Boat Owners Association of The United StatesNews Room

May 01, 2025

NEWS from BoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States
5323 Port Royal Rd, Springfield, VA 22151
BoatUS News Room at https://www.boatus.com/news-room/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, Vice President Public Affairs, 703-461-2864, SCroft@boatus.comSCroft@boatus.com

TowBoatUS Adds Port in the Big Apple

Miller’s Launch opens its second TowBoatUS on-water towing port on Staten Island; Helping recreational boaters get safely home 24/7

TowBoatUS Staten Island and TowBoatUS Sandy Hook port manager Capt. Harold “Smitty” Smith.
TowBoatUS Staten Island and TowBoatUS Sandy Hook port manager Capt. Harold “Smitty” Smith.
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STATEN ISLAND, NY, May 1, 2025 – Miller’s Launch, a commercial marine service provider on Staten Island’s northeastern Stapleton waterfront has opened it’s second on-water towing and assistance port for recreational boaters, TowBoatUS Staten Island. Located directly on Upper New York Bay and within sight of the Statue of Liberty, lower Manhattan and Verrazzano Bridge, it’s the third TowBoatUS port in New York’s Five Burroughs, after City Island and Jamaica Bay, and part of a nationwide network of more than 300 TowBoatUS locations.

TowBoatUS Staten Island is expected to reduce response times for requests from boaters for routine assistance throughout the harbor. Services include 24/7 on-water towing, soft ungrounding assistance, battery jump and fuel drops. Last year, BoatUS dispatchers received more than 113,000 requests nationwide for on-water assistance, with “mechanical breakdown” the number one reason. Miller’s also owns TowBoatUS Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

Much like an auto club for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers on-water Unlimited Towing Memberships for saltwater boaters and anglers for just $175 per year. Membership comes with more than 25 valuable BoatUS benefits, as well as a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration and more.

Stationed at TowBoatUS Staten Island are two, red TowBoatUS response vessels, 26- and 33-feet each, with white stripes and lettering on the side and fully rigged for towing and vessel recovery. All of the company’s captains are U.S. Coast Guard-licensed.
 

Separate from BoatUS on-water towing, TowBoatUS Staten Island also offers boat salvage and spill response services.

To request on-water assistance, boaters can call the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869, call the port directly at 732-291-8264, or hail on VHF radio Ch. 16.

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Miller’s Launch opens TowBoatUS Staten Island, New York, the 3rd TowBoatUS location in New York’s Five Boroughs, after City Island and Jamaica Bay. 24/7 on water assistance for recreational boaters. Unlimited annual towing memberships available for $175. https://bit.ly/434b4CV #redisready #boattow #marinetowing #boattowing #statenisland #newyorkboat #newyorkboating

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.