Frequently Asked Questions
Following are some of the most common questions we get asked. Please contact us if you have additional questions.
Towing
The BoatUS National Dispatch Center is open 24-hours, 365 days a year to answer questions and dispatch towing and trailering assistance. The Center can be reached by calling 800-391-4869 or pushing Call for a Tow on your BoatUS App. While on the water you can also hail “TowBoatUS” on VHF channel 16 or via a Coast Guard relay to be connected to a TowBoatUS port in your immediate area.
The Unlimited Service Level provides for 50% of the cost to tow your boat to a repair facility if you break down at your home dock or while mooring. The Unlimited Gold Service Level provides for 100% of the cost to tow your disabled boat to a repair facility up to 25 miles from its home dock or mooring. BoatUS Towing Services does not provide for pre-existing conditions or tows from a home dock or mooring in the first 30 days of Membership.
In areas where TowBoatUS is unavailable, an authorized service provider must be used. If there are none available in your area, contact the BoatUS 24-Hour Dispatch Service Center at 800-391-4869. Once verified by the Dispatch Center that you are boating in an area without a TowBoatUS service provider, BoatUS will provide reimbursement for the first $2,500 of the tow under the Unlimited Service Level and the first $3,000 under the Unlimited Gold Service Level.
BoatUS establishes Towing-Ungrounding as any operation not involving immediate peril to the boat or to a legally protected marine environment and requiring no special equipment. Salvage includes any operation involving immediate peril to the boat, the marine environment or the use of special salvage equipment (pumps, airbags, dredging equipment, cranes, etc.). The BoatUS Towing Service does not provide for salvage operations such as a sinking or hard grounding. Salvage operations, including towing from the salvage site, would be paid for by a yacht or boat insurance policy, such as GEICO boat insurance.
No, a BoatUS Membership does not provide for towing in advance of a storm. However, your local TowBoatUS can be hired separately to tow your boat for storm preparation. TowBoatUS will discontinue operations when they deem conditions to be unsafe. Also, some companies may require someone to be present for the tow. All GEICO boat insurance policies feature named storm haul-out coverage.
Trailer Assist
Yes, Unlimited TRAILER ASSIST® Service will have your vehicle and trailer towed to the nearest repair facility or safe location up to 100 miles from the location of breakdown.
Yes, BoatUS will dispatch a towing service to assist with the retrieval of your trailer.
Yes, as long as you are in the process of either picking up the boat or have just dropped off the boat and are taking the boat trailer back to your storage facility or home, the boat does not have to be on the trailer for BoatUS to provide for the service call.
BoatUS will make every effort to find a company to deliver a tire, but if attempts are unsuccessful after a reasonable effort; BoatUS will send a service provider out to have your boat-trailer hauled to the nearest repair facility or place of safety up to 100 miles.
If — while trailering your boat — you lock your ignition key in your towing vehicle, we will dispatch service to attempt to recover your keys. The program does not provide payment for recovery of boat keys.
Yes, BoatUS will provide payment for the delivery of fuel. The actual cost of the fuel is the Member’s responsibility. State regulations on fuel delivery vary and may be restricted or not available.
Yes, BoatUS will provide for the jump start of your vehicle battery as long as your boat trailer is in tow.
BoatUS will dispatch a service provider to assist you, but will not provide payment for the service. Unlimited TRAILER ASSIST® Service is not an insurance policy and does not provide service for highway accidents. This would normally be paid under your vehicle and or hull insurance policy.
