Sea Tow membership available at Costco now

I cannot imagine that this will work for ST. They are discounting the product, paying Costco a cut, and I suspect most current ST customers are Costco members so their existing customer base will get a discount.

Are there really that many Costco customers that need ST that do not already have it?

Glad for those that can get the discount, but business wise, it seems illogical to me.

MM
 
MonacoMike said:
Are there really that many Costco customers that need ST that do not already have it?

MM
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I need to reup mine, so it's good timing. Usually when you renew your ST subscription it tacks on to the the back of your current membership.
 
I have towing included in my NBOA insurance policy. Don't others? Do I need a separate ST policy?
 
spikedaddy.....I have BoatUS Unlimited Gold Towing. I'm sure SeaTow has the same. The towing under your NBOA policy probably doesn't cover everything or anywhere. The general feeling is with a ST or BoatUS towing package, at only ~$150/year depending on local and boat size, you're pretty much covered for any eventuality.

A long way to say "Cheap Insurance".

Jaybeaux
 
spikedaddy99 said:
I have towing included in my NBOA insurance policy. Don't others? Do I need a separate ST policy?
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We discussed this not long ago and it seemed to boil down to, do you want to pay upfront and get reimbursed later by your insurance company or have ST or BUS take care of it. Also anything not cover by them can be turned into your insurance.

The tow coverage limits on most insurance policies are very low for what the charges usually are. I choose to carry BUS as they are in my area.

MM
 
Mike, Since I've been fortunate enough to never need a tow, what would typical charges be?
Where do I find Frank's recommendations? You have a link? Mike
 
spikedaddy99 said:
Mike, Since I've been fortunate enough to never need a tow, what would typical charges be?
Where do I find Frank's recommendations? You have a link? Mike
Click to expand...

Thankfully I have not either, but have talked to local BUS captains and a soft ungrounding will like be in the $2-3K range. If you have a dead battery are you really going to make a claim to your insurance company.

MM
 
MonacoMike said:
I cannot imagine that this will work for ST. They are discounting the product, paying Costco a cut, and I suspect most current ST customers are Costco members so their existing customer base will get a discount.

Are there really that many Costco customers that need ST that do not already have it?

Glad for those that can get the discount, but business wise, it seems illogical to me.

MM
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Probably a corporate money grab at the expense of the operators. From what I have been told Sea Tow operators keep the majority of the renewal fees and earn very little on the tow. BoatUS I have heard is the opposite - they keep very little but get paid more when they perform the services.

So, if this is true ST operator must still provide services to subscribers but a corporate deal would keep the majority of the sale - a lose for the local operator.

This is based on what I have heard and have nothing to back it up but it has come from speaker to captains working for each of the services. I can not vouch if this is the same model.

Also, if you are a member of a local boating/yacht club they may also carry a discount code for BoatUS - ours does.

-Kevin

-Kevin
 
Huh, Sea Tow is $119 on our lake. I know being on an inland lake affects the cost. Our marina negotiated a $20 discount, so I could get it for $99. I don't have ST because my insurance has a rider for towing and outdrive coverage for the same price.
 
The 40 dollar discount off the regular price of 179 will help justify the Costco membership that we rarely use. I hope they are still running this a month from now when my BoatUS membership expires.
 

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highslice said:
Huh, Sea Tow is $119 on our lake. I know being on an inland lake affects the cost. Our marina negotiated a $20 discount, so I could get it for $99. I don't have ST because my insurance has a rider for towing and outdrive coverage for the same price.
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Sea Tow has 2 types of plans. Gold covers all waterways for $179 (as of 2019). Lake covers inland, fresh, non-tidal waterways for $119 (as of 2019). Costco is offering a discount on the Gold service.

upload_2019-5-10_9-40-6.png
 
Bridog said:
The 40 dollar discount off the regular price of 179 will help justify the Costco membership that we rarely use. I hope they are still running this a month from now when my BoatUS membership expires.
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We do not have the choice in our area, BoatUS is it.

MM
 
All I know is my anchor line on my 23’ deck boat broke (outboard 200). I was about 2-3’ From shore, and the gulf waves were crashing in raising the bow a good distance, probably 2’ Each time, putting stress on the anchor line. I did not have enough anchor line out, and did not have a chain. Line snapped, boat was grounded in what seemed like 5 seconds. We called sea tow (had let our subscription lapse 5 years prior) they wanted 750$ (Not bad considering I saved 5 years worth of tow insurance) my wife was giving her credit card to sea tow when 10 guys walked up and had the boat back in the water in about a minute. This was 2010, maybe earlier. Boat people are good people and towing is expensive, but the price seems pretty justifiable to me given the cost to operate, the time, experience needed, etc.
 
I got towed in once on my Wellcraft about 30 years ago. Was about 500 back then. Since then I’ve had some sort of Towing coverage. Fortunately I’ve not needed it since, and they are way ahead as far as payments go, but I know as soon as I drop my coverage...BAM... something will happen. Cheap insurance for a little peace of mind.
 
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