The Erie Canal’s 200th anniversary is celebrated in a new video from Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) and its TowBoatUS on-water towing fleet.
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200 years later, they are still towing boats on the Erie Canal. This time, it’s the TowBoatUS 24/7 on-water towing fleet from BoatUS that’s towing recreational boats after they have broken down or run aground on the historic waterway.
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SPRINGFIELD, Va., July 15, 2025 – Two hundred years ago, canal boats laden with freight and passengers, pulled by a team of mules, began traversing the newly opened 363-mile Erie Canal. While much has changed since then, including the transition of the historic commercial waterway into a premier recreational boating destination, the tradition of towing boats remains with the TowBoatUS on-water towing fleet. A new BoatUS video celebrates the canal’s bicentennial and its history as a vibrant waterway with 24/7 on-water, professional towing services offered by TowBoatUS.

Recreational boaters on the canal are making it home safely after a breakdown with the help of TowBoatUS Oneida Lake, TowBoatUS Oswego and TowBoatUS Buffalo, part of a nationwide fleet of more than 300 TowBoatUS locations and more than 600 red towboats. The TowBoatUS ports provide professional 24/7 on-water towing, soft ungrounding, battery jump and fuel drop-off services to boaters from Buffalo and Oswego to Waterford.

“We’ve towed boats from Oneida Lake to Lockport, sometimes responding by water but often by trailering our response vessel and launching closer to the boater needed assistance, saving valuable passage time,” said TowBoatUS Oneida Lake owner Capt. Grant Langheinrich, While Langheinrich’s TowBoatUS Oneida Lake provides service on the canal’s most heavily trafficked boating routes, TowBoatUS Buffalo provides service on the Western Reach to Lockport, and TowBoatUS Oswego helps boaters on the Oswego Canal.

The canal’s impact as a significant economic driver to the upstate economy also continues 200 years after its opening. In seven New York congressional districts from Buffalo to Albany and north to the Canadian border where the canal lies, boating is big business, contributing nearly $2.6 billion in annual economic impact. Added to that is the New York State Canal system generates approximately $400M annually in direct tourism spending throughout the canal corridor. BoatUS has more than 48,000 dues-paying members in the Empire State.

The canal system sees thousands of lock-throughs each year by local boaters, cruisers on their summer vacation, anglers seeking prized gamefish, boats transiting the Great Lakes and Canada, as well as Great Loop boaters and commercial tour boats laden with passengers. And they all potentially need a little on-water assistance from TowBoatUS every now and then.

Last year, the nationwide on-water assistance service responded to more than 110,000 requests for routine assistance from boaters experiencing mechanical breakdowns (e.g., engine, transmission, drives), the No. 1 cause of calls.

Much like an auto club for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers on-water Unlimited Towing Memberships for freshwater boaters and anglers for just $109 per year. Membership comes with more than 25 valuable BoatUS benefits, including discounts at local fuel docks and transient slips at marinas. Also included are a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration and more.

To request on-water assistance, boaters can call the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869 or hail on VHF radio Ch. 16.

BoatUS is a sponsor of the World Canals Conference 2025 in Buffalo, New York, September 21-25, 2025.

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About TowBoatUS:

Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation's leading advocacy, services and safety group for recreational boaters. We are the Boat Owners Auto Club™ and provide our more than 725,000 members with a wide array of helpful services, including 24-hour on-water towing that gets you safely home when your boat won’t, jump-starts, fuel delivery, and soft ungroundings. The TowBoatUS towing fleet is North America’s largest network of towing ports with more than 300 locations and over 600 red towboats, responding to more than 110,000 requests for assistance each year. The BoatUS App makes it easy to summon water and road assistance 24/7 and can speed response times (BoatUS.com/App). For more information go to BoatUS.com/Towing.