Whether you’re a longtime, loyal member or new to the family, know and understand all the benefits that Sea Tow Gold and Lake Card membership provide.

unlimited Towing with no distance or dollar limits in your home area.

If you need a boat tow, no worries. With membership, there are no distance limits AND you will be towed to the port of your choice within your home area. Unlike Sea Tow, with most boat insurance policies you will be towed to the closest safe port. Plus, there may be a cap to the number of claims you can submit annually.

no claims for service, No unexpected out-of-pocket costs, no reimbursements needed.

Submitting an insurance claim for on-water assistance with your provider may impact your rates. As a Sea Tow member, you pay one annual rate for the clear coverage you receive.

response time matters.

Members get 24/7 priority service and are always served before non-members. Sea Tow Captains routinely arrive in under 1-hour from 500+ ports nationwide. When you dial 800-4-SEATOW for assistance, 86% of all calls are answered by live U.S. based representatives in 20-seconds or less. So when you need help, you know who is coming to help you and when.

No Limits on Offshore Distance

Sea Tow Captains always go the extra mile for members. Offshore distance is only limited by weather/sea conditions, crew availability, fuel capacity, and the ability to communicate. If for some reason we can’t respond, we will assist in arranging for an alternate provider and reimburse up to $5,000 per incident. If there is no other commercial assistance provider available, we will defer to the Coast Guard.

scheduled Dock-to-Dock Tow Coverage

Gold and Lake Card memberships cover scheduled tows from your home dock to a repair facility or haul-out ramp on all your covered vessels. Check your insurance policy to understand if dock-to-dock towing coverage is included.

Local Knowledge, professional service.

Ask Sea Tow^® is a boater’s direct line to on-water knowledge. Reliable, professional Sea Tow Captains are standing by to provide local navigation and referrals, share local knowledge, and are trained to troubleshoot your issues over the phone first so you can get back to enjoying your time on the water.

Per the Sea Tow Membership Agreement. Check back frequently for current terms. 

The post Why Boaters Choose Sea Tow appeared first on Sea Tow.

Sea Tow’s Customer Care Team \ 800-473-2869

When calling for on-water assistance, have the following information ready to expedite your call and dispatch:

1.  Your location (GPS preferred)
2. Your boat details: make, length, color, name if applicable and anything that would distinguish you from other boats in the area
3.  Nature of distress/description of the problem you are having
4.  Where you left from and where you’re heading to
5.  Number of people on board
6.  Whether or not you are anchored

No cell service? Hail Sea Tow on VHF channel 16. Offshore with no service or you’ve hailed Sea Tow on channel 16 with no response? Hail the Coast Guard and ask them to relay to Sea Tow.

IMPORTANT! IN AN EMERGENCY, LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION, ALWAYS HAIL THE COAST GUARD FIRST ON VHF CHANNEL 16.

Before heading out on the water, download the Sea Tow app to reach us directly with one touch.

UNMATCHED MEMBER BENEFITS

Sea Tow has been the premier leader in on-water boating assistance since 1983. With Sea Tow, you pay one annual rate and receive the most comprehensive member benefits available. Membership includes a full suite of on-water assistance services for every boat you own or rent. Learn more about our membership options today. To find the Sea Tow closest to you, use our service locator or call our Customer Care Center at 800-4-SEATOW.

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Misconception #1: Sea Tow membership
is included with your insurance.

Reality: An annual Sea Tow membership is NEVER … EVER … EVER… included with your boat insurance policy. And that is because membership benefits go far beyond what any towing coverage through insurance provides. You can choose to get a Sea Tow membership IN ADDITION TO whatever coverage you might have with your insurance – but don’t confuse the two. The biggest benefit you lose with just towing through your insurance policy? PRIORITY SERVICE. Without membership – you could be waiting for a while! Click here to read some FAQs that showcase the difference.

Misconception #2: Sea Tow membership
is too expensive.

Reality: In the grand scheme of boating expenses, a Sea Tow membership is likely the most affordable item to buy for your boat(s). The average cost of a tow without membership is now over $1,000, but an annual Sea Tow Gold Card membership is only $249. The current average cost of a gallon of gasoline is $3.45 on land and even more at fuel docks, dockage can cost $1,000’s a year – you do the math. Weigh your membership and upgrade options here.

Misconception #3: I don’t need Sea Tow –
my friends will help me.

Reality: We’ve all seen what happens when friends tow friends … there are certain pages on Instagram that make a living showing these blunders. The bottom line? This is what we do. We’re 24/7/365 and whether it’s 1 p.m. or 1 a.m. … we’re standing by to help you. Our most loyal members say…. “We love you … but we hope we never have to call you!” and we take pride in that!

MEMBER BENEFITS BEYOND 24/7 TOWING

As the premier leader in on-water boating assistance, Sea Tow members receive the most comprehensive benefits available. Membership includes a full suite of on-water assistance services for every boat you own, rent, or bareboat charter. Learn more about our membership options today. To find the Sea Tow closest to you, use our service locator or call our Customer Care Team at 800-4-SEATOW.

The post Myth Busting: Top 3 Misconceptions About a Sea Tow Membership appeared first on Sea Tow.

• Can we really cruise across that cut at mid-tide?
• Where’s the nearest dock to gas up?
• Isn’t there supposed to be a channel marker off this point?

While these are the kind of questions you should be able to get answered over the VHF, getting the right answers from a trusted source is the key to charting your course. Continue reading to learn about the unmatched benefits of a Sea Tow membership.

Services Included with a Sea Tow Membership

Sea Tow Captains are your local resource on AND off the water. From navigational assistance and mishap prevention tips to getting you back underway without just towing you in, our captains always go the extra mile. Unmatched benefits with membership go far beyond boat towing. With a Sea Tow membership, you’ll benefit from:

• Free Boat Towing: Unlimited boat towing in your home area with no distance or dollar limits. Members get priority over non-members.

• Dock-To-Dock Towing on All Your Boats: 100% coverage on dock-to-dock tows from your homeport to repair facility (or trailer ramp for haul out) on all your covered vessels with Gold or Lake Card membership.

• Alternatives to Towing: Fuel delivery, jump starts, prop disentanglements (no diver), parts delivery, ungroundings; and that’s just on-water services. Use your local captains for everything from navigational assistance to tides and weather.

• Offshore Coverage: We always go the extra mile, especially when you are offshore. And we never limit how far offshore we will go; we leave that up to our captains and the situation.

Sea Tow Can Help

You can bet our Sea Tow Captains have explored all the flats, poked around the creeks, located trouble spots, and sampled the waterfront restaurants and attractions in their area. They’re current on weather conditions and on the fishing hot spots. Your local captains are a terrific resource when a Google search doesn’t provide a clear answer to what you’re looking for.

Unmatched Member Benefits

As the premier leader in on-water boating assistance, members receive the most comprehensive benefits available. Membership includes a full suite of on-water assistance services for every boat you own or rent. Learn more about our membership options today. To find the Sea Tow closest to you, use our service locator or call our Customer Care Team at 800-4-SEATOW.

The post The Unmatched Benefits of a Sea Tow Membership appeared first on Sea Tow.

The answer? Sea Tow’s offshore coverage does not have any specific offshore distance limits. We’re only limited by the sea conditions, the fuel capacity of our boats, and our ability to communicate with you. If for any reason Sea Tow cannot respond, we will certainly assist in arranging for an alternate assistance provider and offer reimbursement up to $5,000 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.

Tip: In addition to a VHF radio, it’s essential to have a working GPS onboard in order to help Sea Tow or the Coast Guard locate you offshore, as it will allow you to provide your boat’s exact coordinates.

If you’re still unsure about the coverage your membership provides, please contact your local captain or call our 24/7 Customer Care Team at 800-4-SEATOW. Refer to the Sea Tow Membership Agreement.

UNMATCHED MEMBER BENEFITS

Sea Tow has been the premier leader in on-water boating assistance since 1983. With Sea Tow, you pay one annual rate and receive the most comprehensive member benefits available. Membership includes a full suite of on-water assistance services for every boat you own or rent. Learn more about our membership options today. To find the Sea Tow closest to you, use our service locator or call our Customer Care Center at 800-4-SEATOW.

The post How Far Offshore Will Sea Tow Come to Get Me? appeared first on Sea Tow.

The water was flat calm as Bob Matthews and his wife, Catherine, backed out of their slip and headed up the creek at no-wake speed. With clear skies and a windless forecast for the early morning hours, conditions were perfect for kicking off their fishing season. Striped bass was today’s target, but a lengthy cruise down the twisty two-mile tributary to the harbor would need to be made before making the 16-mile run along the beach to a rocky point where one of Bob’s friends had scored the limit the day before.

“We had some bad gas in the tank on our initial shake-down run a week prior,” relayed Bob, “so we just wanted to make sure everything was good to go before heading out of the harbor. Our mechanic had suggested we add some dry gas to the half-filled tank, change our filters, and top off with hi-octane fuel to clear up the problem. If the engine were still running rough at that point,” Bob continued, “we could always get the old gas removed and start with a clean slate.”

After an initial cough or two, the older, two-stroke outboard seemed to be working perfectly.

It purred softly at idle and slow speeds inside the creek and hummed appropriately out in the harbor. Bob cut the engine twice to make sure it would restart and, having no problems, pointed the bow east toward open water and his striper hot spot.

“Everything seemed to be going fine as we made our first couple of drifts,” revealed Bob, “Then, as we set up for a third pass off the point, the engine sputtered and died. I tried to turn it over a few times, but it would cough a little and then shut down as I kicked it into gear. I checked to make sure the fuel line was clear and fully engaged at both ends, pumped the bulb a few times to confirm gas was getting to the engine, and even tried waiting several minutes between tests to make sure I hadn’t flooded the system. Nothing worked. We were dead in the water.”

With no other choices, the Matthews allowed their vessel to drift clear of some moderate rips and dropped anchor as the tide graciously carried the 19-foot center console into a quiet cove with a clean, sandy bottom.

“I think it’s time to call Sea Tow,” said Catherine. “You can always keep trying to get it running while we wait for them to arrive.”

“Guess so,” responded Bob, “I have their number in the dashboard storage box. I’ll give them a shout. There’s a package of cut clams in the cooler, so we can fish the bottom for scup and sea bass while we wait. Maybe we can still put a few fillets on ice.”

Even if they keep their vessels well-maintained and take all the basic precautions necessary before heading out, most boaters at some point experience engine trouble or some other mechanical failure that can prevent them from safely arriving at their destination or turning around and heading back to port. Steering cables break, oil pumps quit, throttles and shifters seize, and submerged rocks damage bottom units. Like it or not, that’s all part of the boating experience.

While no one is ever happy with such occurrences, it can be a relief to know that Sea Tow is always ready to come to your aid when a trip slides off course.

On this mildly ill-fated trip, the Matthews decided to sit back and drop their fishing lines over the side while waiting for Sea Tow to make the hour-long run. Before the yellow response vessel drew close, they managed to ice a dozen slab porgies and two tasty black sea bass. Several additional attempts to start the engine had failed, so their Sea Tow captain secured a tow line and, safely connected, they all headed home against what was by then a stiffening breeze.

“The trip home took nearly two hours, but it was, all things considered, pretty relaxing,” recalled Bob. “In fact, at one point I had contemplated putting out a couple of trolling rigs. I know of another Sea Tow member who did that on a return tow from offshore waters in Florida – he actually caught a couple of Mahi. We had enough fish in the cooler already, though, so we decided to just take it easy. We had plans to meet friends for an early dinner and drinks at a waterfront restaurant back near the marina. Thanks to Sea Tow’s prompt response, we managed to make it with time to spare. We even had time to run home, shower, and freshen up before heading out to eat.”

Of course, the convenience and reassurance of having a Sea Tow membership provides a feeling of security whenever you hit the water, but it was when they got back to the dock that Bob and Catherine also got a good look at the monetary side of their membership privileges.

Once their vessel was safely secured, their assisting captain assured them there would be no charge for the service. As a Sea Tow member, their invoice was $0.  The typical charge in their area runs $300 per hour from the time a tow vessel leaves the dock to the time it returns, so if not a member their tow would have cost $1200.!

“Getting our Sea Tow membership was one of the smartest boating moves we’ve ever made,” laughed Catherine. “It’s saved us a lot of money in the time we’ve had it.”

The Matthews have since had the bad gas removed from their tank, changed all their fuel filters, and made a practice of keeping their gas tank filled through the cooler months after a full winterization. They are currently in year six as boat owners, and year five as Sea Tow members.

“It is good to know that Sea Tow is out there 24/7,” concluded Bob. “We’re friendly with our local Sea Tow captains. In fact, we wave at them when cruising past. Sometimes we even pull up and get a fishing report. After all, membership privileges go far beyond just towing.”

UNMATCHED MEMBER BENEFITS

Sea Tow has been the premier leader in on-water boating assistance since 1983. With Sea Tow, you pay one annual rate and receive the most comprehensive member benefits available. Membership privileges include a full suite of on-water assistance services for every boat you own or rent. Learn more about our membership options today. To find the Sea Tow closest to you, use our service locator or call our Customer Care Team at 800-4-SEATOW.

Interested in boating safety tips from the Sea Tow Foundation? Click here.

The post Membership Has Its Privileges appeared first on Sea Tow.

Many Sea Tow members point to the feeling of security they get simply from knowing Sea Tow has their back on the water, 24/7/365. Have a boating problem? You call Sea Tow. It’s hard to overestimate the importance of such reassurance for those who love the boating lifestyle.

For others, the value of Sea Tow boils down to dollars and cents. From this view the economic advantages of a Sea Tow membership are clearly a good investment. Consider the cost of on-water assistance if you are not a member of Sea Tow. Depending where you are in the country, hourly rates range from $250 to $500 per hour from the time the boat leaves its dock until it returns to its dock. The further you break down from port, time of day, weather conditions, etc. all contributes to that rate. For Sea Tow members, all that time is free and that adds up to significant savings. Last year, Sea Tow members saved over $20 million dollars in towing costs alone.

One of the biggest misconceptions out there is that Sea Tow membership is included with towing coverage through an insurance policy. That is not the case.

Without a Sea Tow membership card, you do not have Sea Tow. So why have Sea Tow and towing coverage through your insurance? Simply put, a boat towing membership will always be more comprehensive than what towing coverage through insurance will offer. Priority service, distance, dollar limits, what’s covered, what’s not; it’s always worth doing some investigation with insurance providers to understand exactly what services are covered and how reimbursement or claims will work.

Listen to Captain Ramsey chason of Sea Tow Cape and Islands and Captain Mike Langenbach of Sea Tow Huntington talk about response time for non-members with an insurance policy towing rider.

Visit our FAQ page to read the full list of  Towing Coverage on Insurance Policies vs Sea Tow Membership.

But the value of a Sea Tow membership runs even deeper than that. With Sea Tow, there’s no boat towing distance or dollar limits in your home area, local captains are always standing by ready to help and share their knowledge of local waters, and members always receive priority service. Further, the goal of every Sea Tow Captain is to get members up and running again if possible, rather than simply hooking up your boat and towing it home. If there’s a way to get you behind the helm and on your way, Sea Tow will strive to make it happen.

As a Sea Tow member, you’ll also receive plenty of added value beyond the end of a tow line.

Standard services fuel deliveries, jump starts, nationwide coverage, covered ungroundings, and more. Add in the Sea Tow Savings Club, through which members are eligible for discounts and special offers at local marinas, fuel docks, repair facilities, hotels and tackle shops, as well as car rental services and worldwide businesses discounts, and it’s easy to see how all these savings can add up to a significant chunk of change over the course of a boating season.

So then, what is it that makes a Sea Tow membership such a value? It’s all the above, of course, plus the knowledge that your membership dollars stay local, in your own community, to keep your Sea Tow Captains and crews ready to assist when you make the call.

Rest assured that on-water assistance is never more than a quick call away. Join for peace of mind, economic rewards, or both. Any way you do the math, a Sea Tow membership is a plus on the balance sheet.

The post The Value of Sea Tow appeared first on Sea Tow.

“There are two things I really like about this card,” he says with a wry grin. “First, it saves me money every time I take it out. Second, it’s bright, so I can find it easily in my wallet.”

McNulty has been a Sea Tow member for four years and he’s about to cash in on a value-added feature of membership. That’s because, in addition to providing free boat towing, fuel delivery, jump starts, dock-to-dock tows, and more under one annual membership, members are also entitled to some valuable savings.

“You’d be surprised what this card can save you over the course of a boating season,” explains McNulty. “Sure, I became a member because I wanted the security of knowing someone is watching my back 24/7 while I’m on the water, but I’m on top of things with my boat. Although I use it nearly every week I’ve only had to request help a few times, so I really like that I get to save money when I show my Sea Tow card at the tackle shop, the gas dock, or when I order boating stuff online. If you use your discounts enough, you might save more than the cost of membership some years.”

McNulty’s savings this week alone are a case in point. Using Sea Tow discounts, he recouped $8 on bait, hooks, a new fillet knife, braided fishing line, and an assortment of lures from his local tackle shop because it offered a 5 percent savings to Sea Tow members. “It’s the mid-point of the season and time to re-stock,” he noted. An additional savings of $7 at the gas dock resulted from topping off his vessel before heading out the inlet and down the beach to work a nearshore wreck with a trio of fishing buddies.

“I also saved about $20 bucks on a new boat cover,” revealed McNulty. “I have a discontinued center console from 2011 so I had to go online and get a custom canvas – but the dealer offered Sea Tow Members a 10 percent discount. Sweet!”

Those kinds of savings really add up over the year.

Indeed, under the “One Card, All Kinds of Help” philosophy, Sea Tow features a variety of local and national businesses through the Sea Tow Savings Club, a program established to bring Sea Tow members discounts on a variety of products ranging from gas, tackle, safety equipment, accessories, and electronics to car rentals and fishing charters.

“I’m saving something every couple of weeks with my Sea Tow card,” concludes McNulty as he heads down the dock with fish on the brain. “See these glasses? There’re from Fishgillz. Polarized, of course – and they look really good!” he adds with a chuckle. “Sea Tow saved me 25 percent. Man’s gotta have shades.”

MEMBER BENEFITS BEYOND 24/7 TOWING

As the premier leader in on-water boating assistance, Sea Tow members receive the most comprehensive benefits available. Membership includes a full suite of on-water assistance services for every boat you own, rent lease or bareboat charter. Learn more about our membership options today. To find the Sea Tow closest to you, use our service locator or call our Customer Care Team at 800-4-SEATOW.

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