Helping boaters get safely home, Capt. Seth Owens doubles the size of his TowBoatUS business
by Scott Croft 21 Apr 2022 19:05 UTC
Capt. Seth Owens with his wife, Cayla, new owners of TowBoatUS Jordan Lake, N.C., and Falls Lake, N.C. The company's other TowBoatUS ports are on Lake Hartwell, S.C., and Lake Keowee, S.C © Scott Croft
Former fishing guide and lead towboat captain Seth Owens, opened his first 24/7 on-water recreational boat towing and assistance company, TowBoatUS Lake Hartwell, South Carolina, just three short years ago. He then added a second location or "port," TowBoatUS Lake Keowee, South Carolina, last year.
Now Owens has expanded of his company's footprint by adding two new TowBoatUS ports in North Carolina, TowBoatUS Jordan Lake and TowBoatUS Falls Lake. The company tows disabled vessels to launch ramps, marinas and repair facilities, and provides battery jumps, soft ungrounding services and fuel drop-offs. All locations are part of a nationwide TowBoatUS network of more than 300 ports and more than 600 red TowBoatUS response vessels.
The company's red towboats with "TowBoatUS" in big white lettering along their sides are fully rigged for towing and homeported on Jordan Lake at Crosswinds Marina and at Rolling View Marina on Falls Lake.
Like a "Boat Owners Auto Club," BoatUS offers on-water Unlimited Towing Memberships for freshwater boaters and anglers for just $99 per year. Boaters without BoatUS towing services face costs averaging $850 per towing incident, with some paying more. Included with Unlimited Towing membership are more than 25 Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) benefits and discounts, a subscription to award-winning BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration and more.
All of the company's captains are U.S. Coast Guard-licensed. Separate from BoatUS towing services, the company also offers boat salvage, transport and environmental remediation services.
The fastest way to summon assistance from TowBoatUS Jordan Lake and TowBoatUS Falls Lake is to download the free BoatUS App, which connects boaters to the closest local towing captain in less than a minute. Additionally, the company can be reached at 919-303-1669, by hailing on VHF channel 16, or by phoning the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869. More information can be found at BoatUS.com/Towing or by calling 800-888-4869.