Courtesy photo Lady Michigan is seen inside a temporary building that was built alongside the Fletcher Paper Mill. Konczak said that this building will have to be taken down when Lady Michigan is ready for the season.

ALPENA — Jeff Konczak, owner of Alpena Shipwreck Tours, said Lady Michigan is undergoing necessary improvements to be ready for the 2026 season.

Lady Michigan is one of three boats that take passengers out to view shipwrecks and tour the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Konczak explained that Lady Michigan, like any other boat, requires routine maintenance in the off season. However, to ensure that Lady Michigan is in prime condition to welcome visitors to Alpena, the boat is undergoing a “top to bottom” makeover, according to Konczak.

“We want to maintain the highest standards,” he said. “She’s 14 or 15 years old. Rather than do minor fixes, cosmetic things, every year … it was time to bite the bullet.”

He said that Lady Michigan is a fiberglass boat so crews are completing fiberglass upgrades as well as painting, adding new lettering and graphics, rebuilding an engine, installing new seats, upgrading the sound system, and more.

Because of the fiberglass work, Konczak explained that his team had to build a temporary structure next to the Fletcher Paper Mill building to house Lady Michigan since the resin used for repairs only sets at 70 degrees. Improvements to Lady Michigan could not wait until warmer weather.

“If we had to wait into the season to be able to do that, we would be waiting into May and June,” he added. “Our season starts when Viking comes in April.”

He added that the temporary structure will have to be removed since it was built around the boat.

“That building is going to come down,” he said.

Konczak explained that the improvements to Lady Michigan are necessary, though they do not come without a cost.

“No one wants to do it … it’s very, very expensive,” he said.

Konczak added that the latest ice storm that rolled through Northeast Michigan on March 15 set crews back due to power outages.

“We hit a bit of a snag with the ice storm and our inability to heat the building,” he explained.

Despite the setback, Konczak stated that the goal is to race to get the project wrapped up by May.

“We are racing as fast as we can,” he said. “We are about finished with all the fiberglass and starting to paint … We would love to make it to the first of May but we are not sure yet.”

Konczak said that Shawn Gilmet, port captain, and Chrissy Carriveau, general manager of Alpena Shipwreck Tours, are leading the Lady Michigan project. The project has been done all in-house.

“It’s all hands on deck to make sure this gets done,” he said.

Konczak added that the updates are so that Alpena Shipwreck Tours can “put our best foot forward” and represent Alpena well. Because Lady Michigan is a “significant calling card for Alpena,” he said that the boat and its reputation encourages people to visit and spend money locally.

Konczak stated that approximately 20,000 people take a ride on Lady Michigan each season and “many of them come from outside of the area.”

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.