i made the news on the CT river run

**Electric Fish** · 10-22-2003, 12:34 PM

Almost sounds like a scam. Why would the driver be arrested if it was at midnight? If he is sober what is he being arrested for? So if their is an accident and you happen to get the call and it is a nice boat and you would like to have it you just rack up the charges until he says just keep the thing. Like I said, sounds like a scam.

**TTriton** · 10-22-2003, 12:48 PM

You don't arrest the driver you arrest the boat.. And no you don't just rack up charges till you take the boat.. Granted some other companies might try that but we do not.. And a boat is NOT the same as a car in florida.. And I truely doubt that it is there also. A boat is very different and you are dealing with maritime laws. And a max charge for a tow of $74.. No marine towing company could stay in biz with that fee.. We ourselfs pay $15,000 a year in insurance and go thou motors like they are disposable. If you want my personal opinion that fee is VERY just and fair.. he gave you quite a deal from what I would think it would cost from the info that I have.. The boat was sunk and upside down correct. If there is info that I don't know or understand please fill me in.. Did the tower salvage the boat? As in he is the one that righted the boat and got it to shore and on the trailer for you? Or did you or your frineds do everyting and he just towed the boat on the trailer? maybe I don't understand the compleate situation.

**TTriton** · 10-22-2003, 01:15 PM

I just made some phone calls and this Cromwell towing and recovery a TOWTRUCK company NOT a marine salvage company.. that does make a big differacnce. So what they did was probably hook a cable to the bow of the boat and drag it onto a flatbed.. Like I said I needed the complate story. when we salvage boats and charge $100 per foot we are SALVAGING the boat and causing no more damage to the boat and all costs. Them being a commercial LAND based towing company I would say they would be contrained to land laws and not maritime but then agian I'm not familar with CT law and I'm in no way a lawyer..

**action20** · 10-22-2003, 02:06 PM

i already picked up the boat and paid 850.00 for it. the deal is done.

i don't know what your talking about with the jail time thing ???? why would i get arrested ?? he ripped me off !!

the guy did 45 min of work for 850.00. my friend dragged it to shore. he just filppid it over and took it away. that is a rip off and he raised the price on me after he found out i didn't have insurance. That is a crook regardless of what any law says.

maybe i completely mis understood your post ????

please clarify ,

Scott

**TTriton** · 10-22-2003, 03:01 PM

the comment about you getting into trouble if you were to go there at midnight cut the lock and remove the boat without the tower being there.. I thought that was clear. Mr Clean said "I WOULD TAKE MY BOLT CUTTERS AND MAKE A NIGHT OF IT" and that would be illegal. I'm sure he was joking about it I just was making a comment that taking that corse of action would end you up in jail. I think that is clear.. If anyone still doesn't understand I can try and explane it more clearly. As for the price the guy raising the price because you were not insured.. that is crazy!!! We always give uninsured boaters a break.. It the insurance companies that pay full price. But as bad as $850 sounds I still think that it sounds resonable but as I have said before I DO NOT KNOW all the details to how the salvage was done.. If all he did was tie a rope to it and drag it onto shore then he could have done more damage and it would not be a salvage it would be more of a wreck removal.

**Rich Owen** · 10-22-2003, 03:04 PM

Electric Fish , I believe TTriton was alluding to Mr Clean's post about liberating the boat with bolt cutters after hours . You certainly can be arrested for that .
I also believe the charges by Bishop to be totally outrageous .
The boat was upside down by the dock at the CT Outboard Association ramp . Bishops personnel were going to winch it up onto the flatbed with out righting the boat ! Jason along with Rob (Cole V-Drive) convinced the police that righting the boat first would help curtail any further fuel spillage (which was minute at most) . The officers ageed that this made more sense than Bishops plan . COA guys helped Bishops with this (that's Rob standing on the hull in the WTNH photo) . I believe Scott asked them to leave the boat on the tarmac until he could come back with the trailer and Bishops insisted on taking it to their yard .
This whole thing sure leaves a bad taste in one's mouth .

On a positive note the police were helpful , even allowing Jason to drop his boat and tralier in the nearby police yard while he went to pick up Scott at the hospital .

**Liqui-Fly** · 10-22-2003, 03:11 PM

Seems like they owe Rob consulting fees. I say we all bring our brokern pistons next year and throw them through some plate glass windows!! We can'tr let "what comes around goes around" go by the wayside. It's our duty!! Who's with me??

David

**Capt.Insane-o** · 10-22-2003, 03:19 PM

**TTriton** · 10-22-2003, 03:27 PM

I understand more now.. That is wreck removal not salvage.. How much more damage did they do by dragging that hull onto the flatbed. Salvage is the preservation of the boat as a whole to the best of ones ablility. Not just hooking a cable to it and dragging across a boat ramp and on to a steel flatbed. Did they arrainge for the motor to be taken care of or did they just throw it in there storage yard and forget about it.. that is also a major issue there.

**Rich Owen** · 10-22-2003, 03:32 PM

Lee , I believe they just locked it in their yard . I think they also charged Scott a "gate fee" , have you ever heard of that ?
Does that mean they charge to open the gate to retrieve your vehicle ?
Pete (Transomstand) maybe you could find out about this fee .

**TTriton** · 10-22-2003, 03:47 PM

Gate fee.. Got me on that one.. We run a full service company and don't just toss a boat in a yard to rust.. We have a certified mechanic waiting for the boat so when it hits the shore the motor is saved.. And we take care of any other needs that the customer needs.. We have picked people up and delivered them to where ever they need to go. We take stuff out to them when they want it or need it.. We make sure the customer is happy. Or as happy as they can be in there situation.

**heath brinkley** · 10-22-2003, 03:50 PM

Sorry to hear the news, glad your OK.
I could barely make sense out of the newspaper article (it read like something I would have written, or worse).

Triton, $850 may be cheap, but if you quote $600 you need to stick to it and take your lumps on the other $250. If not, your about as worthless as a pile o'****.

boltcutters.

**transomstand** · 10-22-2003, 05:29 PM

Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez,
Didn't mean to get everybody all wound up. Let's start over. I think we're agreed this was not a marine salvage operation. This was a land based towing service. Some of my comments were poorly stated in that I did not specify that they are all in the context of land based towing. I should say that I currently run a body shop in Ct that repairs 1400 cars per year. I've dealt with more than a few wrecker drivers in my time. Towing charges have been the topic of conversation in my office the last couple of days. I called my towing company today, said I had a question for him, he cut me off and said "don't tell me, let me guess, GATE FEE!!". This is the latest scam that crooked operators charge. It is legal, but barely. The insurance companies are lobbying very had to have the state outlaw this practice. The guy is actually charging you a fee to open his storage yard gate and let your vehicle out. Most insurance companies refuse to pay it. They also charge office fees, labor fees, somtimes they even charge for the time they spend arguing with you. Because towing fees are strictly regulated, crooks get very creative with non towing fees. The thing that REALLY perked me up was when I heard that Scott wanted his boat left on the ramp. At that point the tow should have stopped. Once the boat was out of the water, the fuel spillage hazard was over, if there was no objection by the police, the boat should have been put down on dry land right there. He was due his basic fee (73.00). If Scott said leave my boat, and the guy took it, he was stealing Scott's boat. A complaint to DMV will bring a substantial refund.

Pete

**VEGAS-5.7L-I/O** · 10-22-2003, 06:26 PM

Here is the deal.
After I had towed the boat down river to the launch area, the tow company became involved after the the police requested assistance. The boat was floating overturned at the end of the dock and leaking fuel. The docking area is also the boat launch area for this town. The tow company arrived with two vehicles. A wrecker and a flat bed. The initial intent was to remove the boat from the river upside down. After discussing the situation with the officer it was agreed that the boat needed to be overturned
before it could be removed from the water. The winches on both vehicles were required to overture the boat. From this point the flat bed was backed down to the water line and the and the bed was extended to remove the boat from the water. From there the boat was taken to their shop and placed on tires in the storage area.
Was the charge fair???? I'm uncertain and not in that end of the auto business. I don't tow them, I just fix em. I did note to action20 that the tow company did utilize at least a 100 grand of equipment to overturn and remove the boat from the river. I was aware there would be a flat rate per vehicle to just show up, the time required to overturn the boat, remove the boat and store it would be additional. Honestly I was expecting 5 to 6 hundred. I was surprised that it was closer to a grand. But then again....... 80 dollars an hour does at up fast. If these charges are fair then......having a running outboard at the end of this experiece was worth the 850. After all the river could have swallowed the outboard to.

The good thing is that everyone was ok. I'd like to thank everyone who helped and say thanks to the guys with the crommwell police dept. You guys were great!

Rock on!
ps: The vegas is still for sale, any takers

**transomstand** · 10-22-2003, 07:01 PM

Let's put a pencil to it

Wrecker # 1 73.00

Wrecker # 2 73.00

1 hr labor
@ 80 X 2
men 160.00

Mileage 2
trucks@ 4
10 miles? 80.00

3 days storage
@ 25.00 day 75.00
_______

461.00 looks good to me

I know I'm beatin this to death, but I run an honest business, and I've been accused unfairly many times of being a crook because of the reputation my industry has. Guys like this need to be ground to dust. This kind of story strikes a nerve with me.

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