The tugboat was the closest thing Rust had to a ready-made floating base. You found one at a Harbor, authorized at the wheel, and suddenly your whole team had beds, boxes and furnaces on a 3,000 HP boat you could drive anywhere on the map. Then the Naval Update arrived and the tugboats stopped spawning.
This tugboat Rust guide covers whether you can still get a tugboat in 2026, its full stats, fuel use and decay, how claiming works on servers that still spawn them, what you can deploy on deck, what it costs to sink one, and what replaced it.
Is the Tugboat Still in Rust?
Not on official servers. The tugboat arrived with the Deep Sea update in July 2023, the same update that added the Ferry Terminal, and spawned at every Harbor monument, two at each small and large harbor, which put about four on a normal map. When the Naval Update launched on 5 February 2026, Facepunch’s patch notes switched tugboat spawns off. Their reason: the tugboat was the test bed that led to player-built boats, and they said they will explore bringing it back in the future.
| Where you play | Can you get a tugboat? |
|---|---|
| Official and vanilla PC servers | No. Harbors no longer spawn them (since 5 February 2026). |
| Modded PC servers | Often yes. Admins can spawn them, and plugins add harbor spawns or let you buy one. |
| Rust Console Edition | Console got tugboats in June 2024 and runs on its own update schedule, so check your server. |
Everything below still matters if your server has tugboats, and it is what you will be dealing with if Facepunch brings them back.
Rust Tugboat Stats
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Health | 3,000 HP |
| Repair | Hammer, with wood and metal fragments in your inventory |
| Fuel | Low Grade Fuel, 500 tank capacity |
| Fuel use | About 19 per minute at full throttle, so a full tank lasts about 26 minutes |
| Decay | 36 hours in total; any interaction pushes it back another 24 hours |
| Spawns (before 2026) | 2 at each Harbor, about 30 minutes to respawn after one is destroyed |
| Building privilege | Built in: authorize at the wheelhouse controls, no tool cupboard needed |
| Introduced | Deep Sea update, July 2023 |
Fuel is the real running cost. At full throttle you burn a stack of 500 low grade in under half an hour, so long trips need spare fuel stored on board. Idling at anchor costs nothing.
How to Get a Tugboat in Rust
On a server that still spawns them, tugboats wait at the piers of the small and large Harbor monuments. They are free: there is nothing to buy, and the first crew to authorize keeps it.
- Reach a harbor. Check both Harbor monuments; each one had two spawn points along the docks.
- Go to the wheelhouse. Climb to the bridge where the captain’s controls are.
- Hold E to authorize. This authorizes you on the boat’s built-in cupboard, which gives your team building privilege on board.
- Add fuel and drive. Put low grade fuel in the fuel storage, start the engine and steer out of the harbor.
What You Can Deploy on a Tugboat
The tugboat works like a small base. You can place most everyday deployables on deck and inside the cabins, but bigger and powered items are blocked.
| Allowed on a tugboat | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Beds and sleeping bags | Auto turrets and traps |
| Storage boxes | Tool cupboards (the boat has one built in) |
| Small furnaces and campfires | Electrical items, including the electric furnace |
| Fridges, tables, chairs and benches | Large furnaces, stone fireplaces and vending machines |
| Code locks on its doors | Industrial and other large deployables |
A bed on board is the big one. It lets your team respawn on the boat wherever it is anchored, which is why tugboats were popular for Oil Rig runs and Cargo Ship raids.
Tugboat Raid Cost
Sinking a tugboat destroys it and drops whatever was stored on board, so it is a raid target like any base. With 3,000 HP it is tougher than most walls, but torpedoes make it cheap.
| Explosive | Amount to sink | Sulfur |
|---|---|---|
| Torpedo | 12 | ~144 |
| High Velocity Rocket | 11 | 2,200 |
| F1 Grenade | 68 | 4,080 |
| Timed Explosive Charge (C4) | 4 | 8,800 |
| Satchel Charge | 27 | 12,960 |
| Explosive 5.56 (Assault Rifle) | 749 | 18,725 |
| Rocket | 16 | 22,400 |
| Beancan Grenade | 261 | 31,320 |
| MLRS Rocket | 10 | No sulfur, loot only |
| 40mm HE Grenade | 120 | Loot only |
Torpedoes come from a metal pipe and gun powder at a Workbench 2, so a submarine crew can sink a tugboat for almost nothing. C4 is the fastest if you are on board. Compare these with any wall or door in our raid calculator, and see every explosive in the Rust explosives guide.
What Replaced the Tugboat
The Naval Update swapped the pre-made tug for player-built boats. You place a Boat Building Station in deep water and build your own ship from hulls, floors, walls, sails, engines and cannons. It does everything the tugboat did as a mobile base, and you choose the size. Since the Shipshape update in March 2026, player boats can also run electricity (solar panels, batteries, electric furnaces), which the tugboat never allowed.
| Boat | How to get it | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Player-built boat | Build it at a Boat Building Station (boat building guide) | A floating base, the tugboat’s job |
| RHIB | About 300 scrap at the Fishing Village | Moving a full team fast |
| Rowboat | About 125 scrap at the Fishing Village | Cheap solo trips |
| Submarine | 200 scrap (solo) or 300 scrap (duo) at the Fishing Village | Underwater loot and torpedo raids |
Rust Tugboat Tips
- Carry spare fuel. A full 500 tank is under half an hour of full throttle. Keep a box of low grade on board.
- Respect torpedoes. Twelve of them sink you for about 144 sulfur, so keep watch for submarines.
- Lock every door. Code locks on the built-in doors are the only thing between a swimmer and your loot.
- Touch it every day. Using the boat pushes decay back 24 hours; leave it alone for 36 hours and it is gone.
- Keep a bed on board. A respawn point at sea is the whole reason to own one.
- On vanilla, build instead. No tugboats spawn on official servers, so put the effort into a player-built boat.
Rust Tugboat FAQ
Was the tugboat removed from Rust?
Tugboat spawns were disabled in the Naval Update on 5 February 2026, so you cannot find one on official servers. Facepunch said the tugboat was the test bed for player-built boats and that they will explore bringing it back in the future.
Where do tugboats spawn in Rust?
They spawned at the piers of the small and large Harbor monuments, two per harbor. Since the Naval Update in February 2026 they no longer spawn on official servers, but some modded servers still spawn them at harbors.
Can you buy a tugboat at the Fishing Village?
No. The Fishing Village boat vendor sells the rowboat, RHIB and the solo and duo submarines. Tugboats were never sold in vanilla Rust; some modded servers add a plugin that lets you buy one.
How much health does a tugboat have in Rust?
3,000 HP. You repair it with a hammer while carrying wood and metal fragments.
How many C4 does it take to sink a tugboat?
4 C4 (8,800 sulfur). The cheapest option is 12 torpedoes for about 144 sulfur; 11 HV rockets, 27 satchel charges or 16 rockets also work.
How much fuel does a tugboat use?
It holds 500 low grade fuel and burns about 19 per minute at full throttle, so a full tank lasts around 26 minutes.
Do tugboats decay in Rust?
Yes. A tugboat decays after 36 hours, and any interaction with it pushes the timer back another 24 hours. It does not use a tool cupboard with upkeep; its cupboard is built in.
Can you put a turret on a tugboat?
No. Auto turrets, traps, tool cupboards and electrical items cannot be placed on a tugboat. Beds, boxes, small furnaces and fridges can.
Sources and Further Reading
- Health, decay and raid costs: rustlabs entity data
- Spawns disabled in the Naval Update: Facepunch, Naval Update
- Original tugboat release: Facepunch, Deep Sea
- Deployable rules: Rustafied, Into the Abyss
- Fuel tank and burn rate: RustHelp, Tugboat