How to Start Boat Towing Business

If you are looking for a good business that will get you more dollars per hour, you should start thinking about starting a boat towing service. It is always in demand since there are a lot of ships plying the waters around the world, and one of them is always bound to run into problems every once in a while.

Boat towing is an emergency service. They are always to be there when the need arises.

Just imagine how many ships are there that ply the bodies of water around the United States and other countries. This represents a sizable market for you since one or two boats are bound to run into emergencies occasionally.

This means that boat towing services have the potential to earn a lot of money even in just one accident. That is because boat towing services charge per hour, and it takes quite some time to tow a vessel from the waiting area to the harbor, where it can be docked. Boat towing services can also salvage grounded ships, but it depends on what you’re reading to spend on.

Similar Articles

You must accomplish a few requirements before you can start operating a boat towing service. These requirements are:

  • Business registration - Anywhere you may want to base your business, you would still need to register it with the state agency in charge of such a task. Without this, your business would be considered illegal since it cannot be charged the appropriate taxes and fees. Without being registered, you would be unable to avail yourself of the protection of the law when the time comes.
  • Towing Equipment - Towing equipment generally includes the tugboats you will use to tow maritime vessels to the shore. This would also have the rigging equipment like ropes, cables, etc. Fortunately, these are all available anywhere. You can check the Internet to find new and slightly used equipment for sale at various prices, but most of them range from USD15,000 up to the millions.
  • Personnel - You must recruit the appropriate personnel to operate your tugboats. They should be experienced in such an activity because boat towing is a science all on its own in the maritime industry.
  • Appropriate permits - Since you are operating a maritime vessel – albeit designed to assist another marine vessel in need – you would need to secure a seagoing license from the local marine agency. To qualify, you must ensure that all your vessels are seaworthy and will not run into accidents alone. Your employees and crew should also be allowed to operate seagoing vessels and must have the necessary paperwork to prove their qualifications.
  • Liability insurance - This is a must for any business since there is always a chance that you will make some mistakes and damage your client’s vessel. Any damage, big or small, is bound to end up in a compensation claim, so it is wise to have some insurance ready.

1 Comment

  • Billy Simons said on September 4, 2012
    I'm thinking about starting my own business towing and repairing boats on the water the max size boat that i will tow would be around 90 ft not ships more or less like sea tow or tow boats what would i need to do that? thank you

    Comment

    (All the above fields are required.)