May 31, 2023
NEWS from BoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States
5323 Port Royal Rd, Springfield, VA 22151
BoatUS News Room at
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, Vice President Public Affairs, 703-461-2864, SCroft@geico.com
APPLING, Ga., May 31, 2023 – Capt. Dana Rutland, owner of TowBoatUS on-water recreational boat towing ports in Savannah and St. Catherines, Georgia, and Beaufort, South Carolina, has opened his fourth location – this one on inland freshwaters. TowBoatUS Clarks Hill Lake, located about 30 miles north of Augusta and stradding the Georgia/South Carolina state line, assists boaters with routine troubles on a waterway with more than 1,200 miles of shoreline and plenty of places for unexpected breakdowns.
Capt. Alison George and first mate Kip Knight are stationed at the new port located at Safe Harbor Trade Winds. They run a red 24-foot response vessel providing professional towing, ungrounding, battery jump and fuel drop-off services 24 hours a day. Rutland’s four TowBoatUS ports are part of a nationwide fleet of more than 600 TowBoatUS vessels that respond to more than 90,000 requests each year for on-water assistance from recreational boaters and anglers.
Rutland, who has been on the water since before he could crawl, began his TowBoatUS on-water towing business in 2006 at age 51 after he found himself unexpectedly broken down on the water and without a reliable way home. When he investigated a TowBoatUS career, Rutland says enthusiastically, “I thought it was pretty neat to get paid to drive a boat!” Today’s news reflects Rutland’s desire to grow his successful business that’s also celebrating its 17th anniversary this year.
Much like an auto club for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers annual on-water Unlimited Towing Memberships for freshwater boaters and anglers for just $99 per year. Included are more than 25 BoatUS benefits including discounts at local fuel docks and transient slips at marinas. Also offered with membership is a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration and more.
Capt. Rutland’s ports are ACAPT-accredited, supporting best practices in the recreational marine assistance industry. Separate from routine BoatUS on-water towing services, the company offers boat salvage and spill clean-up services.
The fastest way to request assistance from TowBoatUS Clarks Hill Lake is to download the free BoatUS App, which connects boaters to the closest local towing captain. Additionally, the company can be reached at 912-414-0436, or by phoning the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869.
For more go to BoatUS.com/Towing or call 800-888-4869.
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Suggested social media post:
Capt. Dana Rutland expands his successful Ga./S.C. TowBoatUS business by going inland: He adds TowBoatUS Clarks Hill Lake, Georgia, to provide on-water towing services for boaters in need https://bit.ly/3q3Y5QE #towboatus #clarkshilllake #redisready #boattow #marinetowing #boattowing
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 800,000 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 towing assistance vessels, responding to more than 90,000 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.