Company Profile

Nordic Tugs Inc. was formed in 1979 by Jerry Husted, his brother Jim Husted (a retired Air Force Colonel), and Gail Davis (a teacher, small business owner, boat lover). There was a "parent company" involved - Blue Water Boats Inc. of Woodinville, Washington. That company built a double-ended ocean ketch, of the "Ingrid" design. Its design came from the many beautiful double-ended sailboats in Norway in the nineteenth century. The designer of most of these was Colin Archer, a Norwegian with a Scottish name. (The "Ingrid 38" plan was actually modernized in 1934 by William Atkin, and published in Popular Mechanics Magazine for the benefit of boat builders everywhere.) Blue Water Boats built one Ingrid each month for ten years in the 1970-1980's - popularizing the Norwegian heritage for the double-ender. However, a new factor hit the world in 1974 - the fuel crisis. Apart from the long lines of cars at gas stations, powerboat owners were also sharply curtailed from using fuel for pleasure. Jerry and his good friend and boat designer, Lynn Senour (Nordic Tugs' designer), spent many a lunch hour musing about the "right boat" for the powerboat market. Finally one day it hit! A tugboat looks right going slow. It also had enough "muscle" in its design to appeal to powerboat buyers. In addition, it has a surprising appeal to women, since most had the children's book "Little Toot" read to them by their mothers, and in turn, read it to their children. A design was drawn up, and a prototype was built by Blue Water Boats, the 26' Nordic Tug, and was shown in the 1980 Seattle International Boat Show. Such a radical concept could easily have been a failure, but fortunately, 54 orders were taken at the boat show and the week following! Nordic Tugs immediately became a hit in the marine community, and in fact, two competitors launched their pleasure tugs at the next year's boat show! Nordic Tugs went on to take over the facilities and staff of Blue Water Boats, and production of the Ingrid sailboats ended in 1981. The name "Nordic Tugs" came from the strong attachment to Norwegian nautical lore, garnered from the "Ingrid" design, and the assumption that most boaters would recognize the Norwegian influence in the strength, character and integrity of the tugs.