Mark Hall felt incredibly lucky when he bought the American Tug 435 Epiphany. He and his wife, Patricia Angell, were shopping for a new boat during the pandemic. When they came across the 2020 build in 2021, it had only six hours on the engine. “The guy had it built and then moved to Arizona, so it was brand-new. I called the factory to see if they knew anything about it.”
Indeed, the team at American Tug in La Conner, Washington, made a few calls, and the deal was done. But the pandemic was still going on, so Hall’s options were limited for getting to know the company better. That is, until this past April, when the builder was able to resume hosting its annual Spring Fling for owners. There were 110 attendees who arrived with 27 boats.
“There were the fun parts that you always have at this type of event—walking the dogs, talking to people, probably drinking too much—but what was really cool was how informative the weekend was,” Hall says.
“The Spring Fling is the jumping-off party for all of our owners to take off and head away from the dock for the summer,” says Kurt Dilworth, president of American Tugs. “Most head north into Canada, and quite a few keep going up into Alaska.”
The event left a big impression on Hall. First was the fact that American Tug had representatives on-site from Cummins. Those engines, Hall says, come with an intimidating, 2-inch-thick owner’s manual. “These guys just talk to you,” Hall says. “I’ve had Cummins engines for 25 years and never had a problem that I couldn’t diagnose or fix, but these newer ones are all electronic. These guys made it simple.”
Hall was also impressed with the factory tour led by Dilworth. “There were so many things about what goes into the quality of the boat that I just didn’t know before,” Hall says. “The way they build up these layers of fiberglass on the front of the boat, you could virtually hit a log and not sink the boat. We got to go through the cabinet shop too and see how the sausage is built. I was really awed by the factory tour, and by how long some of the people have worked for American Tug. These are loyal employees, which means the builder is doing something right.”
Hall also enjoyed a talk by Mark Bunzel, who publishes the
Waggoner Cruising Guide. Hall thinks of that guide as a bible for
Pacific Northwest cruising. “He knows what’s going on at all the resorts because he’s been doing it for so long,” Hall says. “We’ve been going to Desolation Sound for years. This year, we’re going to the Broughtons because of Mark’s talk.”
After that, Hall says, he’ll be back in La Conner for next year’s Spring Fling. “Although, I don’t know how they’ll surpass this recent event.”
This article was originally published in the July 2024 issue.
