Corpusfishing.com

[toyakornottoyak]

At the risk of being humiliated I need to share this experience with you. Maybe some words on this one, bad or good, will help!

Went out Sat Morning launched from Bluff Landing! Drifted Pita and immediately started hammering the 14 inch trout on Pumpkin Seed Chrtr paddle tails, no keepers! Headed to LM in front of Caribbean and there was four other drifters there, same story, baby trout with an attitude, I easily lost count after 20 fish but again no keepers! Headed to DMs and the wind was blowing so hard by this time that I could not see the bottom where I normally search for fish, too muddy, only caught three 14 in. trout here on Sand eels with Zias Double-drop-go-getter-set-up! Headed to PC cuz I figured the fish may have move to protected deeper waters, so off I go!

HERE IS THE BUMMER, I usually cut across from D/Ms to P/C (done it hundreds of times) by hugging the spoils on the inside of the ICW to stay well clear of the flats that are behind the church but this time I mis judged or was not paying attn (I guess) and ran a ground, YUP definitely burned sum grass here! So I called the Sea Tow guy and he gets me unstuck after coming and leaving to get more rope because he did not have enough on board! 5 hours later the bill comes out to $1955.00. SO, yeah it hurt at 250$/hr and other surcharges, I can still feel the burn. Monday I called State Farm and the Max they will cover is 500$ so at least I got that bit but it still does not heal the pain. They stood firm to their policy and claimed that if there was no damage to the vessel it is not considered a salvage and would only cover a tow fee, I asked the adjuster if it was a total loss would it be covered and she said yes, so, I think next time I will leave it out there and claim a total loss. J/K

The message I want to get across is safety! Be safe by knowing the water you travel in and make sure you have communication via phone or radio just in case, ya never know! Also, know EXACTLY what your insurance does and does not cover and get insurance if you do not have it! Regardless if I do not agree with sum of the fees SeaTow and Boat U.S. charge they provide a service that I would hate not to have available to me. It is like an ambulance, you may need them in an emergency but you are gonna pay for a professional service to save you and you may want the best. I plan to drop my insurance from State Farm and go through a Marine Insurance Company that specializes in boating not Auto and home coverage. Also, doing research online I found other posts that said some captains have the discretion of calling a situation like this a salvage but the insurance company's won't consider it a salvage because there was no hull breach, I think these two need to get together and come to a resolution. I came to this conclusion because I called the Sea Tow insurance Comp on Tues and they would not answer my questions but did take my number down, I'm still waiting on the return call....I want to make it clear that I probably would call the Sea Tow guy again if I needed him but next time I'll have adequate coverage!




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I wasn't born in the Bluff but I got here as fast as I could!

[mechdave]

Sea tows insurance only costs me $150.00 a year! I've never had to call them, but D@mn $1955.00 I guess I'll keep it up.
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Live like you're dying

[HOMERFROMCORPUS]

The thought of such a large charge sends chills up and down my spine.

Before retirement I spent 34 years selling and servicing insurance, so I will point out something some people don't understand or want to understand. When you purchase an insurance policy you are purchasing a contract.

An adjuster is does not have the freedom to change what is covered or not covered, but is bound to the contract. Deviation could cost him or her their insurance license.

So everyone out there if you are concered about getting caught on high center and have to call a professional recovery service, then know what your policy will and will not cover. If you are not satisfied, then purchase the coverage to protect you and your piece of mind. If your current insurance company does not offer the coverage, then it is time to start shopping.

I an not experienced in salt water fishing and i am still learning about the tides. But if you just waited out high tide, could you work the boat back into deeper water.

I plan to learn Nueces Bay and from what I have heard it has a lot of dangerous shallow water. Until i learn the bay better I chose a 15 ft. Vhull alumium boat with a 10 hp motor. That way should i get stuck I can raise the motor, jump out the boat and drag it back into deeper water.

Thanks for sharing your experience and hope a lot of people will learn from your misfortune and either purchase the necessary coverage to protect, or keep a lot of numbers of boat owners who can come to the rescue without the $250 per hour charge.
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"OVER A MILLION SPECIES ON THIS PLANET AND HUMANS ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT CREATES GARBAGE"

[toyakornottoyak]

[robul]

that's a real bummer man. But honestly where you stuck that bad it took 5 + hours to get you out? Sounds like they where taking there sweet time to rack up that bill. I could have pushed that boat off the flat by myself in 5 hours and I have a bad back. I hope they can come to some sort of agreement to help you out.. Seriously the sea tow boat didn't even have to go 1/2 mile from there docking location for that tow. They could have just as easily ran that rope from there dock and used a pickup truck to pull it out.


On another note.. N wind for 3 days in a row will empty that flat dry and it wont start coming back in until the wind comes back from the ese. I know for damn sure I wont be calling seatow for a tow ever if they are going to bill you 2 grand to pull your boat off a flat.

[johnso]

[toyakornottoyak]

[/quote]I just read my contract with BoatUS and I'm pretty sure my package, $150, includes soft groundings tows, so I'm not familiar with SeaTow, however, BoatUS seems to cover these situations without extra cost. FWIW [/quote]

This is exactly what I thought my situation was just a ungrounding but according to the sea tow capt if the vessel was left there then it would be loss of property so he kicked it up to recovery/ salvage. I read the tow membership and if a soft ungroundings take longer then 15 min this will void the GENERIC membership contract then that would allow for other fee's... So yeah read up and know exactly what you got!
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I wasn't born in the Bluff but I got here as fast as I could!

[johnso]

[johnso]

[johnso]

BoatUS establishes Towing-Ungrounding as

[johnso]

BoatUS establishes Towing-Ungrounding as any operation not involving immediate peril to the boat or to a legally protected
marine environment and requiring only one towing vessel with lines attached to the grounded boat to refloat it or to the disabled
boat to tow it. 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.).

[Big Jack]

I would pole, push or drag my boat before I ever called Seatow. That is insane. I'm never in that big of a hurry.
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"Charlie Don't Surf"

[ironmanstan]

I would have called my Bluff Brotherhood RATZ . Plus I stay outa deads mans. I use to fish alot back there especially back in the 80's. Back then I was more like a Jap zero. Glad you are ok.....
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I LIKE MINE FRIED.

[Bluffer]

X2. Or if tides low better to take the long way around.

You muta been stuck bad, could you move boat at all?
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-STAY THIRSTY MY FRIENDS!-

[toyakornottoyak]