In 2017, TowBoatUS Middle River/Baltimore assisted just over 1600 boaters in need. That number jumps to 70,000 plus when you look at the cases handled by the national network of TowboatUS Captains. BoatUS statics help boaters to understand the reasons why you might just need a tow before the season is over. The following TOP FIVE is excerpted from an article written by Charles Fort in the digital edition of BoatUS Magazine.
1. Mechanical Breakdown: 54% – Boat engines, transmissions, and drives have a lot of moving parts, which helps explain why more than half of TowBoatUS towing calls are for mechanical breakdown.
2. Running Aground: 12% – Not paying attention to where you are and not looking at your charts is the surest way to get stuck on the bottom. Boats with deeper drafts, like sailboats, get stuck more often but speed is a factor, too. Faster boats have less time to react to shallows. Be sure to have a properly calibrated depth sounder on-board.
3. Dead Battery: 9%- Batteries have a shelf life, though it can vary by years depending on how they’re treated. If it’s getting weak, replace it. Nearly all batteries are marked with their manufacture date or warranty start date, and wet-cell batteries typically last five years or fewer on a boat.
4. Out of Fuel: 9% – Running out of fuel on the water is more serious than in your car. Not only can you start drifting into danger, you can’t simply walk down the road to the nearest gas station to get more. Don’t put off fueling up because you think you will make it and don’t rely on the fuel gage. Check the fuel level manually whenever you can.
5. Overheated Engine: 4% – An overheating engine is really a subset of mechanical breakdown, because an overheated engine is often caused by a failed water pump or a clogged raw water intake. Rubber impellers don’t last forever, and to be safe, they should be replaced at least every two seasons. Some other interesting statistics (if you’re into this sort of thing): Larger boats get towed more often than small boats and power boats over 28’ make up more than 1/3 of all towing cases. Maryland doesn’t even rank in the top 5 for the states where boaters get towed the most. Who knew? Well, we did.
So, before you become a statistic, please become a member of our Unlimited towing program. I can guarantee you will be 100% happy that you made the call to become a member or unhappy when you have to pay out-of-pocket for a tow.
