(R to L) TowBoatUS Lake Travis owner Capt. Skylar Smith, brother Capt. Morgan Smith, with Junior the German shepherd.
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AUSTIN, Texas, July 7, 2022 –Capt. Skylar Smith’s love for the water began at age 12 when he and his twin brother salvaged a sailboat after Hurricane Ike and painstakingly rebuilt the small vessel – including making their own sails. After high school, he earned his 100-ton U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license and began working on the lake. Now the 27-year-old, who always wanted to start his own business, has opened TowBoatUS Lake Travis, a 24/7 professional provider of towing, soft ungrounding, battery jump-start and fuel drop-off services for recreational boaters.

“I’m excited to own my own business helping folks on the water with the unexpected,” said Capt. Smith. The Houston native is one of the youngest local TowBoatUS company owners in a nationwide network of more than 300 TowBoatUS locations that responded to more than 80,000 requests from boaters for on-water assistance last year. The company’s two response vessels, easily recognized by their bright red hulls with “TowBoatUS” in white letters on each side, are stationed at West Beach Marina in Travis.

“Battery jumps, freeing fouled towlines, and providing soft ungroundings are some of the more common reasons boaters call us for assistance,” said Smith. “Of course, no one plans on having a breakdown, but it happens, and we’re there to get you home.”

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 – which is less expensive and offers more coverage than competitors. Also included are more than 25 Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) benefits and discounts, a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration and more.

Separate from the routine BoatUS on-water towing services, the company offers boat salvage and spill cleanup services on Lake Travis as well as on nearby Lake Austin and Town Lake.

The fastest way to request assistance from TowBoatUS Lake Travis is to download the free BoatUS App, which connects boaters to the closest local towing captain. Additionally, the company can be reached at 512-TOWBOAT (869-2628), 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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#LakeTravis boaters now have access to 24/7 on-water assistance – Capt. Skylar Smith opens TowBoatUS Lake Travis to provide towing, soft ungrounding, battery jump and fuel drop-off services  https://bit.ly/3nHf0UY  @BoatUS #towboatus #redisready #boattow #marinetowing #boattowing #austin

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 80,000 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.