Pacific Coast relative distance guide

Relative distances between ports & points along the northern Pacific Coast

Download the guide here and take it on your next trip between Puget Sound and the Bay Area.

I put this handy guide together today while underway.  A good trip planning guide, and an easy way to familiarize yourself with the ports along the coast.  I hope you find is useful.

Steve

San Francisco Trip: La Conner to Neah Bay

Day One - We head out from the American Tug factory to Neah Bay - 92 Miles

The opportunity to take an American Tug down the Pacific Coast to San Francisco was too great to pass up.  I love cruising in the ocean.  Good friends and a well built boat should be fun.

La Conner at first light - Mt. Baker in the background

4:58 AM - We untied the lines and slipped off the dock at Trawler Row.  Looking at the the tide guide doing thorough research and trip plannng while sitting in the La Conner Tavern last night, we decided to head out at first light to catch a large 11-foot ebbing tide that would help us move west in the Straits of Juan de Fuca.

Deception Pass Bridge at Sunrise

We hit 16.8 knots with the current push.

6:20 AM - Passed under the Deception Pass Bridge...fast.  The current was nearly at max ebb when we arrived at Deception Pass.  Clear blue skies and no wind.  The water was boiling a bit.  We kicked up the throttle to 1800-rpm and gave the boat good steerage.  10-knots of boat speed plus the current and we hit 16.8-knots.  Fun!

Sea state was very nice in the Straits.  

10:00 AM - The strong ebb tide gave way to the flood as we neared Port Angeles.  The slight westerly wind and flood tide flattened the water.  Everything is running smooth, happy boat & happy crew.

Makah Marina in Neah Bay, WA

4:45 PM - We tied up at the Makah Marina at Neah Bay.  This is the northwest tip of the Continental USA.  Neah Bay is a busy fishing port during the season.  Day one was fun on the water.

The weather pattern looks very nice for the next several days with a high sitting over the northern coast covering Oregon and Washington.  We plan to hop down the coast moving during the daylight hours; getting out at first light with visibility to avoid the commercial crab traps that dot the coastline.  Get off the water in the afternoon before the onshore breeze builds, drawn in by the heating landform.  I love travelling the coast, the towns and people are interesting. 

Stay tuned...more to follow!    Steve

Sold Boat : 2006 American Tug 34

2006 American Tug 34       Secret Beach         Sold!

Equipped with the most popular factory options and an integrated dual Raymarine navigation package. Cabernet colored hull with a tasteful Doe Ultraleather interior. Cummins 380HP electronic common rail engine, Espar diesel furnace, air conditioning in the master, 6kw Northern Lights genset, full height windows in pilothouse doors, bow thruster, larger 20-gallon water heater, dual Racor filters, Prosine power inverter, and plenty of stainless accessories. 

She has Walker Bay 10-foot dinghy with Suzuki 15-hp electric start mounted on the upper boat deck, lifted by a Roskelly Ollson crane.  The cockpit has a cool raised counter with stainless barbecue.  

Built to go the distance; she has a Village Marine watermaker and an ESI fuel polishing system.

Secret Beach at St. George Reef Lighthouse - offshore near CA & OR border

  

This is a very well maintained low-hour boat with the best options!  Hurry as she will sell fast.

Complete details can be found here.

Send Steve Scruggs an email and I will send you a link to over 100 hi resolution photos.



Located on the American Tug display dock in La Conner, WA.  Come see Secret Beach on Trawler Row and take a factory tour. 

How full is your holding tank?

Probe Cleaner, not just for aliens...

A common boat maintenance issue is the holding tank level indicator.  Tank level indicators generally work very well in water and fuel tanks, but the holding tank is a larger challenge.

Tank gauges work in a variety of ways; there are float level sensors with a mechanical linkage, electronic sensors that send sonar signals to sense the level and others that measure resistance at different heights.  All are sensitive to sludge building up on the sensor and causing erratic readings.

The holding tank and system occasionally need a good cleaning.  Remember the old Du Pont tag line "better living through chemistry", well cleaning the tank is a good time to rely on chemistry.

Here are a couple of products that boat owners have offered positive recommendations.  TST Probe Cleaner, $12 at Amazon or RV Supply stores.  Noflex Digestor can be found at Fisheries Supply or Marine Sanitation for about $19.

New Model: Really!

Just arrived at American Tug is a very beautiful model of Endeavor, American Tug 34 hull #100.

The scale model was built for the late Carrol Walker who commissioned model builder Gary Isaksen to create this masterpiece.  It is a very exacting representation of Endeavor.

Carrol was a great guy and always had a positive word.  We will think of Carrol every time we have a moment to enjoy the model here in the American Tug office.  We are proud to put it on display.

Get Your Sticky Windows Slidin'

Dry Film Lubricants work great on boats!

A common spring maintenance item is to get the windows and side doors sliding smoothly.  Dry film lubricants are your answer; an inexpensive and handy item to keep aboard your boat.

Gunk gets caught in the window slider tracks.  No big deal.  Salt crystals, pollution, moss and just plain dirt conspire against free sliding windows.

The  best solution is to flush out the tracks with fresh water, use a small brush and some boat soap if needed. When the tracks dry and you think you are done, just spray a little dry film lube in there and the windows and doors will slide really easily.

What makes the Dry Film Lubricant better...it is dry!  Oils like WD-40 will attract and hold dirt.  Dry lube will not.   It is essentially a PTFE or Teflon spray leaving just the slippery stuff behind.

Teflon is a Du Pont product and available from Amazon for $9.  McLube can be purchased from any good marine store (look in the sailboat hardware section) for about $15.  Blaster PTFE can be found at Home Depot or Amazon for about $6.  There are others out there and I am sure they will all work for this intended purpose.  Click here to see a bunch.

Sold boat: 2008 American Tug 41

2008 American Tug 41         Intermezzo          Sold!

Intermezzo is a beautiful American Tug 41.  Well kept and ready to cruise. Beautiful warm colored interior.  Pilothouse features a Stidd helm chair and tremendous sight lines.  The joinery and wood is gorgeous sapele. Equipped with high quality gear:  Cummins QSC-540 common rail engine,  Dual Raymarine E-120 multifunction displays, 4kw open array radar, Raymarine autopilot, AB aluminum hulled inflatable with Tohatsu 18hp 4-stroke, stainless stern davit, 50 amp shorepower with Bosch stainless washer & dryer, bow & stern thrusters, HRO watermaker, 2000 Magnum Energy inverter. Click here for full details and over 75-photos Intermezzo was built for her experienced owner with many extras and custom options.  She has been professionally kept and is in fantastic condition. Maintenance is current, her hull is waxed and the fuel tank is full; she is ready for your families summer cruise.

I have known Intermezzo since she was first commissioned and constructed.  She has always been well kept and professionally maintained. Call Steve Scruggs to arrange a private showing of Intermezzo. American Tugs & Trawlers knows American Tugs; we build them!   We offer the highest level of service.    Steve@americantugs.com or anytime at 206-930-6139.

Cover Girl: American Tug 485 Review

American Tug 485 hull #1 is reviewed by Pacific Nor'West Boating Magazine.

Click here to read Sam Landsman's review of the AT-485.

Pacific Nor'West Boating has become a very good online magazine. 

Here they are: http://pacnwboat.com/  You can subscribe.

Sold boat: 1999 Camano Troll 31

1999 Camano Troll 31      Murphy's Law      Now Sold!



Murphy's Law - A nice Camano Troll 31

Super clean Camano Troll 31.  Great colors, well maintained & ready to cruise!

Equipped with quality gear:  Webasto diesel furnace, Raymarine integrated electronics with autopilot, Icom vhf, AB rigid hull inflatable with Nissan 4-stroke 9.8 and a new Weaver Leaver davit system, Statpower inverter, Bruce anchor & Maxwell windlass, Sunbrella bimini, upper deck privacy and aft deck covers, bow thruster, new ACR epirb, Vacuflush, etc.

The Camano 31 is a great design semi-displacement trawler; ideal for cruising the northwest.

Full Details on Murphy's Law are here.

Murphy's Law has been well kept and is very original.  This is the Camano that you have been waiting for.  Call Steve Scruggs at 206-321-2164 and arrange let's go see her on Trawler Row in La Conner, WA.

Factory Tours & Open Docks - June 14th

Factory Tours & Open House
Saturday - June 14th

From 10am until 4pm

Come to the American Tug factory and see how our boats
are built, ask questions, see our quality inside & out.

When: This Saturday - June 14th - from 10am till 4pmWhere:  At American Tugs - 800 S Pearle Jensen Way, La Conner, WA  98257
At the north basin of the La Conner Marina.  Come around the back to the large doors.

What:  Factory tours, Open house, Q&A, Open boats, See the build process.

See:  - On the shop floor we have seven boats under construction
  - See how we laminate the hulls, install mechanical components & wiring, build out the interiors, see the fine finish joinery and add the highest quality hardware.

On Trawler-row:   - Salish Lady - New American Tug 485 - Complete & On Display!
- We have great brokerage boats.  See our pre-owned tugs & trawlers

See Salish Lady - New American Tug 485 - Your only chance to see her in person

See boats under construction, learn the details of our quality yachts

A short drive from Seattle or Vancouver in beautiful Skagit Valley