April 05, 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
ST. CHARLES, Mo., April 5, 2023 – The on-water recreational boat towing and assistance company, TowBoatUS St. Charles, is under new ownership with the recent purchase by Drew Nord, owner of Port Charles Harbor Marina. Nord says local boaters will continue to see all of the same friendly faces at the helm of the company’s three red TowBoatUS response. Former owner Paul Hopkins as well as the U.S. Coast Guard-licensed towboat captains all remain with the company, which is part of nationwide network of more than 300 locations.
Emblazoned with “TowBoatUS” in white letters on their bright red hulls, the response vessels homeport at the marina located at Upper Mississippi River mile 221.5 on the north end of the Alton Pool. It’s a slow-moving stretch of flat water popular with boaters between the locks and dams at Winfield, Missouri, and Alton, Illinois, close to downtown St. Louis.
The company provides 24/7 professional on-water towing, battery jumps, fuel drop-offs and soft ungrounding services. Last year, more than 90,000 boaters nationwide made requests for routine on-water assistance. Nord says, on the Alton Pool, boaters call him most for running aground on rocks, striking wing dams, or running out of fuel. “We can help day or night,” said Nord.
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 $99 per year. Also included are more than 25 BoatUS benefits including discounts on transient slips and fuel, exclusive savings from national partners, a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration and more.
Separate from BoatUS on-water towing services, TowBoatUS St. Charles also offers boat salvage, dive, repair and transport services.
The fastest way to request assistance from TowBoatUS St. Charles is to download the free BoatUS App, which connects boaters to the closest local towing captain. Additionally, the company can be reached at 636-250-2628, by hailing on VHF channel 16, or by phoning the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869.
More information can be found at BoatUS.com/Towing or by calling 800-888-4869.
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Suggested social media post:
Drew Nord is new owner of #TowBoatUS St. Charles, Missouri http://bit.ly/3Gfa2bo @BoatUS #mississippiriver #uppermississippi #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.