The history of the Tequila Too
The story of the Tequila Too begins with Ken Culver all the way back to 1982, and his six man boat the Aquila. The old timers used to call it the Tequila, so when he upgraded to a larger boat, that’s what he decided to call it. And from there, the rest is history.
The Aquila
Summer of 1982
The Aquila was Captain Ken’s six man boat he ran for the 1982 charter season. It was a confiscated drug runner, and was very fast with its Twin 300HP 440 Chryslers. The Aquila is the namesake of the Tequila because the old timers’ used to say Tequila instead of Aquila.
The Tequila
1983-1995
This boat was the very first Tequila, which was actually the boats third name. The first name was Foxy Lady, followed by Lady Arlene from Ocean Shores. After that it became the Tequila and remained the Tequila for 14 years. It’s’ now presently the Slammer and is also our neighbor. It has been a very lucky boat, then and now.
The Tequila Too
1996-2025
This is the Tequila Too that anyone who previously fished with us has come to know and love. The original Tequila Too. This boat was first named the Challenger and it fished out of Bodega Bay, California. The Challenger was originally built to be an Alaskan tour boat, which is why it had so much cabin space. Due to changes in the industry it was never used as a tour boat and was instead converted into a charter boat.
Captain Ken was the one to drive this boat down from Westport to its first home in Bodega Bay. He had always had a love for this boat and kept tabs on it which is how he came to purchase it in 1995. In 1995-1996 Captain Ken did a complete rebuild and this is when it became the Tequila Too. It was known as the Tequila Too for 28 years.
Over the course of those 28 years, Tequila Too grew into something special. Captain Ken became well-known and respected for his love of the ocean and the quality of trips he offered. He played a big role in the pioneering of the Bottom Fishing industry. And for good reason, his passion for fishing combined with his love for adventure paved the way for the industry standard of charter fishing.
In 2009 Rich Graham entered the picture as a deckhand on the Tequila Too, and was there when the boat was repowered in 2010. Rich fished alongside Ken for 16 years learning everything he knows about the charter fishing industry. About operating and maintaining the Tequila Too. About giving customers a true ocean Sportfishing experience, not just simply taking people fishing.
Click here for more photos on the repower of the Tequila Too.
In 2016 Captain Rich began running the boat on occasion and eventually (years later) took over as the primary Skipper when Captain Ken was ready to start slowing down. What made the change at the helm so special was that it felt almost seamless. You could fish a trip one day with Captain Rich, and fish a trip the next day with Captain Ken, and it you wouldn’t know anything had changed. This is hard to find amongst many other charters because everyone has their own way of doing things, but you could always count of the consistency and quality of a trip on the Tequila Too.
Captain Rich ran the Tequila too for 5 years before receiving the diagnosis of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) in the fall of 2024. After his diagnosis he was told he could not work around the general public due to his weakened immune system. It was at this time he had to step away from the charter fishing industry.
In January of 2025, Captains Ken and Rich made the tough decision that it was time to sell the Tequila Too. With Rich not being able to work in close proximity to the general public, and Ken beyond ready to retire, there was no other option. It was at this point the Tequila Too made its way to its new home in Depoe Bay, Oregon as the Kingfisher.
For a while, it truly felt like the end of an era. Captain Rich had to put his health first and knew that stepping away was the right decision. He started his treatments and put his focus into commercial fishing full-time. What we didn’t know was that this pause would create a space for healing. By summertime his meds had already made a huge difference in his health, and his doctors gave him the green light to return to charter fishing. The journey to find the right charter boat began.
The new Tequila Too
2025 - Present
We looked up and down the West Coast for the right boat, and little did we know that the we would find it right here in Washington State. That’s when we found the Wind Song in Neah Bay, Washington.
The Wind Song was built right here in the Westport Shipyard, before going to its first home in Ilwaco, Washington. The Wind Song is 56 feet long by 16 feet wide and equipped with a 8kw Northern Lights Generator and Twin 8.3 liters Cummins engines. That picture shows the original blue color it used to be.
At this point, we already knew we were going to name the new boat the Tequila Too. Tequila Too means Tequila Also, so it was a fitting name. We wanted to continue the legacy of Tequila Too as we move into this brand new chapter. New boat, new beginning, same commitment to quality.
We are so excited to be back on the water, and we have truly missed fishing with all of you. Captain Ken is still very involved with us at Tequila Too Sportfishing and you may even catch him out fishing with us here and there.
There is still much work to be done to make her into the Tequila Too that we will be fishing this spring, and if you would like to see pictures of the progress click here, and for a full picture tour of the boat click here!