RAYSTOWN LAKE, Pa. September 1, 2010 – Boaters and anglers on Raystown Lake, PA, now have a reliable helping hand to call when their boats break down on the water. Captain Stephen Prosser, a thirty-year veteran of the boating industry, has opened TowBoatUS Raystown Lake which provides on-the-water assistance and tows back to launch ramps or marinas. The business is licensed by the Department of the Army to offer on-the-water towing and assistance services.
Recreational boaters and anglers can call the on-the-water towing company 24-hours a day at 814-386-3166, through the BoatUS toll-free Dispatch Service at 800-391-4869, or by hailing on VHF radio channel 16. “Most of our calls for assistance are for fuel drop-offs or dead batteries,” said Capt. Prosser.
The new business is located at Seven Points Marina between mile markers #8 and #9. (To see the new location on a map go to the BoatUS Member Services Locator.) The company covers all of Raystown Lake with two response vessels ready to go a moment’s notice: a 28-foot Privateer and a 23-foot Roballo, each fully rigged for marine towing and salvage work, including extra fuel, engine fluids, pumps, and battery "jump packs" to handle dead batteries. A certified diver, Capt. Prosser also carries dive gear aboard the boats. Each boat can be identified by their distinctive red hulls, white bow stripes and "TowBoatU.S." lettering along their sides.
Like an auto club, BoatUS offers "Unlimited" on-the-water towing plans for freshwater boaters and anglers for just $58 a year which includes BoatUS membership. Without a towing plan, boaters face costs that nationally average about $600 per incident.
Area boaters may know the US Coast Guard-licensed Prosser as he is also a newly-elected Penn Township Constable and captain for the tour boat The Princess, which is berthed at Seven Points Marina. To help boaters and anglers find their way around the twisting body of water and assist emergency responders, Capt. Prosser recently put together and paid for the printing of a Raystown Lake chart. Free copies can be found at the Seven Points Recreation Area US Corps of Engineers office located below the visitor center.
TowBoatUS Raystown Lake is part of the country's largest boat towing program, BoatUS Towing Services, with over 600 towboats servicing hundreds of ports and waterways coast to coast. The towing program is just one service offered by BoatUS - Boat Owners Association of The United States - the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its half-million members with government representation, consumer programs and money-saving services. For more information go to www.BoatUS.com/towing.
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About BoatUS Towing Services:
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters providing over half a million members with a wide array of consumer services, including on-the-water towing assistance provided by TowBoatUS and Vessel Assist Pacific. Combined, these two towing fleets offer North American boaters the largest network of US and Canadian towing ports with over 290 locations and over 600 towing assistance vessels — more than double that of any other service provider.
