R to L: TowBoatUS Rocky Point and TowBoatUS Lake of the Woods owners Capt. Doug and Melanie Nelson.

June 24, 2025

Straddling the U.S.-Canada border, Lake of the Woods is a vast expanse of pristine waters more than 70 miles wide with an incredible 65,000 miles of shoreline and nearly 15,000 islands. The sixth largest lake in the country just got its second TowBoatUS 24/7 on-water towing and assistance port for recreational boaters and anglers, TowBoatUS Rocky Point, opened by Capt. Doug and Melanie Nelson. The company provides professional on-water towing, soft ungrounding, battery jump and fuel drop-off services and is part of a network of more than 300 TowBoatUS ports nationwide.

The Nelsons opened their first port, TowBoatUS Lake of the Woods, in Baudette, just two years ago. When asked about the growth of the small business, Doug says it’s all about going where their services are needed, providing faster response times. “We have a lot of possibilities,” says Doug, “Being able to service the west side of the lake efficiently from our new west side port means shorter response times to requests for assistance. We hope to grow BoatUS membership over here by providing great service.”

Last year, the nationwide on-water assistance service responded to more than 110,000 requests for routine assistance from boaters experiencing mechanical breakdown (e.g., engine, transmission, drives), the No. 1 cause of calls.

TowBoatUS Rocky Point has a 21-foot red response vessel fully rigged for towing and salvage homeported at Arneson’s Rock Point Resort in Roosevelt. All of the company’s captains are U.S. Coast Guard-licensed.

Much like an auto club for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers on-water Unlimited Towing Memberships for freshwater boaters and anglers for just $109 per year. Membership comes with more than 25 valuable BoatUS benefits, including discounts at local fuel docks and transient slips at marinas. Also included are a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration and more.

Separate from BoatUS on-water towing, the company also offers boat salvage services.

To request on-water assistance, boaters can call the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869, call TowBoatUS Rocky Point or TowBoatUS Lake of the Woods directly at 218-434-0087, or hail on VHF radio Ch. 16.