![\"Two](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BTG1024-TowBoat-1-1024x682.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1\")
<\/div>\n Courtesy TowboatUS<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\n
Travel enough by boat, and you\u2019ll notice that commercial fishermen in a geographic region have similar boats that are well-suited to targeted species, fishing methods, and local waters. Head down the coast 100 miles, though, and those boats change, sometimes markedly.<\/p>\n
TowBoatUS captains all target the same catch\u2014broken-down boaters needing a battery jump, extra fuel, a nudge from a sandbar, or a tow home. Their methods are standardized as well, yet their boats are often quite different. I asked three TowBoatUS operators, in three very different environments, why they chose specific boats and features. Their answers have value to every boater and just might influence your next boat purchase.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Skinny Water: 24-foot Zodiac Hurricane 733 RIB<\/h2>\n
An \u201cold conch\u201d\u2014a moniker taken by multigenerational fishermen in the Florida Keys and southwest Florida\u2014once told me: \u201cThere\u2019s plenty of water in those bays; it\u2019s just real, real thin.\u201d Commercial trap and net fleets in that region are built for shallow-water operation, while many recreational boats are designed to stay within notoriously narrow, shifty, long channels cut through the flats.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no surprise, then, that Capt. Todd Dillman, who provides \u00adTowBoatUS services in the shallow bays near Naples, Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands, chose his Zodiac RIB (rigid-hull inflatable boat) partly for its draft. \u201cIt zips around in just under a foot of water on plane, but it has no problem towing a 60-foot boat,\u201d Dillman says. Maneuverability is also key. \u201cWe have a lot of small, tight canals, and it turns on a dime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fuel capacity covers the 70-mile trip south to Cape Sable, plus the tow back. \u201cEven with 150\u00a0\u00adgallons of fuel down in the belly, it still drafts less than a foot, and it definitely helps the ride adding that weight down low.\u201d The RIB\u2019s V-bottom and buoyancy collar take the edge off the frequent wintertime 4- to 6-foot short chop. In fact, Dillman prefers the ride of the Zodiac\u2019s air-filled tubes versus the hybrid foam-and-air collar of his other boat, a 27-foot Dauntless from SeaArk Marine. \u201cThe foam offers better protection from nails and things,\u201d he says, \u201cbut air tubes definitely provide more shock absorbency to smooth out the ride.\u201d<\/p>\n
RIB tubes encroach on interior volume and storage space, but the Zodiac carries an anchor, salvage gear, and dewatering pumps in a custom-built box in the bow; \u00adbattery jumper packs within the center console; plus safety equipment, lines, and dive gear in the large aft leaning post.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the summer, when the bluefin are biting, some fishing boats fish 100 miles offshore,\u201d says Capt. Mike Del Grande, whose home port is Long Beach, California. Currents that attract fish also make seas turbulent. \u201cI have to have a boat that can go 100 miles offshore comfortably, but have the speed and agility to do short tows as well,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n His Silver Ships deep-V hull, with its D-shaped foam-and-air hybrid buoyancy collar, offers the seakindliness of a RIB while maintaining the hull\u2019s 8-foot working width. Twin 300 hp outboards reach 53 mph. \u201cThat boat gets us to the calls fast, and does it safely,\u201d he says, and he finds the thick, hand-welded aluminum hull \u201cvirtually indestructible.\u201d<\/p>\n Even with 200 gallons of fuel aboard, the buoyancy collar sits above the waterline. Soft foam with nonmarring rub strakes eliminates fenders, while a 4-inch-diameter air tube stiffens the foam and adds buoyancy. \u201cThe foam is 6 inches thick in places. I can put that collar up against anything, and we\u2019re not going to lose air.\u201d<\/p>\n This is Del Grande\u2019s second Silver Ships, which is wider than his first by a foot. \u201cThose 100-mile tows are longer than 12 hours, so we need two people, legally,\u201d he says. That extra beam accommodates a larger pilothouse, with room for a bunk and large beanbag chair for rest, while Shoxs air-suspension seats mitigate fatigue and prevent injuries. \u201cIt keeps us working longer during the day, and also later in life.\u201d The forward-canting windshield reduces nighttime glare from dash lights and minimizes \u00adwindshield spray.<\/p>\n \u00a0A 16,000-gallon-per-hour gas-powered dewatering pump is plumbed into a 25-foot intake hose that extends from the stern, and a winch atop the bow towing bitts snugs side-tow lines. Perhaps the boat\u2019s most interesting feature, though, is a 40-gallon livewell, which is a great addition to help the crew pass the downtime. \u201cThe guys are able to fish [offshore] and listen to the radio,\u201d Del Grande explains. \u201cIf we get a call offshore, having that bait tank cuts response time in half.\u201d<\/p>\n Lake Texoma, north of Dallas on the border of Texas and Oklahoma, ranks among the largest reservoirs in the US. Dozens of boat ramps and 4,000 marina slips ensure that TowBoatUS owner Capt. Mike Tucker catches assistance calls year-round. \u201cIt might be 110-degree days in the summer or 17 degrees in the winter,\u201d he says, so his fleet is split between center-console and pilothouse boats. \u201cWith the pilothouse, you lose visibility and flexibility, but having the protection makes a big difference from November through February.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBoston Whalers are tough as nails and can handle the chop,\u201d Tucker continues. \u201cThey\u2019re foam-filled and unsinkable. The fiberglass is really strong. We know that when we are putting a boat in a precarious place, we can trust it.\u201d His Frontier\u2019s large aft deck is particularly helpful. \u201cIt gives us working room for dealing with towing hawsers or for hauling equipment out to a salvage job.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Lake Texoma adds first-\u00adresponder duties to Tucker\u2019s TowBoatUS fleet. \u201cThere is no Coast Guard presence on the lake,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are seven different [law-enforcement] agencies, and most don\u2019t have vessels in the water all the time. Anytime there is a sinking or fire or search-and-rescue, we are activated by the wardens, the game officers, or the sheriff.\u201d His boats have firefighting pumps, hoses and nozzles, and that extra deck space accommodates local firefighters. \u201cIn a marina fire, with multiple vessels burning, we\u2019re pulling boats out and taking them to shore so they don\u2019t sink in deep water.\u201d Captains are also trained and boats equipped to \u00adadminister advanced first-aid.<\/p>\n Tucker rounds out his fleet with a 19-foot Boston Whaler Justice, which can be trailered anywhere along the 30 miles of Lake Texoma and launched even at really tight boat ramps.<\/p>\n In southwest Florida, Dillman prefers center-consoles. \u201cLines are really accessible. We can get a boat started in a slip and untie it quickly,\u201d he says. Weather protection isn\u2019t paramount. \u201cIn the afternoon thunderstorms, we get a little wet in that sideways rain for an hour or two, but then it\u2019s back to sunny and hot for the rest of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n Off Southern California, all three of Del Grande\u2019s boats offer hard protection from chilly seawater and cold nights. \u201cIt can be glassy and beautiful in the morning, then in the afternoon, it might be blowing 20 knots out of the west, with 3- to 5-foot seas,\u201d he says. \u201cBeing able to close that windward-side door hugely contributes to crew morale. No one likes being wet and cold.\u201d<\/p>\n With both pilothouse and center-console boats, Tucker says that it\u2019s really mission-based. \u201cThe center-console offers a \u00ad360-degree platform where I can get all around the boat, with good visibility all the way around, and a \u00adT-top provides shade and protection from the weather,\u201d he explains. A pilothouse, on the other hand, adds protection from cold and also thunderstorms in Tornado Alley. \u201cIt can be beautiful, sunny and warm, and then 20 minutes later, it\u2019s blowing 50 and dumping rain,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n Read Next:<\/strong> Rendering Aid: How to Safely Tow Other Boats<\/a><\/p>\n Off Long Beach, Del Grande chose twin 12-inch Garmin displays, in part for the dual-radar function. \u201cThat gives me two different distances\u2014one at 2 miles and one at a half-mile, so I know I\u2019m seeing everything.\u201d He also relies on Garmin\u2019s bottom sounder as well as the side-scan feature. Gyrostabilized FLIR helps at night. \u201cWhen we\u2019re in the middle of a bunch of radar spots, we do a 360 with the FLIR,\u201d he says, to identify his target. \u201cThat saves us a lot of time.\u201d<\/p>\n Communications comes through two Icom marine VHF radios, two radios for commercial offshore single-sideband \u00adtraffic, and a fifth that monitors area \u00adpolice, lifeguard, and firefighter frequencies. \u201cWhen someone calls 911, and our local area emergency responders get there and determine it\u2019s a non-emergency, [that\u2019s when] they call us,\u201d he says. \u201cBy monitoring those channels, we can respond right away.\u201d<\/p>\n Tucker prefers Raymarine, in part for the search-and-rescue \u00adpatterns built into their plotters, which help in his first-responder role. \u201cWe run either two 9-inch or one 12-inch screen for the plotter and sonar,\u201d he reveals. \u201cThe 3D \u00adsonar is best for what we do. It gives a clearer picture of a sunken vessel or a lost motor.\u201d<\/p>\n Two Standard Horizon VHFs provide communication mostly within his fleet, with integrated hailers handling short-range communication. \u201cNobody uses VHF here anymore. It\u2019s all cellphone,\u201d he says, even though boaters should really have at least a handheld on board at all times. Tucker\u2019s boats also carry radios specifically for firefighting.<\/p>\n In southwest Florida, Dillman\u2019s captains rely on Garmin plotters and sounders, along with a pair of Icom VHF radios.<\/p>\n \u201cTwins have more torque for pulling,\u201d Tucker says. \u201cManeuverability comes into play getting large boats into tight places, putting a boat on a trailer, or pushing it into a slip.\u201d \u00ad\u00adFour-blade stainless-steel props bite the water better to enhance pulling power and maneuverability.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we\u2019re towing, our fuel-burn rate is better with two \u00admotors at lower rpm,\u201d Dillman adds, but he particularly appreciates his twin 150 hp Suzuki \u00adoutboard\u2019s digital controls. \u201cIt\u2019s very easy to go in and out of gear and throttle up a bit with one hand. They\u2019re easier to rig, and there are no Tucker is switching from \u00adTohatsu to Suzuki outboards, also largely for their electronic controls. \u201cShift and throttle cables get harder to control over time. We change them out every two years, at most. Digital controls \u00adeliminate that point of failure.\u201d<\/p>\n Del Grande opted for twin 300\u00a0hp Mercury outboards mounted on the boat\u2019s transom bracket. \u201cI like the Suzuki outboards, but they are V-6s. The SeaPro Mercury V-8 Verado is designed for commercial applications. They\u2019re basically detuned, maxing out at 5,200 rpm. A lot of the components are stainless, not aluminum. I\u2019m converting all of our boats over the next few years.\u201d<\/p>\n The wider transom on his newest Silver Ships spaces those engines about 6 inches farther apart. This, combined with Mercury\u2019s 1.75-to-1 gear ratio, improves handling. \u201cEven with the outboards as far aft as they are, the boat spins on a dime.\u201d Mercury\u2019s electronic controls simplified adding a shift-and-throttle control near the aft towing bitts.<\/p>\n From Santa Catalina Island to the shoals of southwest Florida, stranded boats require similar assistance. What\u2019s interesting is how local towing operators choose boats and features for conditions they face, not recent boat-show trends. Perhaps that\u2019s a lesson for recreational boaters as well.<\/p>\n The post The Boat Choices of TowBoatUS Captains<\/a> appeared first on Boating Mag<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Tow](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BTG1024-TowBoat-2-1024x768.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1\")
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\n Courtesy TowboatUS<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\nBig Water: 32-foot Silverships AM800 With Hybrid Foam-and-Air Collar<\/h2>\n
![\"TowBoatUS](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BTG1024-TowBoat-3-1024x768.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1\")
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\n Courtesy TowboatUS<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\nFresh Water: 25-foot Boston Whaler Frontier<\/h2>\n
![\"Tow](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BTG1024-TowBoat-4-1024x768.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1\")
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\n Courtesy TowboatUS<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\nCenter-Console vs. Pilothouse<\/h2>\n
![\"Garmin](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BTG1024-TowBoat-7.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1\")
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\n Courtesy Garmin<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\nElectronics<\/h2>\n
![\"Outboards](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BTG1024-TowBoat-6-1024x428.jpg?resize=800%2C334&ssl=1\")
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\n Courtesy Suzuki, Tohatsu, Mercury Marine<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\nEngines and Controls<\/h2>\n
adjustment issues,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n