November 9, 2006

NEWS from BoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States
880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304
BoatUS Press Room at www.BoatUS.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com

BoatUS National Collegiate Bass Tournament Shows That Anglers Can Use A Little Help Every Now And Then

The BoatUS National Collegiate Bass Tournament held October 19-21 with 41 teams on Lake Lewisville, TX, yielded some insights into how and why fishing boats break down.

Mike Pellerin, Director of the new BoatUSAngler program explains: “Unlike the pro tournaments where boats, trailers and equipment are virtually new, many of our college student contestants had rigs with some wear-and-tear typical of today’s fishing boats. Tough weather conditions on opening day led to a couple of breakdowns right at the start. If this tournament’s fishing activity is typical of a weekend on an averaged-sized lake, it shows that things don’t always go according to plan. But having help when you need it can make a bad day get a lot better, ” added Pellerin.

The following developments occurred over the course of the tournament’s three days:

  • Number of on-the-road boat trailer breakdowns experienced by teams while driving to the tournament: 4
  • The types of trailer breakdowns: 3 flat tires and 1 broken axle.
  • The number of minutes that passed after the first day’s start time until the an angler had to request on-the-water assistance from TowBoatUS: 13 minutes
  • Total number of on-the-water tows of disabled fishing boats provided by TowBoatUS over the tournament’s four days: 4
  • Number of outdrives that struck a submerged object: 1
  • Number of throttle failures: 1
  • Number of contestant bass boats that swamped and needed a tow back to the launch ramp: 1
  • Number of bass boats that took on water due to a faulty gas pedal installation: 1

The entire Tournament will air on TV on the Fox College Sports Net starting in January 2007.

The new BoatUSAngler program is a customized program of services for bass or any inland angler with a fishing boat that provides 24/7 assistance with just one phone call. Services include: over-the-road and on-the-water towing assistance for boats, trailers, and tow vehicles; access to fishing boat insurance that includes extra coverage for expensive rods and reels as well as automatic tournament coverage; fishing and boating supply discounts at West Marine stores; launch ramp rebates; safety information; marina discounts; a subscription to BoatUS Trailering magazine and more. For more information, call 866- 906-0013.