AMERICAN TUG MARKS ITS SILVER ANNIVERSARY WITH A FULL ORDER BOOK FROM BOATERS WHO WANT TO EXPLORE.
La Conner, Wash., sits about an hour north of Seattle, nestled amid Fidalgo Island’s tulip fields and across the Swinomish Channel from the Swinomish Reservation. This boatbuilding hub with stunning views of Mount Baker has been home to American Tug for a quarter century. Even after a recent expansion, the builder’s order book runneth over. Seven boats were finished in 2023, with another 10 poised to launch this year. The yard has around 33 employees with aspirations for 45 to 48 skilled workers.
“This is a good old-fashioned American success story,” says American Tug General Manager Troy Olason. “There’s something very simple and wonderful about that.”
President and co-founder Kurt Dilworth says the company’s mission—to
