TowBoatUS Old Hickory Lake under new ownership
by BoatUS 16 Aug 09:40 PDT
The 24/7 on-water towing and assistance service for boaters, TowBoatUS Old Hickory Lake, has a new owner. Capt. Robert Butler, owner of TowBoatUS San Diego, purchased the business recently and his nephew, Capt. Travis Basom, is the towing port's new manager of operations. The company provides on-water towing, soft-ungrounding, battery jump and fuel drop-off services to recreational boaters and anglers.
As owner of one of the busiest TowBoatUS ports in a nationwide fleet, Butler says he's excited about his nephew's opportunity "to leave the nest, if you will, and run his own towing port in the Nashville region. I have 1,000% faith in Travis," added Butler.
Basom has nearly 20 years of experience working in the on-water assistance and salvage industry, not only on Southern California waters but also at TowBoatUS ports in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, Florida.
Said Basom, "I'm really excited about the chance to help boaters here in Tennessee." He adds that his towing and salvage industry work on the nation's coasts will benefit TowBoatUS Old Hickory well. "I'm ready to put my skills to work helping boaters here."
Butler and Basom have upgraded the towing port's equipment, bringing an offshore commercial 28-foot Zodiac response vessel to the lake. The rugged vessel formerly patrolled the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, including the Hawaiian Islands. It homeports at Blue Turtle Marina. They expect to add a second response vessel, a Parker 25, soon, and have brought the port up to ACAPT standards, a certification which recognizes professionalism and high standards of service, training and equipment. All of the company's captains are U.S. Coast Guard-licensed.
Much like an auto club for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers on-water Unlimited Towing Memberships for freshwater boaters and anglers for just $109 per year. Membership comes with more than 25 valuable BoatUS benefits, including a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration and more.
Separate from BoatUS on-water towing, the company also offers boat salvage, spill clean-up and launch services.
To request on-water assistance, boaters can call the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869, call TowBoatUS Old Hickory Lake directly at 615-917-1131, or hail on VHF radio Ch. 16.