The Newest On-the-Water Assistance Port for Capt. Charles Balog

TowBoatU.S., the nation’s largest on-the-water towing service for recreational boaters, has added a location on Lake Huron with the opening of TowBoatU.S. Harbor Beach, MI. Located at Offshore Marina in downtown Harbor Beach, the new port is the second for Capt. Charles Balog, who also operates TowBoatU.S. Port Austin, MI. Both ports provide assistance to recreational boaters in the Saginaw Bay and lower Lake Huron regions. Capt. Balog also owns Chucks Marine, a full service marine store and repair facility in Port Austin.

Capt. Balog has equipped TowBoatU.S. Harbor Beach with a 21-foot Boston Whaler commercial towing vessel that can be identified by its distinctive red hull with white bow stripe and “TowBoatU.S.” lettering along the side. The vessel has a full complement of towing and salvage equipment including extra fuel, pumps, airbags and battery “jump packs” to handle every breakdown from running out of fuel to running aground.

Commenting on why boaters call for on-the-water assistance, Capt. Balog said thin water is the biggest culprit. “It could be 40-feet or three-foot deep a mile offshore, and the bottom is rocky so if you do run aground chances are you’ll have some damage to the running gear,” he said. With the opening TowBoatU.S. Harbor Beach, Capt. Balog hopes to reduce the response time and provide more coverage area on the lake, which is popular with salmon and lake trout fishermen. Both TowBoatU.S. ports operate from April to November 1st.

Boaters in need of towing assistance can reach TowBoatU.S. Harbor Beach 24-hours a day, seven days a week by VHF radio on channel 16; by calling the company directly at 248-310-3692; or through the BoatU.S. toll-free Dispatch Service at 800-391-4869.

Like an auto club, BoatU.S. offers on-the-water assistance plans starting at around $37 a year. Without a towing plan, boaters face costs that nationally average about $600 per incident. Boaters can call 800-888-4869 or visit http://www.BoatUS.com/Towing for more information.

BoatU.S. – Boat Owners Association of The United States – is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its 640,000 members with a wide array of consumer services including a group-rate marine insurance program that insures nearly a quarter million boats; the largest fleet of more than 500 towing assistance vessels; discounts on fuel, slips, and repairs at over 825 Cooperating Marinas; boat financing; and a subscription to BoatU.S. Magazine, the most widely read boating publication in the U.S. For membership information visit http://www.BoatUS.com or call 800-395-2628.