VENTURA, Calif., Aug. 15, 2022 – When you start working on the water at the tender age of 12, it doesn’t take long to get a lot of boating experience under your belt. In middle school, Carson Shevitz began working at a local boat rental business, and by his senior year of high school, he had earned his captains license, allowing him to work during college summer breaks as a hired boat towing captain. At 19, he become the first (and only) intern hired by Capt. Paul Amaral of TowBoatUS Ventura/TowBoatUS Channel Islands, California. Graduating in 2020 with a business management degree, Capt. Shevitz knew what he wanted to do – go to work for Capt. Amaral towing boats.

Now, at age 25, Shevitz is the new owner of the 24/7 on-water boat towing and assistance company – as well as one of the youngest owners ever – in the nationwide TowBoatUS fleet.

Shevitz remembers his boat rental days watching TowBoatUS help boaters. “It was cool,” he exclaims, describing how disabled boats were safely put back in their slip by TowBoatUS. Capt. Amaral, who started the business in 2003, will remain with the company. “Paul isn’t going anywhere anytime soon,” says Shevitz, smiling. “We joke that his name is often used as a verb around the harbor. He’s been a great mentor and remains a very valuable team member. Together we serve the public.”

While the company is not a first responder agency, both Shevitz and Amaral are NASBLA-certified in search and rescue, and the company has been involved in some high-profile cases, most recently January’s Hunga Tonga tsunami. “We’re honored to support the U.S. Coast Guard and first responders,” said Shevitz. All of the company’s captains are Coast Guard-licensed.

The company’s four, 26- to 34-foot response vessels are easily recognized by their bright red hulls with “TowBoatUS” in white letters on each side and stationed just inside Ventura Harbor and at The Boat Yard in Channel Islands Harbor. The locations are part of nationwide network of more than 300 TowBoatUS ports, providing routine on-water assistance including towing, battery jumps, fuel drop-offs and soft ungroundings. Across the country, the towing service responds to around 90,000 requests for assistance each year.

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 $165 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.

Unique to the company is an increased VHF radio voice communications range provided by 2,600-foot antenna “high site.” Said Shevitz, “A lot of tows we provide are long-distance, frequently taking four- to six hours or more. The VHF high site helps us service our customers better in an area often without cellphone service.”

Separate from BoatUS on-water towing services, the company offers boat salvage, environmental remediation, and dive services.

The fastest way to request assistance from TowBoatUS Ventura or TowBoatUS Channel Islands is to download the free BoatUS App, which connects boaters to the closest local towing captain. When out of cellular phone range, hail TowBoatUS at VHF radio channel 16.

Additionally, the port can be reached at 805-644-2762, or by phoning the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869.

For more go to BoatUS.com/Towing or call 800-888-4869.

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Suggested social media post:

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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