Who Owns The Wizard On Deadliest Catch

You know that feeling when you’re watching Deadliest Catch and the Wizard cuts through a Bering Sea swell, and you think, “Who actually owns that floating, rusty beast?” It’s a bit like wondering who owns the cranky neighbor’s lawnmower—except this lawnmower is worth millions, catches crab, and has a habit of trying to kill its crew.

The easy answer is that the Wizard is owned by Rolland “Puffin” Targerson. Yes, the same guy who grunts and looks perpetually annoyed on the show. He’s the managing owner, which is corporate-speak for “the guy who signs the checks and gets the headache when the engine explodes.”

Think of it like splitting a pizza with your buddies, except the pizza is a 100-foot boat that drinks diesel. Puffin’s slice is the biggest, but he’s got a crew of minority owners—usually the captain, like the legendary Keith Colburn, and a few deckhands who’ve survived long enough to earn a piece.

It’s the same as your buddy chipping in for the Netflix password. Except here, the “password” is a hydraulic pot launcher, and if someone forgets their share, you don’t just lose Stranger Things—you lose your house.

It’s a Family Business with Fistfights

Imagine your Thanksgiving dinner, but with more rain gear and fewer mashed potatoes. That’s the ownership structure. Puffin’s family—dad Allen and brother Josh—are deeply involved, and Keith is practically adopted.

Deadliest Catch Wizard Crew

These guys don’t just work together; they survive together. When the Wizard lists sideways at 45 degrees, nobody asks, “Who’s the shareholder?” They ask, “Who’s gonna throw the hook before we drown?” It’s messy, it’s loud, and sometimes it involves Keith screaming about “$5 crab.”

You ever try to split a bar tab with a friend who “forgot his wallet”? That’s a slow Tuesday compared to the arguments over Wizard repairs. A new engine costs more than your house, and everyone has an opinion about who should pay.

Wizard Deadliest Catch

But Wait, Isn’t This a TV Show?

Here’s the kicker: Discovery Channel doesn’t own the boat. They own the story of the boat. It’s like you don’t own the car, but you own the dashcam footage of your dad yelling at a squirrel. The network pays the crew a licensing fee to film, but Puffin still has to pay the mortgage.

So when you see Captain Keith furious about a greenhorn messing up a tie-off, remember: that anger is half “I’m sick of this” and half “This kid just cost me $1,000 in lost crab.” It’s the same rage you feel when your roommate eats your leftover Chinese food—except with a side of hypothermia.

Wizard Deadliest Catch

The Wizard isn’t just a boat. It’s a tiny, floating corporation that smells like fish, ambition, and coffee that sat on a hot engine block for six hours. You ever try running a business with your siblings from a kitchen table? Now imagine that kitchen table is actively trying to sink you.

So, Who Really Owns It?

The bank owns a big chunk, let’s be honest. Boats like the Wizard are never fully paid off. It’s like your student loans, if your loans could also kill you by slipping on a wet deck. Puffin and his team own the equity—the difference between what the boat is worth and what they owe—which usually means they own a massive, stressful gray area.

What Happened to Deadliest Catch Captain Keith Colburn's Fishing Vessel

But in the soul sense? The crew owns it. The guy who paints the hull at 3 AM. The engineer who sleeps next to a hot engine. The cook who makes breakfast while the boat is hammering through 40-foot seas. They own it with their backs and their time.

It’s like when you say you “own” the old couch in your garage. You don’t have the receipt, but you’ve spilled enough beer on it to claim squatter’s rights. The Wizard is the same: legally Puffin’s, emotionally everyone’s, spiritually a floating hell-pizza that nobody would trade for anything.

Next time you watch the show and Keith yells, “This is my boat!” just nod and smile. Because it’s his—and Puffin’s—and the bank’s—and yours, too, for the forty-three minutes you’re watching. Just don’t try to take it crab fishing. You’ll break the costco card and probably drown.