A proud member of the TowBoat U.S. Fleet

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

All Q&A’s assume an unlimited membership. Lesser memberships provide coverage only up to the dollar amount specified in that particular membership. (See 'Options') In other words a $50 membership provides coverage up to the first $50 of the bill. A $150 membership covers only the first $150 of the bill.
All amounts above and beyond those amounts are the customer’s full responsibility.

 

 

I own 2 boats and a wave runner. What does my TowBoatU.S. membership cover?
My wife and I own 2 wave runners. What if we’re both out on the water at the same time?
I’m out with my friend on his boat and it breaks down, will my membership cover it?
Ok, what if I borrowed my friend’s boat and he is NOT on board. The boat ran out of gas. What do I do ?

How much fuel do you carry on the towboat?
I paid for the gas, put it in the boat but it still won’t run, now what?
What if I rent a boat and the engine won’t start after a day of fishing?
I broke down, but all I need is a part to get running again. I don’t want to be towed. What do I do?

I launched my boat at the ramp but the battery is dead. Am I covered?
What is a restricted dock?
My boat is not running. It is in my own slip but needs towing to a repair facility 10 miles away. Am I covered?
I broke down on the river but I am not a member. Can I join by phone and be covered for this situation? And how long am I covered for?

I’ve been meaning to join but forgot, my boat has broken down and I need to be towed. Can I pay cash when you get to me?
Can’t you make an exception this one time? Can you charge me less? I really do have several hundred dollars with me?
Ok, the boat broke down, it’s 11:30pm, and I need to be towed. Am I going to have to wait until daylight?
I was up by Trenton and you’re towing me back to Burlington, but it’s taking forever. Why can’t you go faster?

I’m by myself and launched the boat at a local ramp. After being towed to the ramp I need help putting the boat on my trailer. What should I do?
What about putting my boat in its slip?
I’ve heard that you’ll only tow my boat up to 25 miles. What if I breakdown further away than that from the ramp where I launched?


I own 2 boats and a wave runner. What does my TowBoatU.S. membership cover?
Your membership goes to you. You would be covered on all three watercraft you own.

My wife and I own 2 wave runners. What if we’re both out on the water at the same time?
You can put both names on the membership and you’ll each get a card and key ring tag. If either vessel suffers a breakdown, you’re covered.

I’m out with my friend on his boat and it breaks down, will my membership cover it?
NO!! In this situation, the owner of the boat is on board and it is fully his responsibility. Your membership does not cover this. If your friend is a TowBoatU.S. member however, then he would be covered.

Ok, what if I borrowed my friend’s boat and he is NOT on board. The boat ran out of gas. What do I do ?
In this case, you are covered. If the boat owner is not on board, then your membership applies and TowBoatU.S. will provide assistance for which you’d be covered. We will deliver fuel to you, which you would have to pay for, but the tower’s time would be covered. If the boat still won’t run, then we’d tow you to your port. This would be the same if it were a boat you owned.

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How much fuel do you carry on the towboat?
Here on the Delaware River, our towboats generally carry 10 gallons of gas, which should be enough to get you to a gas dock.

I paid for the gas, put it in the boat but it still won’t run, now what?
We’ll stay with you to see if it will run, if it doesn’t then we’ll provide a tow.

What if I rent a boat and the engine won’t start after a day of fishing?
Again, your membership covers you. We will provide a jump start if the battery drained down, or tow you back to your port.

I broke down, but all I need is a part to get running again. I don’t want to be towed. What do I do?
Need a fuse? A fuel filter? A hose? If we can get the part and run it out to you, we will do it. Your membership would cover our time and you’d only pay for the part. If it’s a part you have at home, have a friend run it over to us at a marina or ramp and save the cost of a duplicate part. Keep in mind that we do not normally carry or stock spare parts on the towboat.

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I launched my boat at the ramp but the battery is dead. Am I covered?
NO! In this situation you are not covered. This is spelled out in your service agreement, which you received with your membership info. This also applies at your home slip. Fuel delivery is also not covered in this case. Jump-starts and fuel delivery are covered in on-the-water situations. In other words, not at the ramp and not at an unrestricted dock. If, however, you pulled away from the dock and the motor quits and the battery has died, your membership would cover you. Especially if you have now drifted over to a restricted dock.

What is a restricted dock?
A restricted dock is a dock that you are not allowed to stay at. For example a gas dock, a restaurant dock, another person’s private mooring or slip, a private dock, etc. Your own dock, slip or mooring is not a restricted dock. Your membership will cover a tow or service from a restricted dock 100%.

My boat is not running. It is in my own slip but needs towing to a repair facility 10 miles away. Am I covered?
Great question! Depending on your level of unlimited membership you will be covered for either 50% or 100%. A Freshwater Unlimited or a Saltwater/Freshwater Unlimited package would cover 50% of the cost of this situation. You would be responsible for the other 50% of the bill. If you have a Gold Unlimited package your costs would be covered 100%. We always suggest that you make arrangements directly with your local TowBoatU.S. tower in this situation so that the job can be done at a convenient time for all parties involved. Remember, your own slip or dock is not a restricted dock.

I broke down on the river but I am not a member. Can I join by phone and be covered for this situation? And how long am I covered for?
NO! But you do get credit for trying! Seriously, this wouldn’t be fair and the company couldn’t stay in business if it allowed this. If you join by phone your membership goes into effect at 11:59pm that same night. Same if you join online. Joining by snail mail would start your membership when the application is received and payment is processed. This is why we’re trying to sell you a membership now, so you don’t get caught in this situation. Also, your membership is for 1 year and will expire on the last day of your anniversary month. So, if you join on April 10th, 2009, your membership will expire on April 30th, 2010.

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I’ve been meaning to join but forgot, my boat has broken down and I need to be towed. Can I pay cash when you get to me?
This question has a multiple part answer. Yes, you can pay cash for the job when it is completed, HOWEVER, you are going to need to guarantee payment for the job beforehand. Pre-authorizing an estimate of the job costs on a credit card before the towboat responds normally does this. Once payment is guaranteed, we’ll come assist you and then you are more than welcome to pay by cash and the charge will be removed from the credit card. The much easier and better way of dealing with this is to become a member TODAY! Remember, at over $190.00/hr for portal-to-portal costs, the totals are going to add up really fast.

Can’t you make an exception this one time? Can you charge me less? I really do have several hundred dollars with me?
The company policy is simple, payment must be guaranteed first. An unlimited membership and your membership number do this, as does the procedure described above.

Ok, the boat broke down, it’s 11:30pm, and I need to be towed. Am I going to have to wait until daylight?
No, we are on call 24/7.The captain may have to get out of bed, but one of our vessels is going to respond. Here on the Delaware River we have done many jobs between the hours of midnight and “ ‘0’ Dark Thirty”.

I was up by Trenton and you’re towing me back to Burlington, but it’s taking forever. Why can’t you go faster?
Simply put, because it’s DANGEROUS. There are few vessels that can be towed on plane. You’re vessel is going to be more adversely affected by sea conditions and other vessel wakes while being towed. We have much more control and a much higher degree of safety at the slower towing speed. We know that when you are being towed you’re probably not having the best day, but our only concern is getting you and your vessel home safely so you can enjoy a better day tomorrow.

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I’m by myself and launched the boat at a local ramp. After being towed to the ramp I need help putting the boat on my trailer. What should I do?
Boaters are generally friendly and helpful people. If there are others around there will most likely be an offer to help. That being said, as captains we’ll try and put your boat in the best position possible to make recovering your boat as simple as it can be. Talk to the towboat captain ahead of time so he can formulate a plan. We will do the best we can depending on what the local conditions are.

What about putting my boat in its slip?
Again, we’ll do what we can to accommodate your request if the local conditions allow it to be done safely. Keep in mind that if the towboat and your vessel are tied up alongside they now have a combined beam of at least twice as wide as one boat. Some marinas have relatively narrow fairways and traffic, sea and wind conditions may adversely affect the 'combined' vessel. Also, if your boat will need to come out of the water for repairs it may be better to make arrangements to be towed directly to a boat lift or to a ramp for trailering. Remember, talk to your towboat captain so he can formulate a plan.

I’ve heard that you’ll only tow my boat up to 25 miles. What if I breakdown further away than that from the ramp where I launched?
The minimum service area for a TowBoatU.S.provider is 25 miles radius from it’s home port. Here on the Delaware River our service areas are 35 miles. Many service providers on the NJ coast provide service up to 75 miles and further from their home ports. For you tuna fisherman in our area, several of them will go to the Tip of the Hudson canyon!! If it is necessary to do so, you will be 'handed off' from one service area to another in order to get you home.
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