Obligation to tow a boat in opinion

[Overdew]

What are your opinions on the law to tow a boat in that is broke down.
As I remember you only have to help the people and not the boat.
We have towed many in over the years just to be nice.

[bigcountrysg]

What are your opinions on the law to tow a boat in that is broke down.
As I remember you only have to help the people and not the boat.
We have towed many in over the years just to be nice.

Does it really matter. I mean if it was me out on the lake stuck cause my boat broke down, I would hope a fellow boater would pull me ashore. I think that even though there is a law. That the boaters in the boating world watch each others back. Boaters take care of each other. I don't even think there is a need for such a law.

[john warren]

having towed boats,,,and been towed. my take is treat those folks like your going to want to be treated when they find you adrift. if you do much boating , eventualy you will have a problem.
now , the law if im not mistaken obligates you to help a boater in distress. this may not mean towing. you may have to simply render what assistance your able too, and stand by for safety till help arrives. it would be unsafe for many boats to try a tow. specialy if you have no clue as to how to tie off.
if a boat is sinking you are obligated to protect life to the best of your ability. of course.
all this is reason enough to make sure you have a functional vhf radio on board. or on small inland lakes to make sure you have a cell phone or othe means of comunication.
oh,,, and a P.S. your cleats probably do not have a reinforcement plate under them. most don't. they set them up for docking not towing.
they will rip out under tow. put a reinforcement plate under them.

[sullyxlh]

Does it really matter. I mean if it was me out on the lake stuck cause my boat broke down, I would hope a fellow boater would pull me ashore. I think that even though there is a law. That the boaters in the boating world watch each others back. Boaters take care of each other. I don't even think there is a need for such a law.
Not everyone has a big boat
I would stop and see what I could do,but I'll be damned if I'm going to put my passengers at risk towing a boat that 3 times bigger than mine,I will only two a boat if it's smaller than the boat I'm in(that's from a safety standpoint),I have an obligation to stop and make sure the people are in no danger and will assist them anyway I can,but I could give two hoots about the boat there in,I'll take the crew to shore or a dock if there in danger,and they can set anchor and figure out the boat part on there own time,if one can afford a 20k+ boat they can afford to call a salvage crew to come get there boat.
I have yet to see a rescue where the CG takes anything more than the persons in danger,
I think they could care less about material things,there No.1 priority is the life of a person.

[bigcountrysg]

If the boat is obvious bigger then the boat your in I would aggree with you on that. I also understand that you don't have to worry about the material items as in the boat. Your only obligation is to preserve human life. I have not boated on the bigger lakes. Only the smaller inland lakes. In fact the biggest lake I have ever been on was lake Havasou in Arizona. But here in michigan I think the biggest lake I have ever been on was Wamplers Lake out by brooklynn. So from my stand point pretty much if your in a 16-20 ft boot you could safely tow any boat on an inland lake to shore.



Not everyone has a big boat
I would stop and see what I could do,but I'll be damned if I'm going to put my passengers at risk towing a boat that 3 times bigger than mine,I will only two a boat if it's smaller than the boat I'm in(that's from a safety standpoint),I have an obligation to stop and make sure the people are in no danger and will assist them anyway I can,but I could give two hoots about the boat there in,I'll take the crew to shore or a dock if there in danger,and they can set anchor and figure out the boat part on there own time,if one can afford a 20k+ boat they can afford to call a salvage crew to come get there boat.
I have yet to see a rescue where the CG takes anything more than the persons in danger,
I think they could care less about material things,there No.1 priority is the life of a person.

[walleyeman2006]

ive personally braught a 24fter in with a 14fter .........but it was only a mile..and the bay was flat.....a long line is a must...and make sure you have a way to cut the line........in an extreme weather condition.....anchor the destressed vessel and leave it....if theres no anchor oh well....


on the big lakes a good anchor can save your life

[Ferg]

I have yet to see a rescue where the CG takes anything more than the persons in danger,
I think they could care less about material things,there No.1 priority is the life of a person.

The Coast Guard is, in fact, charged with saving life and property at sea - however, those decisions are based on a hundred different factors that present themself at the time of the rescue.

Is the loss of life emminit? If so, extraction of people take number one priority over all else. However, we are talking about towing a boat in, for the sake of this example a relitively calm day on the lakes.

The only person that can make the decision to tow or not is the capt of the boat that is considering doing the towing - it is his decision and his alone.

That holds true for the CG also - when a Station Officer in Charge sends out one of his small boats on a rescue - it is the SOLE responsibility of the boat coaxwain whether or not he executes once he is on scene. He is charged with the safety of his boat and crew first and if executing the rescue is inhearently unsafe, he has to be mature enough to call it - and - get the necessary resources on scene to handle the situation.

There are no officers in the CG or Station CO's that will order a small boat coaxwain to tow a boat, it's at the sole decision of the driver - and that IS ALSO TRUE for private boat owners -

As the capt of your boat, you and you alone have the resonsibility to make that call - for good, bad or otherwise - it's your call -

Sometimes, rendering assistance is as much as 'standing by' (which is sometimes more importaint to those in distress from a mental point) and waiting for CG to arrive than actually taking the tow into your own hands.

And, just for the record, the CG is prohibited from interfering with private commercial tow boat operations as long as those operations have been approved and inspected by the CG as being capable of performing said operations. That is, if the CG starts a tow, and a commercial tow boat operations happens up and says 'I'll take it from here' they have to let the tow go to the commerical tow boat if it is safe to do so. No matter the cost incurred by the towie -

Hope this helps -

ferg....

[roger23]

That's what I was always told, Have seen a commercial tow company take a tow from the Coast Guard more than once have seen the Coast Guard refuse, I don't think the tow companies really want to anger the local Coast Guard

[Ferg]

That's what I was always told, Have seen a commercial tow company take a tow from the Coast Guard more than once have seen the Coast Guard refuse, I don't think the tow companies really want to anger the local Coast Guard

It's a judgement call on the part of the boat coaxwain at the time - he can simply say that he feels that it's unsafe to pass the tow and continue his way into port without the assistance from the commerical tow boat.

Normal operational procedure, all things being equal, and safety not a concern, they should be reliquishing those tows to the commerical guys.

ferg....

[Overdew]

Thanks for all the great opinions.
It answers all my questions from other folks who have argued the point.
Guess I win again :D

Sorry to stir the pot as they say.

[boehr]

That's what I was always told, Have seen a commercial tow company take a tow from the Coast Guard more than once have seen the Coast Guard refuse, I don't think the tow companies really want to anger the local Coast GuardIt is not really a point of a tow company wanting to anger the Coast Guard, more so the other way around. Tow companies making a living verses the Coast Guard or DNR towing somebody for free and taking business or livelyhood away from a private person/company. There are certain regulations/requirements for the towing vessel to be able to tow another vessel.