April 07, 2025
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@boatus.com
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn., April 7, 2025 – Douglas Lake boaters with unexpected troubles such as engine issues, running aground, in need of a battery jump or overtrusting their boat’s fuel gauge leading to an empty gas tank now have professional, 24/7 on-water assistance with the opening of TowBoatUS Douglas Lake. The recreational boat towing port is the third for owner Capt. Shaun Curtis, who has TowBoatUS operations on nearby Fort Loudoun/Tellico Lake and in Mobile, Alabama. Curtis’ three ports are part of a nationwide network of more than 300 locations and 600 red TowBoatUS response vessels providing assistance to recreational boaters and anglers.
Curtis says he made the decision to open a full-time TowBoatUS Douglas Lake port after starting to get more frequent requests for assistance and recognizing that local boaters, instead of staying at one lake, often boated among several local lakes. Douglas Lake, however, had no 24/7 towing service for boaters.
“A lot of my friends who surf and fish there would say to me, ‘Man, I wish you guys were on Douglas,’” said Curtis. “We would respond to dispatches by trailer from Fort Loudoun/Tellico. It now greatly shortens our response for members being here full-time.”
Nationwide, the 600-plus vessel TowBoatUS response fleet responds to more than 110,000 requests from boaters and anglers each year.
Curtis homeports a 21-foot towboat with white stripes and “TowBoatUS” letters on her sides at Mountain Cove Marina. All of the company’s captains are U.S. Coast Guard-licensed.
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 $109 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.
Separate from BoatUS on-water towing, the company also offers boat salvage, vehicle recovery, environmental remediation, and dive and services.
To request on-water assistance, boaters can call the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869, download the free BoatUS App, which connects boaters to the closest local towing captain, call the ports directly at 865-453-3506, or hail on VHF radio Ch. 16.
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Suggested social media post:
Capt. Shaun Curtis expands #TowBoatUS 24/7 on-water towing and assistance service to recreational boaters and anglers on Douglas Lake, Tennessee https://bit.ly/3Yj6mOV @BoatUS #douglaslake #douglaslaketn #tennesseeboating #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 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.