Capt. “Lenny” Andreasik of TowBoatUS Mentor, OH, Helps Boaters Get Safely Home

Captain Leonard “Lenny” Andreasik, a former employee of TowBoatUS Cleveland and TowBoatUS Mentor, OH, has purchased the on-the-water towing service company at Mentor from his former employer and struck out on his own.

A Cleveland native, Capt. Andreasik began as first mate with TowBoatUS Cleveland in 1990. In 2001 he earned his USCG Captain’s license and was assigned to the company’s secondary port on Lake Erie at Mentor, located at Mentor Lagoons Marina. The TowBoatUS towing port is part of the nation’s largest on-the-water towing service for boaters with 38 locations on the Great Lakes.

Captain Andreasik has equipped TowBoatUS Mentor with a 30-foot T-Craft response vessel, which can be identified by its distinctive red hull with white bow stripes and “TowBoatU.S.” lettering along its side. Onboard is 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. Andreasik is also a certified diver and carries a complete dive set aboard.

The more common requests for on-the-water assistance in the area are for jump starts or tows back to the marina or launch ramp. “There’s good perch and walleye fishing and using electronics all day can drain the batteries,” said Capt. Andreasik. “Also, after heavy rains, logs often enter the lake, sometimes floating just below the surface. Striking one can damage your prop or outdrive and leave you dead in the water,” he added.

Similar to a roadside auto club, BoatUS 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 in need of towing assistance can reach Capt. Andreasik at TowBoatUS Mentor by calling the company directly at 216-316-2084; by VHF radio on channel 16; or through the BoatUS toll-free Dispatch Service at 800-391-4869 or visit http://www.BoatUS.com/Towing for more information.

Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) is the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its 650,000 members with a wide array of consumer services, including on-the-water towing assistance provided by TowBoatU.S. and Vessel Assist. These two is towing fleet Combined, these two towing fleets offer s North American boaters the largest network of US, Canadian and Bahamian towing ports with over 280 locations and nearly 500 towing assistance vessels - twice that of any other service provider.