American Tug, the La Conner Builder Behind a Loyal Trawler Following

A breakaway team sets up shop in La Conner

The company began as a departure. In 1999 Kurt Dilworth, Tom Nelson and Mike Schoppert left management jobs at Nordic Tugs and launched Tomco Marine Group in the waterfront town of La Conner, Washington, with Seattle naval architect Lynn Senour as a partner. Senour had earlier penned a quick, heavy-hauling hull for Alaska fishermen, and the founders adapted that mold for their first pleasure boat, launched in 2000.

Senour died in 2004, the same year the yard brought out its second and larger design; later models came from the founders' own team. Over roughly two and a half decades the firm delivered about 250 hulls, nearly all with owner-requested changes.

What the founders believed a cruiser should be

The design brief stayed remarkably consistent. Each boat rides on a hard-chined semi-displacement bottom with a full-length keel protecting the running gear, uses one diesel instead of two, keeps systems simple enough for an owner to service, and skips exterior teak. Dilworth has described the fleet as burning roughly 3.5 gallons an hour at 7.5 or 8 knots, with a sprint into the mid teens held in reserve.

That philosophy put American Tug in the same camp as Nordic Tug and Ranger Tugs, but with bigger, more liveaboard-minded boats. Buyers tended to be retired couples planning long seasons on the Inside Passage, the Intracoastal Waterway or the Great Loop.

How the lineup grew from one hull

The original 34 was later rebadged the 365 once the yard switched to naming boats by true overall length, and in 2020 that same hull spawned a two-cabin sister called the 362. The flagship line began in 2004 as the 41 and was later renamed the 435. Between and beyond those two families the company also built the slender 395, the 49 and the 485. At the time of the Kadey-Krogen purchase in May 2023 the catalog listed five models spanning 36 to 48 feet.

Our separate reviews of the American Tug 34 and the 435 cover engines, layouts, test results and pricing. In short, the smaller boat suits a couple who rarely host guests, while the 435 adds a second stateroom and far more fuel.

Owning an American Tug with no factory behind it

Reports in July 2026 said parent company Kadey-Krogen was filing for Chapter 7 liquidation, and americantug.com now displays only a suspended or archived page. We have not been able to confirm what is happening at the La Conner building, so anyone shopping today should assume factory warranty help and proprietary parts are gone.

Owners are less exposed than that sounds. The yard used widely available hardware, including Cummins and Volvo Penta engines, Northern Lights gensets and Side-Power thrusters, all backed by national service networks. Loop demand and an enthusiastic owners' community have historically kept values firm. Because customization was routine, compare equipment lists item by item.

• Engine records, especially injectors, turbo and heat exchanger.
• Keel, shaft and rudder bearings for grounding damage.
• Tanks, fuel pickups and filtration.
• Deck core moisture and pilothouse door and window seals.