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The sale of pre-owned and brokerage
Nordic Tugs remains a significant part of Trawlers Midwest
business. Having sold
over 60 Nordic Tugs in the Midwest, many of their owners look
to the Schulers to sell or trade-in their tug when they are
ready to make a change. Others
interested in buying a trawler also contact the Schulers in
their search for pre-owned Nordic Tugs knowing they have been
involved in the market for many years.
Ken
& Karen Schuler purchased their first Nordic Tug in 1994
from Ed Shelton in Florida. It
was hull number 8 and was built in 1987.
They cruised it from Deland, Florida, up the St.
John’s River to Jacksonville, then down the ICW to Stuart
and across the Okeechobee to Fort Myers and on north to
Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The
story of this trip can be found by clicking on A
Summerplace.
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Schuler's first Nordic
Tug 32 DOXY was renamed A Summerplace |
Ed
Shelton was the President of Nordic Tugs Inc at that time and
he explained that he did not have a dealer in the Midwest and
asked if they would be interested.
Knowing their son would be ready to take over their
sign business, they forged ahead with the idea and Nordic Tugs
Midwest soon became a reality.
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Chicago
Boat Show
Mitch Augustine (son-in-law) & Karen Schuler
Nordic
Tugs 32's and 26
Manitowoc Marina |
They first introduced the Nordic Tug to the Midwest at the
Chicago Boat Show that year with a 40” model of the 32 and a
factory video. The interest shown in this boat style was
invigorating but they realized a big job lay ahead of them in
helping people to understand what makes a trawler a safe,
seaworthy, and efficient boat.
Nordic
Tugs Midwest became involved in many boat shows, magazine
advertising, creating a website, touring the factory in
Washington, and establishing a presence at the Manitowoc
Marina. They soon realized they had a big business on their
hands as they began stocking the fleet of Nordic Tugs. Their
first new boat was a 26’ Nordic Tug followed in six months
by a 32 footer. Three red tugboats were getting a lot of
attention as they stood out among all the white boats at the
marina.
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In
June of 1995, they were able to travel to Washington and be
present for the launching of the first 42’ Nordic Tug. It
was a very exciting event. Nordic
Tugs Midwest ordered hull number 4 of the 42’s for delivery
in summer of 1997. It
was also in late 1997 that production of the 26’ Nordic was
stopped. It had become too difficult to produce a quality boat in that size
and still keep it priced competitively.
But consumers were looking for a model in between the
32 and 42 so a 37 was put on the drawing boards and the
Schulers promptly ordered hull number two debuting it at the
Chicago Boat Show in January, 1999.
Nordic
Tug 42 - Hull Number 4
Delivered to Nordic Tugs Midwest |
Nordic
Tug 37 - Hull Number 2
Chicago Boat Show |
Buyers
came from all over the Midwest and Nordic Tugs can be found in
Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Ken &
Karen have kept a photo album of each of their Nordic Tug
owners and enjoy reminiscing about all the great people they
have become friends with over the years.
Several of their customers have been repeaters as they
traded up to a larger size. It’s always a cause for excitement when a Nordic Tug is spotted
on the water and the owners are identified.
That’s the real joy of the boating business!!
Spring
Line-up of Nordic Tugs
(some sold, some inventory) |
First
customer, Tim & Joyce Greening,
River Forest, Illinois |
See the listings of pre-owned Nordic Tugs on the Brokerage
page.
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