Which Montana Lakes Would be Great for These Tiny Tuggy Boats?

Boat owners have a lot of fun jokes, like "The two happiest days of your life are the day you buy a boat and the day you sell it."

Another popular watercraft phrase is about the meaning of the word Boat... "Bust Out Another Thousand", owners chuckle, referring to the expensive maintenance costs of boats. But what if you could make a tiny little boat out of a children's toy?

@tuggytime One at a time ladies…. #tuggy #tuggyboat #sandboxboat #boat #tuggyinthetuggy ♬ original sound - Tuggytime

Tuggy boats are a thing.

Nicknamed Tuggy Boats, these tiny little makeshift watercraft were not originally manufactured to be a boat. They were sold as small, enclosable plastic sandboxes that happened to be shaped like boats.

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I poked around a little online (for a total of five minutes) and couldn't locate the name of the company that made the sandbox boats, but I'd speculate it's the same company that made the Flintstones-esque Tiny Tikes car that everyone's parents bought for us as toddlers.

Read More: Over 65 Products Nominated for 'Coolest Thing Made in Montana'

Good luck finding one.

Getting your hands on a Tuggy Boat sandbox/boat is becoming a bit more expensive ("bust out another thousand!") as fans discover the fun of bolting a small boat motor on the back of a tiny, floating sandbox and zipping around their local ponds and lakes.

I found the example pictured above listed on a Canadian online marketplace for $500. I'd assume that's CAD, so at USD prices, it would be around $360. You'll have to drive to Alberta if you want to pick it up. No trailer is necessary, as these tiny Tuggy Boats can easily fit in the back of a large SUV or truck bed.

You'll need to register your Tuggy Boat in Montana.

Any watercraft with a motor of any type in Montana requires registration. Per Montana FW&P,

Sailboats 12 feet long and longer and all motorboats and personal watercraft must be registered and numbered. Non-motorized sailboats less than 12 feet long and manually propelled boats, regardless of length, are exempt from registration and taxation. 

We'd never take a tiny Tuggy Boat on a massive body of water like Fort Peck, but it sure would be fun to zip around Cooney, Tongue Reservoir, Lake Elmo, or Hauser in one of these sandbox boats. Smiles for miles, no doubt.