Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Boblo Boat

Holy Ship
Rebirth of the Bob-Lo Boat

For Detroiters in generations past and present, few things represent summer more than Bob-Lo Island. I grew up hearing stories of trips to this seemingly summer utopia, as I’m sure most people in Michigan have. When I told my parents that I was going to go on the Bob-Lo boat, for the first time in my journalism career, they were jealous of me. My father told me about a time in ’67 when his family drove to Detroit to catch the Bob-Lo Boat to the Island, even though they could have boarded it a mile from where he lived in Wyandotte ... just so they could ride the boat longer. The boat trip, he said, was the best part. I couldn’t quite understand this, but to everyone I talked to, the S.S. Ste. Clair seemed like a long-lost brother or sister.

The boat has been away from Detroit for the last five years, until Ron Katoo, a doctor at Henry Ford Hospital, purchased the ship last year with hopes of restoring it to its former glory in the city where the boat meant so much. After seeing the vessel five years ago, Katoo became interested in the prospect of buying it because of his memories of childhood Bob-Lo trips. “We went to Bob-Lo probably four times a summer. The amusement park was fun, but the most fun part was the boat," Katoo said. "You get on the boat with your friends and family, and feed the seagulls, watch the freighters going by, chase your brother and sister around the ship, make friends with other people on the ship, had a couple hot dogs, look over the railing — it was an experience. Where else would you get to go on a ship like this?”

Katoo said that with the state the waterfront in Detroit five years ago, you couldn’t make a profit here, but since it has been docked at Tri-Centennial State Park for the last few months, the ship has drawn a lot of interested visitors.

“The response has been tremendous. People come out for the tours on the weekend; we have people saying they want to have parties on the ship, or donate money or their time," Katoo said. "From welders, painters, administrators and secretaries — they all want to donate their time to help us. There are a lot of baby boomers that come back and bring their kids and grandkids. There’s people who have never been on the boat but are interested in checking it out. There’s a pretty good mix of people.”

The short-term goals for the ship include gaining a non-profit status, continuing with the tours, and putting together a haunted house on board. And for the first time in 15 years, the ship will be covered with a tarp for the winter. Then it will go into storage to begin renovations. “We’re going to take her down all the way to the steel," Katoo said with vigor. "Every piece of wood that isn’t salvageable is going to be replaced.”

Once the $5.5 million, three-year renovation is complete, the ship will be re-launched on her 100th anniversary, May 7, 2010. Katoo plans to house a museum and a restaurant on the boat, and make the Ste. Clair available for parties. He hopes to have her permanently docked between the Ambassador and Belle Isle Bridges. Until then, get down to the boat for weekend tours and keep in mind that until the end of October, the Bob-Lo Boat will be “haunted” for your fright delight. RDW

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