Sand Man was auctioned in 2025 because her nonprofit owner could no longer pay the Port of Olympia for storage and she had become a serious safety and liability problem while laid up on the hard at Swantown Boatworks; no one ultimately bid on her at the sale.[1][2][3]

Why she was auctioned

• The Sandman Foundation hauled Sand Man out at Swantown Boatworks on May 11, 2023 for needed repairs but her condition turned out “far worse than anticipated,” with dried‑out planks, hull shrinkage, and a structurally compromised hull after nearly two years out of water.[3]
• During this time, the Foundation fell behind on its bills, accumulating 28,966.66 dollars in unpaid charges for storage and related services to the Port.[3]
• The Port determined that the vessel, sitting on blocks in degraded condition, posed a tipping and collapse hazard to staff, tenants, and nearby infrastructure, making her a public liability rather than a stable museum restoration project.[3]

Because public ports must apply fees consistently and cannot indefinitely subsidize a private nonprofit, Port staff concluded that they had to use Washington’s derelict/abandoned vessel process (RCW 53.08.320) and move toward impoundment and sale.[3]

Legal process leading to the sale

• October 2023–April 2025: Port staff had multiple direct contacts with representatives of the Sandman Foundation to seek payment or a preservation plan, but no workable solution emerged.[3]
• November 2023–April 2025: The Port issued formal notices, including a 60‑day delinquency notice, a certified 10‑day pre‑impound letter, a certified impoundment notice, and public legal notices in The Olympian as well as online and onsite postings at Port facilities, complying with RCW 53.08.320.[3]
• By mid‑2025, Sand Man was formally impounded, and the Port scheduled a public auction for July 23, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Swantown Boatworks, with a starting value estimated at 10,000 dollars, sold “as‑is, where‑is.”[4][3]

Auction conditions included that any buyer had to have no outstanding debts to the Port, remove the tug within 10 days or post a letter of credit for moorage/storage, and that if the vessel did not sell—or if the buyer failed to meet those conditions—ownership would revert to the Port after ten days.[3]

What happened at and after the auction

• Community outreach: Ahead of the auction, the Port described Sand Man as “in critical need of support” and explicitly invited individuals, groups, or organizations to step in, take ownership, and lead preservation, emphasizing that they valued her historic significance but had to address financial and safety realities.[1][3]
• July 23, 2025 auction: Local reporting on Swantown’s finances after the sale notes that Sand Man “was up for auction with zero bids,” reflecting that no qualified bidder came forward willing to take on the cost and risk of moving and restoring the deteriorated wooden tug.[2]

Under the published auction rules, zero bids meant the vessel did not change hands; ten days after the auction, legal ownership reverted from the Sandman Foundation to the Port of Olympia.[4][3]

The Port’s fact sheet spells out the next step in that scenario:

• A marine survey must be conducted in line with Washington Department of Licensing requirements.
• If “no qualified party assumes responsibility,” the Port may have the vessel dismantled and removed because of ongoing safety concerns.[3]

As of the latest public documents, the Port states that dismantling and removal are on the table if no nonprofit or preservation group appears, but there is no detailed, public post‑auction after‑action describing exactly when or how Sand Man’s hull, cabin, or machinery would be broken up or preserved.[1][3]

Summary in plain language

Sand Man went to auction in July 2025 because her nonprofit owner effectively collapsed, stopped paying nearly 29,000 dollars in boatyard and storage charges, and left a badly dried‑out wooden tug on blocks at Swantown that the Port’s staff and survey work judged to be a tipping hazard. The Port followed the derelict‑vessel law, impounded her, and tried to find a buyer or preservation group, but when the auction came there were no bids, so ownership reverted to the Port, which then moved toward survey and potential dismantling if no one stepped in to save her.[2][3]

Sources
[1] Community Hot Topics – Port of Olympia https://portolympia.com/communityhottopics/
[2] Swantown posts a loss in first half of 2025 – The JOLT News https://www.thejoltnews.com/stories/swantown-operations-post-losses-in-first-half-of-2025,25918
[3] How far is Woodard from Boston harbor by boat and is there a dock or beach to land https://www.perplexity.ai/search/9980696b-330a-4b1e-9985-8d957e591c56
[4] [PDF] Notice of vessel up for public sale – Port of Olympia https://swantown.portolympia.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Sandman-Auction-Ad.pdf
[5] [PDF] Sandman Tugboat Auction (As of July 2025) Background & Context https://portolympia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Sandman-Fact-Sheet-on-Letterhead.pdf
[6] Warehouse auction update! | Sandmann Auction Group LLC https://www.facebook.com/sandmannauction/videos/warehouse-auction-update/877911418466502/
[7] [PDF] A Maritime History, Chuck Fowler – Olympia Historical Society https://olympiahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/A-Maritime-History-Chuck-Fowler-1.pdf
[8] The Sand Man tugboat is in bad shape, set to be auctioned on July … https://www.facebook.com/olyhistory/posts/the-sand-man-tugboat-is-in-bad-shape-set-to-be-auctioned-on-july-23-and-faces-an/1192563846245991/
[9] Download Full Data Breach List (CSV) – Attorney General https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/databreach/list-export
[10] Category: Swantown Marina & Boatworks – Port of Olympia https://swantown.portolympia.com/category/swantown-marina-boatworks/
[11] NANTUCKET CURRENT on Instagram: “⌛️ Just six months after … https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE02jphuKcR/?hl=en

Sand Man is a 60‑foot wooden tug built 1908–1910 at the Crawford & Reid yard in Tacoma for Olympia Sand & Gravel owner Arthur J. Weston, originally to tow barges of sand and gravel to Olympia and South Sound construction sites.[1][2]

Early construction and working life (1908–1950s)

• 1908–1910: Crawford & Reid of Tacoma designed and built Sand Man; her wheelhouse was designed and built by the Long family of Olympia, giving her the distinctive small‑tug profile later associated with Percival Landing.[1]
• Original purpose: Weston used Sand Man primarily to tow barges of sand and gravel from deposits north of Steilacoom to Olympia and other South Sound destinations; in the early 1920s her work expanded to towing log rafts and oyster barges.[2]
• Around 1910, Olympia’s waterfront was rapidly industrializing; nearby structures included the Standard Oil yard and multiple veneer‑plant smokestacks in the port area, all part of the working backdrop for Sand Man’s towing operations around what is now Percival Landing.[3]

Early machinery

• As built, Sand Man carried a 50 hp “Frisco Standard” gasoline engine driving a 54‑inch propeller, adequate for sand and gravel barges.[2]
• In the 1920s, when her loads increased, this was replaced by a 100 hp Fairbanks‑Morse marine diesel.[2]

Ownership timeline and mid‑century career (1925–1987)

• 1925: Weston sold Sand Man to Delta V. Smyth, who operated Delta Smyth Tug & Barge (also called Capital City Towing) with a fleet of up to seven tugs based on the Olympia waterfront near Percival Landing.[1][2]
• 1925–1955: Under Smyth, Sand Man remained a local Olympia‑based tug, towing throughout Puget Sound.[1]
• 1955–1964: She was sold to Fred Chadwick of Capitol City Towing Co.[2][1]
• 1964–1987: Ownership passed to Franz Schlottmann of Schlottmann Excavating & Towing, who was the last commercial operator of Sand Man; she continued in towing work around South Sound until his retirement in 1985.[1][2]

Engine upgrades

• In 1944 Sand Man received her “present” main engine, a six‑cylinder 100 hp Caterpillar diesel, which remained her primary propulsion through her museum years.[2][1]
• Public descriptions focus on this Caterpillar main engine; auxiliary generators are not detailed in available records, beyond noting that systems were renewed during the 2000–2005 restoration period.[1]

Transition to preservation and major restoration (1987–2005)

• 1987: Bob Powell of Olympia purchased Sand Man intending to convert her into a historic vessel; the boat had deteriorated significantly, leading him and Paul Deranleau to form the Sand Man Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) in 1997 to organize a formal restoration campaign.[2][1]
• 1999: With local support, the Foundation secured a roughly 300,000‑dollar Washington State Department of Transportation grant to restore Sand Man as a heritage vessel.[2]

Hull and structural work (Port Townsend, short planks, and methods)

• 1999–2000: Sand Man’s hull was restored at the Port Townsend Shipwrights Co‑op in Port Townsend.[1]
• 2000–2005: Restoration of cabins and engine, supervised by Paul Deranleau in Olympia, continued with help from many volunteers.[1]

Typical wooden‑hull restoration on a vessel like Sand Man involves:

Assessment and setup: blocking and shoring on the hard, careful lofting and patterning of frames and planks, and caulking seam evaluation.[1]

Tools: hand and power planers, adzes, chisels, caulking irons and mallets, reefing tools, steam boxes for bending frames and planks, drills and boring tools for fastenings, and wedges and jacks for fairing and forcing planks into place.[1]

Materials: new hull planks in Douglas‑fir or similar species, replacement frames and floor timbers, bronze or galvanized fastenings, caulking cotton and oakum, seam compounds, marine epoxy where appropriate, and new or repaired keelsons, deck beams, and deck planking.[1]

Process: removing deteriorated planks and frames, scarfing or replacing structural members, fitting and fastening new planks, caulking seams, then priming and painting before re‑launch.[1]

The use of some shorter planks or “dutches” in such a restoration is generally a practical response to limited original material, complex curves, or localized repair needs and is not, by itself, a statement that the vessel is expected to be lost; contemporary documentation about Sand Man’s Port Townsend hull work describes a good‑faith, substantial restoration aimed at long‑term preservation, not a temporary patch.[1]

Museum years, volunteers, and tug races (1975–2023)

• 1975: While still a working tug, Sand Man began racing in Olympia’s annual Labor Day tugboat races, part of what became the Olympia Harbor Days festival; she is documented as a race participant from that year forward.[4][1]
• 1987–2005: Restoration continued, with “minor work” still occurring after 2005; volunteers from the Foundation and community assisted with carpentry, painting, mechanical work, fundraising, and operating the tug as a floating museum.[1]
• 1998: Sand Man was listed on the National Register of Historic Places – Vessels, and is also carried on state and city historic registers.[1]
• 2005: After nearly seven years out of the water, Sand Man was relaunched on September 1, 2005 and permanently moored at Percival Landing as Olympia’s official historic vessel, open for free public tours most weekends.[3][1]

Volunteer utilization

Volunteers were central to keeping Sand Man operational and open to the public:

• They staffed free tours at Percival Landing, interpreted the boat’s history, and handled routine maintenance like painting, minor carpentry, and interior upkeep.[3][1]
• Skilled volunteers also assisted with mechanical troubleshooting on the Caterpillar engine, lines and moorage management, and coordinating festival appearances at maritime events around the Northwest.[2][1]

The exact number of tug races Sand Man entered is not given in available records, but she is noted as beginning in 1975 and racing in Olympia’s annual Harbor Days Labor Day races for many years thereafter; her presence is described as recurring and emblematic rather than a precisely counted total.[4][1]

Swantown, sinkings, and later difficulties

• Pre‑2005: During an earlier haul‑out and transit for restoration, Sand Man twice sank en route to Port Townsend for dry docking; on each occasion she was raised and refitted before eventually returning to active service as a festival and museum vessel.[2]
• 2005–early 2020s: Sand Man spent most of her time moored at Percival Landing as a floating museum, occasionally struggling with engine reliability but generally maintained by the Foundation and volunteers.[3][2]
• 2023: She was hauled out at Swantown Boatworks on May 11, 2023 for needed repairs under the care of her owner, the Sand Man Foundation.[1]
• After nearly two years out of water, Port of Olympia survey work concluded that the hull had severely dried out, with plank shrinkage and structural degradation creating a tipping hazard and serious safety concerns on the hard.[1]

The sources refer to two sinkings on the way to Port Townsend for earlier work, but do not show a later full submergence at Swantown Marina itself; her most recent status is as a structurally compromised vessel on blocks at Swantown Boatworks, not a recorded sinking in the marina basin.[2][1]

Hull planking and other major work on Sand Man’s hull were indeed carried out at Port Townsend Shipwrights Co‑op, confirming that her planks were worked on there during the 1999–2000 phase.[1]

Impoundment, auction, and port rules (2023–2025)

By 2023–2025, the Foundation had fallen behind on payments, and Sand Man’s situation shifted from preservation project to impounded vessel:

• The Sand Man Foundation accrued 28,966.66 dollars in unpaid charges for storage and related services at Swantown Boatworks.[1]
• October 2023–April 2025: Port of Olympia staff made multiple direct contacts with Foundation representatives in an attempt to resolve the delinquency and develop a preservation or payment plan.[1]
• November 2023–April 2025: The Port issued formal notices, including a 60‑day delinquency notice, a certified 10‑day pre‑impound letter, a certified impoundment notice, and public notices in The Olympian and on‑site postings, following the process prescribed by Washington State law and Port policy.[1]

Impound rules under RCW 53.08.320 and Port practice

Under RCW 53.08.320, ports may impound and dispose of derelict or abandoned vessels under a structured process:

• The port must notify the owner of delinquency and intent to impound, provide specified waiting periods (such as 60‑day and 10‑day notices), and then may formally impound the vessel if the situation remains unresolved.[1]
• Once impounded and brought to auction, bidders must have no unpaid debts to the port, and the successful bidder must either remove the vessel from port property within 10 days or post a letter of credit sufficient for at least two months’ moorage or lay‑time storage.[5][1]
• If the vessel does not sell, or if a buyer fails to meet the post‑auction conditions, ownership reverts to the port after 10 days; the port may then transfer the vessel to a qualified nonprofit or, after a required survey and due diligence, proceed to dismantling and removal if safety and liability concerns demand it.[5][1]

For Sand Man specifically:

• She was formally impounded and scheduled for auction on July 23, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Swantown Boatworks, with an estimated starting value of 10,000 dollars and “as‑is, where‑is” conditions.[1]
• The Port emphasized that, while it values Sand Man’s cultural and historic significance, it cannot indefinitely subsidize a private nonprofit with public funds, and must treat all tenants consistently regarding fees and safety risks.[1]

Present and future: cabin, engines, keepsakes, and remembrance

Current documents outline the auction process and possible outcomes (transfer to a nonprofit or demolition if unsold) but do not provide specific plans for:

• Removing the cabin and placing it in a park for children.
• Salvaging engines or generators as museum pieces or selling smaller items as keepsakes.

The Port’s fact sheet indicates that if no qualified party assumes responsibility after the auction, the vessel may be dismantled and removed for safety reasons, with a survey conducted under Department of Licensing requirements, but it does not detail how or whether individual components (cabin, engines, fittings) would be preserved or marketed as memorabilia.[1]

Sand Man’s legacy, however, is already established in several ways:

• She is listed on national, state, and city historic registers, recognized as one of the last remaining historic tugboats in lower Puget Sound.[3][1]
• For decades she served as Olympia’s official historic vessel at Percival Landing, providing free public tours and embodying the city’s maritime heritage.[3][1]
• Her image remains the logo tug of the South Sound Maritime Heritage Association and has been used prominently in Olympia Harbor Days branding and artwork, rooting her story in the community’s public memory.[2][1]

Even if her hull cannot be saved, Sand Man will likely be remembered through photographs, festival imagery, interpretive materials, and oral histories as the small Olympia tug that worked nearly a century, raced in Harbor Days starting in 1975, and then spent another generation tied to Percival Landing as a symbol of the city’s working waterfront.[3][2][1]

Sources

[2] Tug of the Month: Sand Man (December 2016) – Olympia Harbor Days https://www.harbordays.com/blog/tug-of-the-month-sand-man
[3] Sand Man Tug (also spelled Sandman) https://olympiahistory.org/the-sand-man/
[4] Sand Man tugboat – Museum Ships https://museumships.us/tug/sand-man
[5] [PDF] Delinqent Vessel Notices – Swantown Marina – Port of Olympia https://swantown.portolympia.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/012724-Delinqent-Vessel-Notices-Hall.pdf
[6] Sand Man (tugboat) – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Man_(tugboat)
[7] Sand Man, Historic tug boat of Olympia, Washington – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBlKRKRnKgk
[8] [PDF] Sandman Tugboat Auction (As of July 2025) Background & Context https://portolympia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Sandman-Fact-Sheet-on-Letterhead.pdf
[9] Will the Sand Man continue free tours after February 12, 2023? https://www.facebook.com/groups/OlympiaCameraClub/posts/3515307018690732/
[10] Tug Sand Man | Olympia WA – Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tugboatsandman/
[11] Derelict Vessel Bill Signed into Law – Washington Conservation Action https://waconservationaction.org/derelict-vessel-bill-signed-into-law/