Sign and Glide Vs BoatUS towing

I recently changed my boat policy over to Progressive, and it came with something they call Sign and Glide towing. There is a separate app that I can use to request a tow that has my coordinates on it already. Pretty cool.

I’ve been a BoatUS tow member and I just got a renewal letter for that, so my question is do I need to renew or is the Sign and Glide sufficient for here in the US? Has anyone ever used it before?

https://www.progressive.com/boat/coverages/on-water-towing/

CD: What are the navigation limits for it? Will it cover you in the Bahamas? Towed to the nearest point of repair? Who determines that? Progressive looks ok for local but if I were cruising, I’d keep BoatUS.

You are still going to get towed by BoatUS or Sea Tow or whomever...


They are taking the usually built in towing, then adding another little cost and hoping their numbers are good enough to make it all work.


We know the major tow companies have it pretty wired, all this does is undermine their ability to make money. I know, cry them a river...but my old boss used to say this creeping in of the insurance companies would hurt the assistance tow business and ultimately it is their boats and captains that come out for you.


I can't really say how it will work out...but I would love to know the hidden costs in the average insurance policy when they offer some free towing line item anyway.

Larry M said:

CD: What are the navigation limits for it? Will it cover you in the Bahamas? Towed to the nearest point of repair? Who determines that? Progressive looks ok for local but if I were cruising, I’d keep BoatUS.

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This policy has a 75 mile navigation limit so it’s def local. We decided not to go to the Bahamas this year. I can add a Bahamas endorsement to the policy for next year.

My boat insurance is also through Progressive. Personally, I opted out of the sign and glide and kept the BoatUS membership, as it's more of a known quantity for it (and I didn't feel the need to pay for both).

psneeld said:

You are still going to get towed by BoatUS or Sea Tow or whomever...


They are taking the usually built in towing, then adding another little cost and hoping their numbers are good enough to make it all work.


We know the major tow companies have it pretty wired, all this does is undermine their ability to make money. I know, cry them a river...but my old boss used to say this creeping in of the insurance companies would hurt the assistance tow business and ultimately it is their boats and captains that come out for you.


I can't really say how it will work out...but I would love to know the hidden costs in the average insurance policy when they offer some free towing line item anyway.

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Yeah I was hoping someone with Progressive would chime in to see if this service actually works. I might have to pay for the tow out of my pocket and then get reimbursed by Progressive. I did that once with my BoatUS towing plan because no BoatUS boats were available in the area. Some other tow boat pulled me in and charged me $800 but BoatUS reimbursed me.

Although TowBoat US is not extremely strong here on the Great Lakes I keep the premium policy. It is cheap insurance.

pete

cardude01 said:

I recently changed my boat policy over to Progressive, and it came with something they call Sign and Glide towing. There is a separate app that I can use to request a tow that has my coordinates on it already. Pretty cool.

I’ve been a BoatUS tow member and I just got a renewal letter for that, so my question is do I need to renew or is the Sign and Glide sufficient for here in the US? Has anyone ever used it before?

https://www.progressive.com/boat/coverages/on-water-towing/

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So what did you end up doing?

We are in the same boat...
I have Progressive and the same Sign and Glide, We are getting ready to head out for a few weeks and I was checking on others who have Progressive and if they have ever used the Sign and Glide program.
On the fence if I should just pay the 175.00 for piece of mind of Towboat US.

I did not renew the Boat Us towing membership. Not because I’m super comfortable with the Sign and Glide offering, but mostly because our cruising during these Covid times will be very limited.

I’m interested in what you will do. Did you get any response on the Sign and Glide plan from others?

I would want to see what kind of coverage they have. If they have one boat in one place then it isn’t worth much. Do they have boats in the areas that you cruise? What if they don’t have a boat where you need it. Ask a lot of questions.

Comodave said:

I would want to see what kind of coverage they have. If they have one boat in one place then it isn’t worth much. Do they have boats in the areas that you cruise? What if they don’t have a boat where you need it. Ask a lot of questions.

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The progressive boat insurance came with the tow plan. I do not know anyone who used it to date. That is why I am thinking about doubling up with Towboat US as well. I think it may be worth the $175.00 for the full Gold plan for a tow from BFE. VS hope that the Progressive people even pick up the phone on a Sunday night..

Thoughts?

RonR said:

The progressive boat insurance came with the tow plan. I do not know anyone who used it to date. That is why I am thinking about doubling up with Towboat US as well. I think it may be worth the $175.00 for the full Gold plan for a tow from BFE. VS hope that the Progressive people even pick up the phone on a Sunday night..

Thoughts?

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Could the Progressive people just be directing the red or yellow boats to come to the rescue and not actually have a third towing service of their own?

rgano said:

Could the Progressive people just be directing the red or yellow boats to come to the rescue and not actually have a third towing service of their own?

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I'm pretty sure that's how it works. I personally saved the few bucks and skipped the towing coverage from progressive and just pay for the 1 down from the top coverage from boatUS. No seatow around here, so no reason to have them unless I go on a long trip.

Ok, if Progressive is using Towboat/US or someone else, who do you think will get the service if a Progressive and a Towboat member call in at the same time? My bet is that they defer the Progressive claim and go do the Boat/auS member...

We went to whatever boat made the most operational sense 1st unless there was something unusual..

My best friend has a new-to-them boat that they were bringing home from Nashville and ran hard aground in a muddy bar in the river. They have Progressive's Sign and Glide. They also have Tow Boat US.

They started with Tow Boat but they were unable to extract them from the mud.

Tow Boat worked directly with Progressive. They brought in a diver, an excavation expert and a tug boat that normally tows big barges. The excavation expert and the diver worked with the Tow Boat folks to fashion a channel to pull out my friends. Then the tug hooked up and slid them out into open water again. The total process took about 7-8 hours and cost just short of $9000. He signed the insurance form and drove away, easy-peasy. (miraculously, no damage other than a fried impeller on the generator) If he had only had Tow Boat, he would have either still been stuck or would have had a hell of an out of pocket expense.

John

I wonder if you can stack the towing..... Use Progressive first and when you run out of distance, just use the same Towboat/US. Won’t have to wait, wont have to re tie Just continue on. LOL

MV Wanderlust said:

My best friend has a new-to-them boat that they were bringing home from Nashville and ran hard aground in a muddy bar in the river. They have Progressive's Sign and Glide. They also have Tow Boat US.

They started with Tow Boat but they were unable to extract them from the mud.

Tow Boat worked directly with Progressive. They brought in a diver, an excavation expert and a tug boat that normally tows big barges. The excavation expert and the diver worked with the Tow Boat folks to fashion a channel to pull out my friends. Then the tug hooked up and slid them out into open water again. The total process took about 7-8 hours and cost just short of $9000. He signed the insurance form and drove away, easy-peasy. (miraculously, no damage other than a fried impeller on the generator) If he had only had Tow Boat, he would have either still been stuck or would have had a hell of an out of pocket expense.

John

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That makes me think that for the $30 / year or whatever it is, I might as well carry both just in case.

In the case of divers and excavation expert...sounds like salvage which is not assistance towing.

I would think your regular hull insurance would kick in t hff on but I will leave that up to an insurance expert.

Did find this....

https://www.unitedmarine.net/boat_insurance/salvage-charges.aspx

"Salvage Charges

Salvage charges are amounts paid to protect the vessel against additional loss. This could be as simple as adding a barrier to a broken window or as complicated as a salvage company protecting the vessel if grounded.

Most marine insurance polices provide salvage charges as part of the normal boat insurance policies. Other companies will insure your boat from physical damage but do not provide coverage for salvage charges. This is an important difference and you should be aware if your policy provides this protection.

A boat insured for $40,000 that suffers a total loss from a sinking is paid $40,000 for the loss. If there is an additional cost of $20,000 to raise the vessel, this $20,000 will be paid in addition to the $40,000 coverage for the boat.

If a boat insurance policy did not include salvage charges, the additional $20,000 would be your responsibility. Most insurance companies will pay up to the hull value for salvage charges. If the boat is insured for $40,000, the boat insurance company will pay up to $40,000 in additional salvage charges."

rslifkin said:

That makes me think that for the $30 / year or whatever it is, I might as well carry both just in case.

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I have both Boat US and the slide and glide from Progressive. For the extra $30 it is worth the extra security.

I just got an email from Progressive wanting their insureds to download their "sign and glide app" to make contacting them for towing services easier. I knew I had Progressive, but I'd never heard of "sign and glide." Called my insurance agent. Yes, I've had it as part of my standard insurance for 3 years and didn't know it. No, I don't have to use the app, but it might be easier/faster if I have cell coverage. Otherwise, channel 16 to CG who will relay. Apparently CG is fine with the arrangement as it still saves them time. My agent said that other insurance companies are following suit and it will likely become part of every policy.

Progressive uses local tow businesses w/in 75 miles. Not sure what miles has to do with it as there is also a $3,000 limit. It isn't just tow coverage. It can also cover the delivery of parts, fluids, un-grounding, etc. All the users I've found on the internet have been satisfied. Just email a copy of the receipt and Progressive overnights the reimbursement. My WA policy coverage is good in inland B.C. south of Cape Caution. Past that I would need an additional rider anyway, which would include the tow coverage. Only problem is it sounds too good to be true.

Insurance companies have been doing this for years.

There were growing pains back when I was towing, hopefully all involved are happy now.

Not really too good to be true...the insurance company doesn't tow so you are still at the mercy of the guys actually on the water. They are just covering the $179 or so bucks instead of you buying the tow insurance directly....is it buried in your premium? Of course somehow, someway.

psneeld said:

is it buried in your premium?

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Yes, $30 a year. I didn't ask about it when reviewing the policy or reading my declaration page. "Sign and Glide = $30." Based on the creepy name, I probably didn't want to know.

Marco Flamingo said:

Yes, $30 a year. I didn't ask about it when reviewing the policy or reading my declaration page. "Sign and Glide = $30." Based on the creepy name, I probably didn't want to know.

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Wifey B: Thinking "Slip and Slide?"

Sounds like a horrible idea to me, but then so does Progressive.

Comodave said:

Ok, if Progressive is using Towboat/US or someone else, who do you think will get the service if a Progressive and a Towboat member call in at the same time? My bet is that they defer the Progressive claim and go do the Boat/auS member...

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Exactly. I once worked worked part time for a TowBoatUS operator, that's how we did it. Members got priority over others, even though we often made more money on the others. Apparently corporate policy. (I didn't make the decisions, just took over the boat when the owner couldn't or took the member call when he was already on another.)

Same as car insurance. I used to insure with AAA and still carry thier towing. It's better. My new policy with another company also offers towing but I've never used it.

A lot of people who travel, Great Loop for example, carry both TowBoaUS and Seatow, plus whatever thier insurance offers. Some providers are better in some areas than others, and they have all the bases covered with multiple services. Keep in mind if a member calls and thier service responds, the whole tow is usually covered. If another service ends up taking the call, you get reimbursed for a certain amount, but likey not the total.

Get them both..sign and glide for 30.00 is a no brainer.. don’t over think it..

Depending on the situation $3,000 may not cover the cost.

We've had BoatUS Unlimited for almost 20 years. Two tows in that time at no expense to us. The invoice for one was over $10,000. I intend to stick with them as long as they will continue to insure us.