Tauranga Coastguard think a medical call to the boat drifting off Papamoa last night may have been an attempt to obtain a free tow home.

Four men on board the 40ft launch called for help about 7pm, reporting a member onboard was overdue for pain medication after a recent ankle operation.

Coastguard was called to tow a drifting launch near Papamoa with four men on board.

The men had been out fishing near Motiti Island when they suffered engine problems and could not start the motor.

Coastguard and Police received the call on Wednesday evening stating one of the men required medical assistance.

A Coastguard crew onboard the TECT Rescue boat located the boat drifting with no anchor down offshore near Papamoa and towed it back to Tauranga dropping them off by the Harbour Bridge Marina at about 10pm.

Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard operations manager Simon Barker says when crew arrived at the boat none of the men required urgent medical assistance.

'There wasn't anything medical that needed urgent attention,” says Simon.

'We didn't have to give any medical assistance, we didn't do any medical intervention, put it that way.”

None of the fishers on the launch were Coastguard members, so Simon says they will be billed $750 for the tow home.

Simon suspects it may have been an attempt to turn a mechanical break-down into a medical emergency to obtain a free tow home.