions, fuel capacity of our boats and our ability to communicate with you. If, for any reason, Sea Tow cannot respond we will assist in arranging for an alternate provider and provide reimbursement up to $5000 per incident. In most cases, if we are unable to respond no other commercial assistance provider will be able to either, so we will defer to the U.S. Coast Guard.

On average, Sea Tow Captains are on-scene in an average of 1-hour or less. Response times, however, vary with the situation. Some factors that may affect response times include call volume, distance and weather.  Assistance calls are handled in the order they are received but Sea Tow members are always served first before non-members.

Your membership is active 24-hours after the time your payment is processed. If your membership is active, covered services will be provided even if you don’t have a physical card in hand.

Your membership card will arrive 3-4 weeks after your membership becomes active. But don’t worry, even though you don’t have a physical card in hand, you’re still covered!

Log in to your Sea Tow account and update with your new information or call 800-4-SEATOW and someone from our 24/7 Customer Care Team will assist you.

Yes. Gold Card and Lake Card memberships cover every boat you own, rent, or bareboat charter. To add a boat to your membership, simply login to your Sea Tow account and update there. Or call 800-4-SEATOW. Commercial memberships are limited to one vessel.

Sea Tow membership is non-refundable but is transferable by the member with written notice.

Log in to your Sea Tow account and update with your new information or call 800-4-SEATOW and someone from our 24/7 Customer Care Center will assist you.

Absolutely, just give us a call at 800-4-SEATOW (800-473-2869) or log onto your account on seatow.com and add it online.

When you call us for help you will be transferred to the Trailer Care dispatch center who will locate the best provider for you. However, our Sea Tow representative will monitor your situation to ensure that service is provided in a timely and appropriate manner.

Response time varies with each situation, but we do everything we can to get to you quickly. Factors that affect response time include call volume, the location of your breakdown, weather and traffic conditions.

Services are covered up to $300 for Trailer Care members and up to $600 per incident for Trailer Care+ members.  In both cases the cost of parts, tires or fuel is not covered.  Sign-and-drive service is available in most areas. In cases where it is not available, you will need to submit an itemized bill for all services received. It must be postmarked within 60 days of the incident. All receipts will be reviewed and reimbursement issued promptly for covered services up to your coverage limit. Reimbursement requests can be submitted to trailercare@seatow.com.

Yes. You can choose to locate and employ your own service provider. The service provider must be licensed and insured. In this case, the above mentioned reimbursement procedures applies.