For writers, editors & the tug-curious press

The AWOOGA press kit

Covering a 14-foot tugboat with eyebrows? Smart move. Everything you need is on this page — verified facts, copy-paste boilerplate, photos cleared for editorial use, and a captain who answers his email.

Check away, fact-checkers

Fast facts

Boat
AWOOGA (all caps, always)
Type
Hand-built wooden mini tugboat
Design
Berkeley Engineering CANDU E-Z (1986)
Length overall
14′3″
Beam / draft
5′0″ / ~17″
Power
20 HP Tohatsu outboard
Cruise
~5 mph
Construction
Meranti marine ply, fiberglass & epoxy
Build time
3 years (2022–2025), largely solo
Launched
April 27, 2025 · Clinton Harbor, CT
Builder
Adam Riso, Clinton, Connecticut
Capacity
Rated 7 aboard · sleeps 2
Distinguishing features
Cartoon eyes, bubble stack, oversized foghorn
Website
awoogatug.com

Copy, paste, publish

Boilerplate

Short · ~45 words

AWOOGA is a hand-built 14′3″ wooden mini tugboat launched into Clinton Harbor, Connecticut, in April 2025. Built largely solo over three years from Berkeley Engineering CANDU E-Z plans, she carries cartoon eyes, a bubble-blowing smoke stack, and a foghorn wildly out of scale for her hull.

Long · ~100 words

AWOOGA is a hand-built wooden mini tugboat — 14 feet 3 inches of marine plywood, fiberglass and epoxy with the voice of a freighter. The idea struck in 2010, when builder Adam Riso met a little tug named TooT TooT at the Mystic WoodenBoat Show and his wife said, “You can build that next.” Twelve years of planning and three years of garage nights later, AWOOGA launched into Clinton Harbor, Connecticut, on April 27, 2025. She has since appeared in WoodenBoat’s Launchings and Small Boats magazine, and lives online at awoogatug.com — where visitors can sound her horn, replay her voyages, and inspect every receipt of the build.

Cleared for editorial use

Photos

Click any photo to open the full-resolution original in a new tab, then save from there.

AWOOGA finished, with her cartoon eye decals The full cartoon — eyes onOpen full size ↗ AWOOGA afloat on launch day, April 27, 2025 Launch day, afloatOpen full size ↗ AWOOGA on the water, cinematic view On the water, wideOpen full size ↗ Builder Adam Riso with Mike, builder of TooT TooT, at AWOOGA's launch Two generations of buildersOpen full size ↗ AWOOGA's hull skins during construction, late 2023 Under construction, 2023Open full size ↗ AWOOGA's cabin roof under construction, 2024 The cabin takes shape, 2024Open full size ↗

Need something specific — a different angle, higher resolution, the logo files, or a fresh shoot? The full 300+ photo build archive is on the Build page, and the captain is happy to dig out originals: awoogatug@gmail.com. Please credit photos to Adam Riso / awoogatug.com.

Prior art

Coverage so far

  • WoodenBoat — Launchings, July/August 2025, p. 26. “She may be small, but AWOOGA has a big personality.” View in the Archives →
  • Small Boats (by WoodenBoat) — Boat Profile, October 2025, written by Adam Riso. Read the article ↗ · PDF

Talk to the captain

Interviews, photos & harbor visits

Adam Riso builds, captains and answers for AWOOGA. He’s based in Clinton, Connecticut, gives good quote, and will absolutely sound the horn for your photographer.

Email awoogatug@gmail.com →

Style note: it’s AWOOGA — all caps, like she’s saying it. The exclamation point is optional but encouraged.