Helping Another Boater: Your Duty to Assist, Safe Approaches, and When Not to Tow

Slow down well before you reach them. Look and ask (by voice or VHF):

• Is anyone in the water, hurt, or sick?
• Is the boat taking on water, on fire, or smoking?
• How many people are aboard, and are they wearing life jackets?
• What's the problem, and have they already called for help?

A TowBoatUS captain's advice: make a slow circle around the boat, size it up, then back off and make a plan. "If there is no emergency, don't make one."

If anyone's life could be at risk, call the Coast Guard on VHF 16 with your GPS position, or press your DSC distress button. On inland waters the Coast Guard doesn't cover, call 911 or the local marine patrol. Mercury points out a VHF call is also heard by other boaters nearby who may be better equipped to help.

For a non-emergency breakdown, help them call their tow service, or call Sea Tow or TowBoatUS for them. On lakes without a local tow company, BoatUS dispatch or local law enforcement usually know who to call.

If someone is in the water:

• Throw flotation right away: a ring buoy or cushion on a line.
• Approach slowly, ideally into the wind or current so you can stay in control.
• Shift to neutral, and stop the engine before the person is near the propeller. Never back toward someone in the water.
• Bring them aboard over the side or stern away from the prop. Cold, tired people can't climb much; see MOB recovery gear and treat for cold if needed (cold-weather boating).

If their boat is going down, take the people, not the boat. Mercury's guidance:

• Don't tie a sinking boat to yours; it can pull your boat over.
• Put fenders between the boats, hold the rail, and pass people across one at a time, wearing life jackets.
• Keep upwind of a burning boat and don't come alongside if flames or fuel are near.
• Watch your capacity plate. A small boat can only safely carry so many extra people. If you can't take everyone, keep everyone afloat and together and stay close until help arrives.

Then take them to shore if it's safe and close; if you're far out, Mercury says the best option may be to stay with them until help arrives.

Many breakdowns don't need a tow at all. You can:

• Hand over a can of fuel or a jump pack.
• Lend a life jacket or a handheld VHF.
• Run to the dock for fuel or a charged battery and bring it back (a TowBoatUS suggestion).
• Help them anchor so they're safe while they wait for a commercial tow.

Mercury and TowBoatUS captains list good reasons to say no:

• You're not experienced at towing, it's getting dark, or you're tired after a day in the sun.
• Wind or seas are building, especially a following sea or wind against current.
• The other boat is much bigger or heavier than yours, or your cleats aren't strong, well-backed hardware.
• It's a hard grounding, or the boat may be damaged and could sink once pulled into deep water.
• People aboard are drunk or argumentative.
• Your insurance may not cover you; Mercury notes towing could violate your own policy's terms.

If any of these apply, stand by, keep them safe, and let the Coast Guard or a commercial tow handle it. Standing by is still helping.

Discover Boating goes further: it advises recreational boaters not to tow at all, because their boats aren't rigged or equipped for it, and sums up the Good Samaritan job as "helping the people, not the boat." Two alternatives it suggests: run to the marina for a can of fuel if they're simply out of gas, or, if you can do it without overloading your boat, carry the crew to shore and leave their boat anchored for a professional. If you do tow a short distance, head for the nearest safe harbor or dock, not necessarily the ramp they launched from; you won't be getting on plane.

If you do decide to tow (calm water, short distance, a boat about your size or smaller):

• Everyone on both boats wears a life jacket. Agree on a plan and an "abort" signal.
• Use the disabled boat's own anchor line if it's long and strong; a TowBoatUS captain suggests 100 to 150 feet between boats in open water, about half that in tight quarters.
• Make a bridle from two dock lines between your stern cleats so the load is shared. Attach the towline to their bow eye or a strong bow cleat.
• Keep hands, feet and people clear of the line. Nylon stretches a lot, and if anything breaks it snaps back like a whip.
• Keep a sharp knife within reach in case you need to cut the line in a hurry.

• Take up the slack very gently: bump in and out of gear.
• Go slowly. Expect a long trip; TowBoatUS captains plan for around 6 mph, and a 45-minute run can take hours. Check that you have enough fuel and daylight for both boats.
• Make wide, gradual turns; even with a bridle, only about 20 degrees at a time. The towed boat cuts inside your turn.
• Never back down with the towline behind you, where it can foul your prop.
• Remember the towed boat keeps coming if you stop, so slow down gradually. Have someone on the towed boat steer to keep it tracking straight behind you.

TowBoatUS captains say the most stressful part is right at the dock. Shorten the line before you get close, or tie your own boat up first, then bring the towed boat in by hand with lines. Approach into the wind or current if you can.

If your boat is the one in trouble, know that a stranger who saves your boat from real danger may be entitled to a salvage award under maritime law; the Sailing Magazine article describes a good Samaritan who lassoed a drifting racing catamaran and then filed a salvage claim. A maritime lawyer quoted there advises agreeing on terms, in writing, before accepting help from anyone: the price or hourly rate and what's being done. You can also decline assistance.

BoatUS draws the line between a simple tow (no immediate danger, no special equipment) and salvage (the boat is in immediate peril, or pumps, airbags or cranes are needed). Tow memberships usually don't cover salvage; your boat insurance usually does. See boat insurance claims.

If you are the helper, you're helping, not hunting for a payday. Keep it simple and friendly.

Note the time, position, what happened, who you called, and the boat's name and registration. If there was an accident, the operators involved may have to file a boating accident report with the state. Under federal rules (33 CFR 173.55), the operator must report when someone dies, is injured and needs medical treatment beyond first aid, disappears from the boat, or when damage totals $2,000 or more or a boat is a total loss. The deadline is 48 hours for a death within 24 hours, an injury needing treatment, or a disappearance, and 10 days otherwise. If the operator can't file, the owner must. States can set their own thresholds and forms, so check with your state boating agency. Exchange names and boat information as 46 U.S.C. 2303 requires.

As a helper who wasn't involved, you usually don't file the report yourself, but your notes and photos can help the people who do.