Ever wondered about the mini-tug boat in Plymouth Harbor? It's got a long history

PLYMOUTH – Among the towering charter boats, professional fishing boats and even a 1600s-era replica of the Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor, chugs along a small, toy-like vessel named Toot Toot that has captured the  hearts of visitors and residents alike.

The boat, a mini tug, is marking its 20th summer on the water since then-Carver resident Mike Magnant built it by hand on his back deck.

"I took my wife to a boat show and said 'Let's buy a boat.' ... Then, I found out how much a boat costs and I said to her, 'I think I can build a boat,' " Magnant said.  "It's 20 years old and still looks almost brand new."

It was 1996 when Magnant  had the idea to construct his own vessel. He first built a three-season room onto their home  as an apology to his wife for commandeering their backyard. He reached out to Berkeley Engineering in California to buy the building plans for Toot Toot, which is the largest of three types of mini tugboats.

That Christmas, his wife gave him a captain's wheel.

"I actually built the boat around the steering wheel," Magnant said.

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It took years to build Toot Toot on a budget. All of his materials were either donated to him, bought on sale or found in dumpsters – including pieces of a tossed-out mahogany deck he salvaged.

He finished construction in August 2002, and took it to West Island near Fairhaven for its inaugural launch.

"I put my wife in the boat, I pushed it off the trailer and said 'Does it leak?' It didn't leak, the motor started, and off we went," he said. "That was the beginning of my little boat, Toot Toot."

The Magnants use their tug mostly as a pleasure boat, but do attend meet ups and push off contests in New Bedford and New York. Toot Toot – at 14 feet long and 7 feet wide – once pushed a 90-foot boat backwards down the Erie Canal, Magnant said.

The boat is just wide enough to fit a queen-sized air mattress, and the couple has spent nights under the starts in Plymouth waters. In honor of its 20th season, Magnant took the entire boat apart and refurbished it this spring. As a nod to those who say it looks like a toy amid the bigger boats in the harbor, he built a custom wind-up key that fits onto the stern.

"It's awesome, it's just amazing," Magnant, who now lives in Middleboro, said. "Nobody can believe it has everything it does, but I've spent 20 years adding to it and making it perfect ... It's cute as a button, people love the dang thing and I just really enjoy it."

A five-year teacher of precision machining at South Shore Regional Vocational Technical High School, Magnant said he's thrilled when people ask him about building their own tug and is happy to help anyone who asks. He's currently guiding a pair of builders in Australia looking to construct a similar vessel.

He said tugs can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 to build..

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"If anybody is interested in building one, they are welcome to call me and I'll help them every step of the way," Magnant said. "The satisfaction of making it yourself, taking your time and seeing how much people appreciate and love it, that's what makes it worth it to me ... Anybody could do this."

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Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com. 

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Hand-built tug boat Toot Toot is a staple of Plymouth Harbor