Don’t Get Stranded

What could be worse than being stuck along a remote stretch of highway at night with burned trailer bearings? Or drifting across a windy lake after you’ve spun a prop hub?

The answers to both questions are the same regardless of the location, on land or water. If you are disabled due to mechanical problems you need help. On water, help means a tow back to the ramp or marina. On the highway, assistance is a tow truck.

Mechanical breakdowns are givens in the world of boating and fishing. Having a go-to source in the event you need additional help getting back on the road or underway on the lake is a matter of who to summon for help.

Belonging to BoatU.S. and two of its membership programs can provide a dependable resource for help, anytime and most anywhere. BoatU.S. isn’t just for recreational boaters. To the contrary, the organization’s growing membership of 650,000 includes hunters and anglers who go boating to reach their fishing and hunting areas.

The BoatU.S. Trailering Club and BoatU.S. Towing are special programs available to members also appealing to bass club anglers. Trailering Club membership includes Trailer Assist, dedicated on-the-road assistance for both your trailer and the towing vehicle while trailering your boat. Service now includes up to 100 miles of towing from the point of breakdown, in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

BoatU.S. Trailering Club also covers labor for flat tire assistance, fuel delivery, lockout service, or jump-start of your towing vehicle or boat trailer when either the trailer or towing vehicle suffers a breakdown while trailering the boat.

For peace of mind, members have access to dedicated toll-free 24-hour dispatch centers on both Atlantic and Pacific coasts staffed by BoatU.S. employees to get you safely back on the road.

With more than 24,000 ramps across the country, finding the perfect place to launch a boat might seem a bit daunting. Trailering Club gives members a shortcut to finding a ramp, saving them time, gasoline and even launch fees. By calling a toll-free ramp locator line, members get information on ramp conditions, trailer parking, fees, operating hours, directions and showers and restroom facilities. The operators even have tips on nearby shopping, lodging and restaurants.

Membership in Trailer Assist costs $29 annual. In addition to Trailer Assist, members receive a subscription to BoatU.S. Trailering Magazine, Ramp Locating Service and the $19 BoatU.S. annual membership dues.

Ironically, the most common call to the BoatU.S. Trailering Club dispatch line is for flat tires. If you have the ability to change an automobile tire, obviously you can change a boat trailer tire. Unfortunately, many boat trailer manufacturers don’t include a spare tire and carrier as standard on all models (it usually attaches to the winch post or lies flat on the trailer frame in front of the wheels) so recreational boaters have to make the effort to buy a mounting bracket as well as the appropriate spare tire.

The second most-common call to the dispatch center is for bearing problems. The procedure takes 30-45 minutes per axle when a professional is doing the job. Many boat trailer dealers offer an annual maintenance package which includes an inspection of wheel bearings.

BoatU.S. Towing provides access to the largest network of on-the-water commercial towing companies nationwide. With over 500 boats in over 280 ports, service is just a call away. Similar to a roadside auto club, BoatU.S. offers on-the-water assistance plans starting at around $37 a year. Without a towing plan, boaters face costs that nationally average about $600 per incident.

Coverage is based on how much you need. For example, unlimited freshwater towing is available for an annual flat rate of $34, which includes all inland lakes and rivers plus the Great Lakes. If a BoatU.S. towing affiliate is unavailable in a given area, the organization will reimburse members to their purchased level of on-the-water towing.

Commercial towing companies charge stranded boaters based on “Portal-to-Portal” distances. In simplest terms, they charge from the time they leave their port until the time that they return. These charges average between $150 and $200 per hour, making the service a bargain. The distance you breakdown from your home port is of no matter. It is the distance you breakdown from the homeport of the towboat. So, even if you only boat close to your port, if the tower’s port is 10 miles away, your cost could exceed the expected.

BoatU.S. Towing comes in packages to meet the needs of individual boaters. Unlimited Towing is the most popular option. The service provides unlimited payment for provided towing services within any TowBoatU.S. Service area nationwide. A TowBoatU.S. Service Area is defined as a minimum of a 25-mile radius of the towing operator’s homeport. Plus, many TowBoatU.S. Service Providers have extended service areas of up to and beyond 50 and even 75 miles offshore.

In addition to “Portal-to-Portal” and hourly towing charges, if you find yourself bumped onto a sandbar, non-members may also be charged up to $20 per foot of a vessel’s length to be pulled free. The fee to pull the boat off a bar is not based on the time it takes to pull you free, but rather the length of your boat.

BoatU.S. members save money every time they use their membership card at over 875 cooperating marinas for discounts on fuel, overnight slips and boat repairs. BoatU.S. also insures billions of dollars worth of members’ boats offering unparalleled service at competitive prices. Membership includes a magazine, Web sites and services custom-tailored for boaters who fish, hunt and enjoy recreational boating.

Since its founding in 1966, BoatU.S. has been the voice of recreation and sportsmen boat owners on Capitol Hill and with federal agencies in Washington. The BoatU.S. mission is to fight unfair federal taxes, fees and regulations that single out boat owners and to work with state agencies to promote boating laws that make sense.

 

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