American Tugs

Its not often in life that you run into someone that you work well with as a team, someone that loves the business, believes in quality and is a skilled craftsman. It is unusual to find three! Tom Nelson, Mike Schoppert and Kurt Dilworth found each other while working the past four years at Nordic Tugs, each coming from not so different pasts.

The formation of Tomco Marine Group was Tom's brainchild that started with the discovery of a Lynn Senour hull mold for sale in the Northwest town of LaConner. Tom and Lynn are long time friends and coworkers from early wooden boat building days on Lake Union in Seattle. As a young apprentice, Tom was thrust into positions of great responsibilities as he proved himself on the shop floor. Those responsibilities grew as did the company and he soon found himself president of the Boat Yard. He later founded his own company, building 70 - 90 foot custom yachts as Nelson Yacht Corporation - most recently Tom was president of Nordic Tugs.

Mike Schoppert grew up in Alaska and attended Western Washington University - Mike's expertise in fiberglass technology began at Uniflite Corporation where he learned lofting and tooling skills. He later worked at Chris-Craft and Tolly Craft then ending up at Oceanus, where he developed a tooling process and facility to produce the fiberglass components for Zodiac. Mike spent the last four years supervising the lamination department and later serving as the general manager of Nordic Tugs.

Kurt Dilworth entered the boat manufacturing industry just when the luxury tax was taking its toll on the smaller builders. Beginning with Chambers Craft in the late 80's and the restart of that company as Premier Boats in the early 90's, he found himself in supervisory positions of companies that were falling apart. After several years of engineering at the local community college and the University of Washington and an apprenticeship on a two-year conversion of a steel tug to a private yacht - opportunity called at Nordic Tugs. Starting as a mechanic installing engines, electrical systems, and plumbing, he worked himself into lead positions and as the company grew, maintained position of Head Engineer and developed a warranty / customer service position.

During the past years of their careers, Tom, Mike, and Kurt developed a mutual respect for each other, complimenting their leadership skills. They believed in the people working for them and trusted each other. Now with the formation of Tomco, their knowledge, integrity, and craftsmanship culminates in the creation of the American Tug 34.

Demanding attention and respect as she pulls up to the dock and taming the coastal waters with confidence, the ultimate sport utility vehicle has arrived!! Well-known boat designer Lynn Senour created the American Tug hull for solid sea handling based upon his design for rugged fishing boats used in Alaska's fishing areas. The combination of a flat sharp chine where the v-hull meets the waterline and a deep keel with a large rudder provides solid tracking and a comfortable ride in all varieties of sea conditions and speeds.

In 2003 work began on the new 41 American Tug. It is the answer for those desiring additional accommodations and a second stateroom, allowing room for a small family or a cruising couple who desire more room for guests.

Based on the success of the American Tug 41, another new model, the American Tug 49 was launched in fall of 2008. It features a much larger cockpit area and room in the salon for comfortable chairs in addition to the settee. Across from the galley is a dinette area. The pilot house and staterooms are similar to the American Tug 41.

You can find the layouts and specs on all the American Tugs in the Current Model section of our website.