New boater. Not sure if I should get a VHF radio for my boat or not. Does anybody on Lake Waco use VHF or respond to calls, or does everybody just use cell phones? Who do you call for a boat tow if ever needed?

VHF use is non-existent on any inland waters I've been on (in the South, at least). Who for a tow? Very little service for that on inland lakes. Best to ask about among boaters or at a marina for a particular lake. A best advice tip is to take a 12V "jump starter" when you go out in the boat. This is the same type that will jump your tow vehicle, so purchasing one comes with a lot of benefit. I move mine from vehicle to boat and back.

A best advice tip is to take a 12V "jump starter" when you go out in the boat. This is the same type that will jump your tow vehicle, so purchasing one comes with a lot of benefit. I move mine from vehicle to boat and back.



^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This !

T-Bird, not long ago on here, I gave that recommendation to a member when batteries, electronics, and battery capacity were being discussed. He decided I made sense, so he got one I recommended, and told his buddy about it also. I got a PM from him a few weeks later to tell his tale, and thank me. It turns out that within a month of getting the jump-starters, both he AND his buddy had reason to use them out on the water. He said both of them would have been stranded otherwise. I have not used mine on the water yet, but will continue to carry it on every outing. It has cranked several trucks for others, so I know it will do the job!

Not to take away from any of the points for a jump starter, but if your water pump goes out that jump start won't do you much good at all. I recently had to call for a tow at Lake Conroe for that very reason.

My guess is that tow services are pretty easy to find on any lake with heavy recreational use. Any marina should be able to give you direction.

I certainly didn't mean to imply a jump-starter covered everything. It was meant in reply to the recommendation of taking a second battery out on the boat. Most people aren't going to go to that trouble, and if they have one on the boat all the time, it's likely to be dead when they need it unless they are good at maintaining such things.

On your other note, a tow at Lake Conroe, I guess things have changed. I live 10 miles from the lake, and had been told in the past there were no established tow services, but I admit that has been 2-3 years.

Not true Texoma has a ton of boats still use them. US Coast Guard Alx uses them along with Tow Boat US. Not any guides that I know of but there are many boaters still use them

"Non-existent" is a bit tongue in cheek, as obviously I could never say there are absolutely "zero". There are plenty of lakes the Coast Guard Aux. has little to no presence on. Texoma is large, so that may be an influence. I spent 20 years in FL, and rarely saw or knew of anyone using VHF on freshwater lakes, including Okeechobee, where I operated frequently. Ditto for tow services, though I haven't checked in recent years.

I have one that I used on the coast, but it not worth a dime on fress water lake around here. I also I needed a License to use it, I don't know if that is still required.