Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo S Series

TowBoatUS comes to Northern Michigan's Inland Waterway

by Scott Croft 24 Jun 2021 23:08 PDT
TowBoatUS is ready to serve boaters on Northern Michigan's Inland Waterway 24 hours a day © Scott Croft

On Northern Michigan's Inland Waterway, professional 24/7 on-water assistance for recreational boaters is now available with the opening of TowBoatUS Indian River. The company provides towing and soft ungrounding help as well as battery jumps and fuel drop-offs, covering the entire waterway from Crooked and Pickerel lakes to Cheboygan.

It is the 13th TowBoatUS location for Rich Lendarson who operates TowBoatUS locations from Dolton, Indiana to Cheboygan. These include nearby TowBoatUS Mackinaw City, TowBoatUS Traverse Bay and TowBoatUS Torch Lake. All are part of a nationwide fleet of more than 600 towboats and 300 TowBoatUS locations. Also with the company are Lendarson's wife, Jessica, and son David who handle business operations, and son Hunter, who assists with salvage work.

Lendarson has stationed one red TowBoatUS response vessel, which is fully rigged for towing and salvage, at Indian River Marina located between Burt and Mullet lakes. In an effort to speed response times on the 40-mile stretch of interconnected lakes and rivers, a second response vessel is kept on a trailer ready to go at a moment's notice. "Our U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captains travel over the road and launch at the nearest boat ramp," said Lendarson. "It improves our mobility and significantly reduces response times," he added.

BoatUS offers on-water Unlimited Towing Memberships for freshwater boaters and anglers for just $90 per year. Boaters without BoatUS towing services face costs averaging $750 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 BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration, and more.

For roadside boat trailer breakdowns, adding $15 to a BoatUS membership provides Trailer Assist service, which will tow both a tow vehicle and a disabled boat trailer up to 100 miles to the nearest repair facility or safe area. The service includes launch ramp winching service, flat tire assistance, battery jumps, fuel delivery and lock out service.

Separate from BoatUS towing services, the company offers boat salvage, and dive and environmental remediation services.

The fastest way to summon assistance from TowBoatUS Indian River 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 269-605-9036, 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 864-313-0968.

Related Articles

New Online BoatUS Foundation Course
Taking on Biggest Cause of Accidents: Distracted Boating A quick look at the annual U.S. Coast Guard recreational boating accident statistics shows “operator inattention” and “improper lookout” to be perennial placeholders in the top five primary contributing factors in boating accidents. Posted on 8 Jul
All the hurricane preparation info boaters need
Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1 Recreational boaters whose vessels have been impacted by a hurricane and came out relatively unscathed know it all starts with a plan. Posted on 29 May
Coast Guard proposes removing hundreds of buoys
Some buoys are in notoriously rocky and challenging bays and harbors on the Northern Atlantic Coast On April 15, the First Coast Guard District released an initiative proposing the removal of hundreds of navigational buoys, or Aids to Navigation (AtoNs). Posted on 20 May
Learn powerboating skills in Old Saybrook
From the basics to 2 new hands-on courses added for experienced boaters Recreational boaters are beginning to return to the waters of Long Island Sound. Are they prepared? Posted on 8 May
Boaters prepare for boating season with BoatUS
At Erie Islands Sailing & Powerboating School With the summer boating season just around the corner, boaters on Lake Erie's West/Central Basin can boost their confidence on the water with a little help from Erie Islands Sailing & Powerboating School, which offers at-the-helm training Posted on 22 Apr
Spring launch checklist
Time-tested tips for getting your boat ready for the season Whether it's your first year or 50th, the recreational boat owner's advocacy, services and safety group, BoatUS, has help on how to start the boating season off right with its Spring Commissioning Checklist. Posted on 26 Mar
Be wary of letters offering documentation renewal
Official-looking vessel documentation renewal notices can lead to confusion and higher costs Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is advising boaters with vessels that have a U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation to be wary of any letter arriving by U.S. mail offering renewal. Posted on 28 Jan
Got your boating safety certificate yet?
A 2025 mandatory boating safety education requirement BoatUS Foundation's online Boating Safety Course helps Empire State residents meet 2025 mandatory boating safety education requirement. Posted on 2 Jan
How to prepare a boat for Helene
Free online guides, videos, worksheet available from BoatUS With potential Tropical Cyclone Nine expected to reach hurricane strength as Helene before hitting parts of Florida's Gulf Coast later this week, recreational boat owners have all the hurricane preparation information they need at BoatUS.com/Hurricanes. Posted on 25 Sep 2024
How to prepare a boat for Francine
Free online guides, videos, worksheet available for hurricanes from BoatUS With Tropical Storm Francine expected to reach hurricane strength before hitting parts of coastal Louisiana and the western Gulf Coast this week, recreational boat owners have all the hurricane preparation information they need at BoatUS.com/Hurricanes. Posted on 10 Sep 2024
Palm Beach Motor YachtsMaritimo M600