TowBoatUS comes to Grand Haven, Michigan

by D. Scott Croft on 10 Jun 2016 Capt. Richard Lenardson, who has been coming to the aid of Lake Michigan boaters in need of a battery jump, soft ungrounding, fuel delivery or a tow back home for the last 10 years, has opened TowBoatUS Grand Haven, a 24-hour on water towing and assistance service for recreational boaters.

“My local company, Great Lakes Towing, worked as an independent tower in the Grand Haven area for eight years, and now we are thrilled to become an official TowBoatUS port,” Lenardson said. “The benefits are enormous. Why would someone want to pay me $250 an hour for a tow when they can join BoatUS and get a towing plan for $72 a year?” The location is one of several that Lenardson is opening this season. TowBoatUS has 42 locations on the Great Lakes alone, and over 300 nationally.

Much like a reliable auto club for boaters, BoatUS offers on-water Unlimited Towing Membership Plans for freshwater boaters and anglers for just $72 a year that includes valuable BoatUS membership. All plans are good for any boat owned, rented or borrowed. Going without a plan leaves boaters facing costs that average $700 per incident nationally.

Grand Haven, officially named “Coast Guard City USA” by an act of Congress, is the most popular boating area on Lake Michigan after Chicago, according to Lenardson. It is home to a large US Coast Guard station and each summer, the community hosts a 10-day Coast Guard Festival that draws 300,000 people for carnival events, fireworks and tours of Coast Guard boats. Thousands of recreational boats raft up on the Grand River. “They are so close together, you can literally walk from boat to boat for miles,” Lenardson said. TowBoatUS Grand Haven will be there to assist any boater who needs a hand.

The US Coast Guard licensed Lenardson is owner of TowBoatUS Chicago and eight additional TowBoatUS ports along the shores of Lake Michigan, working with a staff of highly qualified licensed captains who are on call 24/7. The Grand Haven response boat, a 10-meter aluminum-hulled Zodiac with diesel-powered jet drives, is the fastest in the fleet, assuring it can bring prompt service to boaters on Lake Michigan, Spring Lake and adjacent inland rivers. The bright red boat, which is based at North Shore Marina directly across the Grand River from the U.S. Coast Guard station, has the TowBoatUS name and logo emblazoned in white letters on the hull, and is fully rigged for towing and salvage, with powerful pumps, battery jump packs, dive gear and extra fuel.

TowBoatUS Grand Haven can be hailed on VHF channel 16, reached by calling the local office directly at 269-226-2125, by calling the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869, and via smartphone with the free BoatUS Towing App. Lenardson is big fan of the smartphone app since it gives his dispatchers the exact location of the boat that needs help. “We can get there much faster when we have that information,” he said. More information can be found at BoatUS.com/towing or call 800-888-4869.