Towing Erie

You can join their tow service for around $65.00 for pa waters and $85.00 for Lake Erie water. These prices might be off a little but close to this. This gets you a tow,battery jump or gas. This is a one package. Well worth it.

BoatUS towing with trailer assist.  For about $70/year you can cover all of your boats on the water OR on the road.
 
http://www.boatus.com/Towing/
 
 
 

ORIGINAL: gerthome

A friend told me it cost him over $500.00 to get Lake Shore Towing ??? or something like it to come out 1 mile off the point (North Pier Point) to jump start his boat. Does having a mooring spot at Presque Isle marina get you free towing? Does your auto or AAA cover this?

Yes...True...

Boat US or Marine assist is worth the 70-80$ it cost for the year...

ORIGINAL: Bogeyjoker

BoatUS towing with trailer assist.  For about $70/year you can cover all of your boats on the water OR on the road.

http://www.boatus.com/Towing/

This... Not being a di ck but unless your drowning I'm not towing you in, my boat wasn't designed to tow... NO excuse for being on the big pond without towing coverage.

Gerthome, I have had Lake Shore towing insurance for quite a few years. Excellent service. I dock in Presque Isle Bay and I was over at the Trench off Walnut and my old engine finally went on me. I called them on my cell, told them my location (long/Lat) and in no time they were there and towed me to a the launch ramp at Marina Bay. If you need battery jumped, gas, towed, etc. you can call them as many times as needed for one low premium. WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!

ORIGINAL: Trout About

ORIGINAL: gerthome

A friend told me it cost him over $500.00 to get Lake Shore Towing ???

That was a cheap one.  I have a couple friends that popped the motors on their bassboats out at the dump 2 years ago.  It cost them $1000 each to get back to Marina Bay.  The first boat blew the motor, then the other boat ingested water while trying to tow the first one back in.  Was an expensive day on the water for those guys.

Like I said I am not towing you in, if your sinking jump aboard but most likely someone who doesn't know you isn't going to pay for your blown motor as you try to help them out. If you cant afford the 77$ Boat US with trailer assist costs you shouldn't be on the lake.

I have towed boats in the 3 rivers and on Kinzua a few times.
I once towed a 23' cuddy with my jet boat from Wolf Run to Onivill Marina.
Bet the people behind me loved the open highrise headers!
My boat ran out of gas before entering the bay.
Big block Chevy that shoots flames when you start it is was not good for mileage.
First boat we saw towed us both to dock.
The guy wanted to give me $100 but I only accepted $20 in gas

My Glastron has an intermittent wiring problem and I needed towed from North Shore twice last year when filming Abduction was over for the day.
Still have not figured it out but I keep cleaning connectors and testing continuity.
Might even be the module 
First guy would only take $10 and the second time was someone that I helped the day before.

I have 2 outboards and an electric trolling motor on my boat plus radio gps and a cell phone plus the boats us towing insurance.With boats us you can use that in other boats that you are on that break down. Ive never had to tow someone in but ive been towed many times in my dads boat. once out salmon fishing out of olcott NY we had to call 911 and they came out and towed up back for FREE in 6 footers...they only took a donation to the fire hall which now i donate money to their hall every year. they tow alot of boats back for free and it is the least i could do.

Called my insurance company and got $1,000.00 on the boat for towing, gas, battery. Only cost $25.00/ year
preventative measures

I think it is a shame that when someone is in distress some won't help them out . I have towed folks in and received tows in distress . Contrary to what is being said on this thread there are MANY good heartened folks on the water that will help each other out .

I guess if you feel you shouldn't help out another the same karma should be extended to you . I for one will ALWAYS help someone in distress unless the circumstances endanger my crew . I wish society was not deteriorating to the point that many are not willing to help others . I too have lake shore package but most times people (usually new to Lake Erie or from out of town ) do not even realize this service exists . So in short you reap what you sow ....

I have towed several in over the years and don't remember ever being offered anything and don't really care about that. My problem is that several of them were very familiar with Erie and towing packages and ventured out on the lake with known issues without the insurance. Talked with a guy in the parking lot a couple of weeks ago that was telling me how he repaired his block with JB Weld, waiting to launch during a thunder storm.

If you're going to tow someone in 10 or 12 miles your day is over. I guess the fact that I go out of my way to not inconvenience others has something to do with being upset with those that don't care and figure that there will always be someone there to help them out. My time on the water is more and more limited and if you're running an Erie boat $70 is cheap piece of mind. I think all of us would help if the situation were serious.

I had SlickFish on the boat a couple years ago and we heard a mayday on the radio, after the second call with no one answering we picked up and raced to the location given. Only to find the boat partially submerged sitting in the middle of the perch pack. We ran 4 miles or so thinking that someone was in real trouble, just didn't know that there were 35 boats within a quarter mile of him. Yes, I'd do it again...

Not knowing there is service for towing is no excuss. I go to the ocean twice a year and have it there also. I have watched people jump there motor with there truck and still go on the water.

ORIGINAL: Sharpefly

Not knowing there is service for towing is no excuss. I go to the ocean twice a year and have it there also. I have watched people jump there motor with there truck and still go on the water.

 
Really?
 
Since we lived nowhere near any bigger water, there were no towing services on the waters we were accustomed to using.  None, zero, nada.  If, in our entire boating experience there was no such service, how on earth would we have known that not only was there a service, but actually insurance to cover said service?  That would like saying that someone that resides in the Amazon jungle has no excuse for not knowing how to hail a cab in New York should they visit there once, even if they don't know that taxis exist.  Keep in mind, this was way before the interwebs.
 
As for boneheads that jump their boat from their truck before launching or fix a cracked engine block with JB weld, well, they are just that, boneheads.  And as much as I believe that thinning the herd can be a good thing, not all boat issues are associated with that type of activity.  Since I spent about ten years working in boat dealerships, I have seen brand new motors that blew after a few miles (manufacturing defects) during the break-in period, saw electronic components go bad (particularly switch boxes -- again, manufacturing defects), saw new props spin hubs, people get bad gas from a normally reliable source, and other issues that were not bonehead caused.  In all boating, stuff happens. The cause should be inconsequential.
 
Notice I also said "safe" in my towing position.  If it is not safe, by all means, don't do it.  Even the Hypocratic Oath begins with "First, do no harm."  But to just blanket state that not helping, no way, they should have known something that they possible could have no way of knowing or they did something stupid to get themselves into the situation in the first place or it will cut into my recreation time, is, in my opinion, and maybe my opinion only, a little short sighted.  It is my sincere hope that you never require assitance, on the water or elsewhere, and run into yourself when asking for help.

ORIGINAL: Mike_pa

What is the difference between lakeshore towing's plan and boatus's plan?

Lakeshore is the boat us towing service, I'm not sure but I think boat us is less expensive and also covers you on the road... So I guess the answer is the difference is where you send the check and whether or not you want trailer assist....

2nd trip out this year due to health problems water pump burned up had to be towed in from the 13 line out of Conneaut, Thank God I had Lake Shore Towing Unlimited which covers ALL of Lake Erie. A special to a gentleman named Capt Dan for the help he gave me relaying the distress call to Bula coast guard to get intouch with Marine Assist towing company,also a special thanks to Capt.Frank from Marine Assist for being very professional. You have to be nuts not to have towing insurance on Lake Erie all I had to do is sign a paper at the dock and be on my way.