A tugboat was spotted pulling a houseboat in Burrard Inlet this week, in what one captain says is becoming a more common sight on the water.
Tugboat captain David Price sent in photos to CTV News Vancouver showing a smaller boat, known as a dozer, pulling a dark navy houseboat near the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge on Tuesday morning.
The tug involved is smaller than ones many Metro Vancouver residents are familiar with, and Price says there are a few reasons why.
First, the houseboats are ending up in a smaller space that conventional tugboats wouldn't fit in to.
"They tow it down some pretty skinny spots down there that I wouldn't fit in to," Price said.
Second, transporting the houseboats requires a gentler touch than pulling larger vessels.
"You can only tow those things at two knots or you'll start ripping them apart. They're a box, they're not built to tow," he said. "If there's any weather or any (strong) tides, they won't move it."
Price says it's one of roughly 30 similarly designed houseboats he's seen being towed to Mosquito Creek Marina over the past three years.
