BoatUS Membership: Why It's on the Checklist Every Trip
A tow rope and a full tank of fuel cover you inside the inlet. Sixty miles out, a dead engine with no towing coverage turns into one of the most expensive days you’ll ever have on the water — towing companies bill by the hour and by the mile, and offshore distances add up fast in both directions. BoatUS membership is the cheapest insurance policy on this boat, and it belongs right next to the EPIRB and the ditch bag on the offshore safety checklist.
What BoatUS actually is
Boat Owners Association of The United States has been around since 1966, and the towing side of it runs through TowBoatUS — a network of roughly 600 towboats covering over 300 ports, with 24-hour dispatch on both coasts. Call the dispatch line, and they get a boat to you whether you’re dead in the water 40 miles out or stuck on a sandbar in the inlet. It’s the on-water version of a roadside assistance plan, and like roadside assistance, the value only becomes obvious the one time you actually need it.
The plans, and which one actually matters
BoatUS sells a few tiers, and the difference between them is real money if you pick wrong:
| Plan | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Membership | $25/year | Dispatch access, discounts — no towing paid |
| Freshwater Towing | $130/year | 100% on-water towing, jump starts, fuel delivery, soft ungroundings — inland U.S. waters, excludes Florida |
| Saltwater Towing | $215/year | Everything in Freshwater Towing, plus coastal waters (including Florida) and dock-to-dock towing |
For a boat that runs offshore out of the Carolinas or anywhere else on saltwater, Saltwater Towing is the plan that matters — the cheaper tiers either don’t pay for the tow at all or don’t cover the water you’re actually running in. Add Trailer Assist for $15 a year and the same membership covers the truck and trailer if something goes wrong on the drive to the ramp — flat tire, dead battery, lockout, or a breakdown towing to and from the water. Call it $230 a year, total, for coverage on both ends of the trip.
What else comes with it
Towing is the headline reason to join, but the membership stacks a few other things that are worth having anyway: free MMSI registration for your VHF/AIS (a $25 value if you’re not a member), boat insurance options, and member discounts at West Marine, GEICO, and rental car companies like Avis and Budget. None of that is why you join, but it’s not nothing either.
Bottom line
A single offshore tow without coverage can run into the thousands of dollars — the math on $215 a year isn’t close. Pair it with the rest of the offshore safety checklist and it’s one more thing that costs almost nothing and matters enormously on the one day you actually need it. Check current plans and pricing at BoatUS.com before you join — plans and coverage areas can change.
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