Md. We unloaded the sailboat onto the tug and took the new boat down to the islands. Pleasure tugs are an offshoot of the trawler family, with similar performance and cruising characteristics. Nordic Tug in Burlington, Wash., builds models from 32 to 42 feet. The Pilgrim tugboats, once designed and built by sail designer Ted Gozzard s North Castle Marine in Goderich, Ontario, and Lord Nelson, formerly built in Taiwan, are available on the used market. Pleasure tugs from 26 to 42 feet generally run at trawler speeds 10 to 12 mph on displacement hulls powered by a single engine.
Tugs sleep up to six people with at least one private stateroom, usually placed forward.
And then there s the look. Cute is a word often used to describe the pleasure tug. But the word belies its workboat heritage. Sure, I like the tug s character. But I ve always been more impressed with the boat beneath the look.