Courtesy / Sea Tow Portland/Midcoast
Steve Arnold.
June 21, 2023
Southern Maine businessman scoops up marine towing service
Courtesy / Sea Tow Portland/Midcoast
The owner of marinas in Yarmouth and Naples added to his holdings with the purchase of Sea Tow Portland/Midcoast, an on-water assistance franchise.
The owner of marinas in Yarmouth and Naples added to his holdings with the purchase of Sea Tow Portland/Midcoast, an on-water assistance franchise.
Steve Arnold owns Marina Holdings LLC, an umbrella company that includes Yarmouth Boat Yard, Moose Landing Marina, Freedom Boat Club of Maine and Maine Boating Academy.
“With this addition, customers can count on us for all their boating needs including sales, slips, service, storage, rentals, boat club, boat training, on-water transportation, and now towing and salvage,” said Arnold.
Before the acquisition, Sea Tow Portland/Midcoast served Cape Porpoise to Pemaquid Point and the Inland Rivers. Under Arnold’s ownership, the company is expanding its territory to include freshwater bodies of water Sebago Lake, Brandy Pond and Long Lake.
The franchise will retain its former owner, Bruce White, a boat captain who will stay on as an ambassador. Another captain, Chris Davis, will also stay on to serve as general manager and continue to oversee on-water operations. Several other employees will also stay on, maintaining their current roles.
An additional service provided is Sea Taxi by Sea Tow, an on-water taxi service in Portland Harbor and throughout the islands of Casco Bay. Captain Bill Tracey will continue to operate that service.
“Keeping on the same Sea Tow management team, who have successfully operated the franchise for many years, will help ensure that we maintain the same level of exceptional service our customers know they can rely on,” said Arnold.
Sea Tow was established by Captain Joseph Frohnhoefer in 1983 in Southold, N.Y., when the U.S. Coast Guard ceased response to non-emergency boating calls. Today, the company has franchises in over 500 ports nationwide including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Boaters pay an annual membership fee and receive a 24/7 connection to Coast Guard-licensed captains who provide free boat towing, unlimited dock-to-dock towing, nationwide coverage, fuel delivery and battery jump starts.
In addition to on-water assistance, the franchise network handles salvage and recovery missions, and responds to natural disasters, environmental hazards, oil spill cleanups, vessel for hire and other maritime services.
The Portland/Midcoast franchise has a fleet of seven customized boats positioned at marinas in South Portland, Portland, Bath and Boothbay Harbor, according to its webstie. Its crew of Coast Guard-licensed captains routinely log over 25,000 nautical miles per year patrolling local waters and assisting boaters in areas including Saco Bay, Casco Bay, Freeport, Brunswick, Harpswell, the Boothbay region and the Saco, New Meadows, Kennebec, Sheepscot and Damariscotta rivers.
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