Open House & Factory Tours

Factory Tours at American Tug

Come visit American Tug in La Conner on February 16!  Open House from 10am till 2pm

Tour the lamination shop, see how the boats are wired and plumbed, tour our new AT-395 hull #6 as she is being finished.  See several boats on the dock, open for your inspection.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, February 16th.

This event was a great success, and it was fun to see so many people excited about the American Tugs.  If you would like to take a tour give Steve a call at 360-466-2961, we would be happy to show you how these great boats are built.

American Tug 2013 Summer Expedition

Cruise the Central BC Coast with your American Tug.

Cruise with friends in Northern British Columbia.  A loose itinerary allowing lay days, time to explore alone or as a group, to fish, relax and enjoy your tug.

Sullivan  Bay, BC in the Broughton Islands for Canada Day or the 4th of July.  Watch the parade and try the driving range.  July 1-5, 2013.  Many of the AT owners will be gathering up here and ready to start our summer cruise.

Port McNeil, BC.  We are holding a weather briefing and Cape Caution rounding discussion at the Sportsman Pub, Steak & Pizza house.  July 7th, 2013.  Port McNeil is the last place to top up with municipal water, there is a great grocery store and all the services.

Pruth Bay off Fitz Hugh Sound.  July 9th.  A great anchorage.  Hike the trails through the coastal rain forest and see beautiful west beach or north beach, on the Pacific side of Calvert Island.  These white sand beaches are better than Maui.

Ocean Falls is a unique town.  50 year round residents in the former mill town that supported 5,000.  See the abandoned hotel, bar, apartment building and tennis club.  There is a lot of life left here, they certainly make boaters welcome.  We will have a pot luck on July 12, 2013.  See my Ocean Falls photo album here.

Rescue Bay is a wonderful anchorage and perfect for our Star or Wagon wheel raft on July 15th.  Mike Schoppert, President of American Tugs, will be announcing the winner of the American Tug geocaching challenge while anchored here.  This is the final event of our 2013 Summer Expedition and a perfect northern destination, or the jump off point for the Inside Passage route to Alaska.

Download our Summer Expedition Brochure here.

The American Tug Summer Expedition is open to any and all of those in the American Tug family.  Call Steve Scruggs at Tomco Marine to sign up.  Join the fun by calling 360-466-2961 or email steve@americantugs.com. 

American Tugs are now Factory Direct!

Happy New Year to our American Tug Family

As we celebrate the New Year, we also celebrate some exciting changes at Tomco Marine Group; we are now selling “factory direct”!  American Tugs & Trawlers is now selling direct to American Tug lovers who live in the western United States, western Canada, Europe and all around the globe.  Traditional Yachts, Inc. will continue to represent American Tugs on the east coast.

You will see a familiar face when you visit the factory; Steve Scruggs, owner of Expedition Yacht Sales, is leading our in house sales department; American Tugs & Trawlers.   Steve has sold over 60 new & pre-owned American Tugs and brings a deep knowledge of our products.  His clients have always been very happy with his extreme level of customer service.  We are excited to bring Steve aboard as Sales Manager.

2013 will be a big year at American Tug:  Our new in house brokerage will offer both new & pre-owned American Tugs, watch for American Tugs & Trawlers signs on your favorite boats.  We are introducing a new Factory Certified Pre-Owned program where we perform a 100-point inspection, certification and extend the hull warranty on qualifying American Tugs.  We are leading an American Tug Owners cruise to the Central British Columbia Coast this July.  We are making 2013 a fun year to be an American Tug owner.

Mike Schoppert & Kurt Dilworth

Tomco Marine Group, Builders of American Tugs

Well that is a very cool announcement.  I am the new inside sales guy at American Tug for the west coast.  Call me anytime at 360-466-2961 and let's talk tugs!

American Tug 435 Hull #6 - Let's build your boat!

We are now building hull #5 for her new owner, let's build #6 for you!  Call Steve

Now time to choose all your colors and options.  We will build your dream boat.  Call Steve Scruggs at 360-466-2961 and let's talk tugs!

Tech Talk: American Tug 395 Electrical System

Learn why the American Tug 395 electrical system is so well done.

New American Tug AC & DC electrical panels by Blue Seas.  The Best!

The American Tugs have always  been known for their beautifully engineered electrical systems.  Kurt Dilworth, VP of Engineering at Tomco Marine takes great pride in the quality of their gear and clean installations.  With the AT-395 and the 435 Kurt is able to introduce the new Blue Seas "360" custom distribution panels.  Blue Seas is a local company, located in Bellingham just 25 miles north of Tomco's shop in La Conner, WA.  Blue Seas has become the industry leader by introducing innovative electrical products of the highest quality.  It is wonderful to have them as a neighbor.

The new DC panel has illuminated battery switch controls.

The DC panels allow Kurt to integrate illuminated battery switch controls right into the panel, allowing our owners to turn on or isolate the batteries from the helm station.  This provides instant acknowledgment of switching without having to go into the mechanical spaces, and provides the safety advantage of being able to disconnect the batteries very close to the electrical source.  The remote switches control the house, engine start and automatic battery combiner circuits. 

Batteries and remote battery switches located in the mechanical space under the salon.  Lid is open.

The Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries are located in secure battery boxes in the mechanical space under the salon.  Blue Seas remote controlled battery switches are close by, allowing control and emergency shut off if needed.   The  battery switches feed the DC distribution center located nearby in the same space.

Electrical DC distribution center.

In the same mechanical space as the batteries is the DC electrical distribution center.  This houses the primary DC fuses that feed the DC panel in the pilothouse, the power inverter, dinghy crane and 24-hour circuits (bilge pumps, etc).  The distribution center is a wonderful design as it allow a high quality integration of systems, while keeping it simple and easy for owners to operate.  All elements are clearly labeled and easily identified.  The layout is clean and logical.  All parts are of the highest quality.  Blue Seas electrical components are made in North America and are now the benchmark of quality. 

The AC & DC panels are hinged allowing easy access to the systems behind. 

Two stainless machine screws, unscrewed from their stainless nutserts for a lifetime of dependability, allows access to the wiring and distribution behind the panels.  All wire is pre-tinned stranded yacht cable per ABYC recommendations, for maximum flexibility and corrosion resistance.  Kurt designed these systems for extreme durability.

Electrical distribution center behind the AC & DC panels, accessed by hinged second door.

Lighting circuits are controlled by replaceable automotive style relays for convenient field servicing.  The switches located around the boat for convenience only carry low amperage so as to not burn out or fail prematurely, the actual lighting loads are switched by relays for dependability.  Wires are all labeled and run in organized bundles.  This is the quality of wiring that a boat builder can pride themselves on.  

Please call or email Steve Scruggs with your questions or inquiries on the American Tugs. 

Steve Scruggs
Sales Manager at American Tugs
360-466-2961 

See interior photos of the AT-395 here.

Seattle Boats-Afloat Show: Jan 25th - Feb 3rd

 

 

See Chill Seaker at the South Lake Union Show. 
 
2008 American Tug 34 #117     Chill Seaker         Now with CPO $329,500

   

Equipped with the most popular factory options and an integrated dual Raymarine navigation package. Dark Cabernet colored hull with a tasteful Cashmere Ultraleather interior. Cummins 380HP electronic common rail engine, Espar diesel furnace, 6kw Northern Lights genset, custom mast, Sea-Tel satellite system, full height windows in pilothouse doors, bow & stern thruster, dual Racor filters, Magnum Energy power inverter.



She has an Avon RIB-315 dinghy with an Honda 15 electric start and full console, riding on a Seawise stainless stern davit.



Her hull was waxed and bottom painted in May 2012, she is ready for your next Expedition!

Full details and over 60-photos and a video are here.

Expedition Yacht Sales is proud to present Chill Seaker at the Boats-Afloat Show!http://www.seattleboatshow.com/

Thank you,  Steve & Cindy   

Dredging continues in the Swinomish

Progress continues in dredging the Swinomish Channel.

Dredging the Swinomish - one bucket at a time

Dredging began in the Swinomish Channel last September.   The Channel links Skagit Bay at the south and Padilla Bay on the north, and is where the town of La Conner, Washington is located.  La Conner and the Swinomish is also the home of American Tug.

The Swinomish Channel receives heavy vessel traffic all winter when it is the only safe & calm route between Puget Sound and areas to the north when the Straits of Juan de Fuca are rough.  This is a very popular route for the American Tug fleet, in fact every AT has been sea-trialed on these waters.

The Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing American Construction and the $2.2 million contract.  They are using a very large clamshell bucket to fill the drop barge "Lummi Island", the barge is moved and dumped a couple of times per day.

Full information on the project can be found on the Army Corps of Engineers website.

Sold Boat: 2008 American Tug 41 "Jade Princess"

2008 American Tug 41     Jade Princess      $  Sold by EYS!

We have now sold Jade Princess! That is three American Tug 41's sold by Expedition Yacht Sales this year. I need another to put on the market now.

Let me know if you are thinking of selling your AT-41...I am the guy to do it. Proven results with the best marketing, honest representation and thorough product knowledge that helps the buyer and seller. Call Steve anytime at 206-321-2164.


Ready for your next family Expedition, Jade Princess is in gorgeous shape. Equipped with the Volvo D9-500 engine with electronic controls and trolling valve, watermaker, Rigid Boat dinghy with Yamaha 25, two-axis 1000-pound crane, dual display Raymarine electronics suite with autopilot, high power digital fishfinder and satellite weather receiver, neutral colored Ultra Leather interior, Stidd helm chair, air conditioning, she even has a rear cockpit enclosure of Sunbrella & Strataglass and a power downrigger…She is ready  Sold by EYS!



Full details are here including over 50-photos and a video.

Call Steve Scruggs or steve@expeditionyachtsales.com for a private viewing of Jade Princess. Anytime at 206-930-6139, offering the highest level of service and product knowledge.

Stern Tie Reel

When anchoring in British Columbia it is very normal to use a "stern tie", to keep your boat from swinging around the anchorage. 

In the Pacific Northwest we don't have much wind in the summer to keep all the boats aligned when anchored; with 10 to 20-feet of tidal height change between Seattle and Alaska, the chance of boats swinging and touching in a tight anchorage is too large to risk.

The solution is to run a "stern tie" line ashore, around a fixed object like a ring or tree stump, and back to the boat.  The stern line pulls the transom of your boat towards the beach, keeping your anchor line taut.  The stern lines are typically 300-400 feet long and made of 5/16" or 3/8-inch polypro line.  The inexpensive polypropylene is ideal as it floats and is normally a bright color like yellow whch makes it easy to spot if you are cruising around in your dinghy.

I have long searched for a "reel" good solution.  Many boaters will use a plastic hose reel and are embarrassed by its appearance, but appreciate its simple functionality.  If you search the internet you will find a variety of recycled line reels and PVC pipe home brew set ups, extension cord reels that don't quite hold enough line, and overly elaborate custom mounts.

Brooks Marine in Anacortes, WA makes the simplest and best I have found.  They run about $230.  Steph reports he has a few more in the shop, but is not sure if he is going to make another batch.  Brooks Marine is at 360-299-2956.  You might want to hurry!

Let me know if you have a good alternative.  Email me at steve@expeditionyachtsales.com

PS:  The reel pictured is aboard Forever Friday.  You can buy the reel and the boat here.

New Listing: 2008 American Tug 34 w/ EC Package

2008 American Tug 34     Cracker Jack    $344,500



EC Package with extended side rails, sliding doors and hydronic heat!
 
Cracker Jack has been beautifully kept by her original owner. “Whisper Grey” colored hull with “Polar White” deck, she looks great and is timeless in appearance.
 
In late 2008 the American Tug 34 received an upgraded standard equipment list. Some of the changes were to certify the AT-34 for export to the European Community (EC), and other changes were just nice updates. The mid-year model changes included extended length stainless side rails, sliding pilothouse doors, an aft door with 3/4 glass, Hurricane hydronic furnace system with zone heat, and interior doorways with arched tops. Cracker Jack was built to this new spec.



Ordered from the AT factory with all the best options including; Sapele & Maple salon sole, Magnum Energy 2kw inverter & extra battery, Stern thruster, Village Marine watermaker, full-height door windows, shaft line cutter. She even has the large Buell double trumpet air horns!

Full details and over 60-photos are here.

An integrated Furuno navigation suite includes: NavNet 3D 12″ color multifunction display with GPS & chart plotting, 4Kw radar, and high-power fish finder. Integrated wth Furuno NavPilot autopilot, Furuno FI-50 Multi and Wind instruments. An Icom IC-M502 VHF radio completes the electronics package.



Hull #124 is an extremely late model boat with gorgeous sapele joinery work, excellent interior & exterior colors and all the popular options and upgrades. She is in really great shape and shows a pride of ownership. Professionally maintained and ready for your family’s next Expedition.

Call Steve Scruggs, CPYB and let’s go see Cracker Jack in Gibsons, BC. I sold her new and this is a great boat. I have sold nearly 60 American Tugs and am a great resource for you, I really know these boats. Anytime at 206-321-2164. steve@expeditionyachtsales.com

 Thank you, Steve