On Thursday, Alpena developer Jeff Konczak announced that he and his wife, Tina, purchased the Lady Michigan after he learned there was a chance the boat could be on its way out of town. They also purchased a second boat that is specially designed for kayak tours.

After years of leasing Lady Michigan to the Friends of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary for the shipwreck excursions, the owner of the boat decided not to lease it any longer and intended to move it to another location or sell it.

The friends group worked with the owner to try to find a way to keep the boat in Alpena and Konczak stepped up and purchased the boat, ensuring its long-term future in Alpena.

On Thursday, Konczak praised the friends group for the way it handled business for the shipwreck tours offered by the Lady Michigan, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when there were no tours. He said letting the boat slip through Alpena’s fingers was not an option, so he and his wife decided to invest in the boat.

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz The boat Superior Paddler, designed for kayak excursions, is seen in the Alpena harbor on Thursday.

“The friends group wasn’t in a position to react quickly, so Tina and I did,” Konczak said. “It was the right thing to do, and it would have been devastating if that boat were to leave. We weren’t going to let that happen.”

The Lady Michigan and the shipwreck tours are key to tourism, education, and the local economy.

Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Superintendent Jeff Gray said the shipwreck tours are important to the area, and, in many ways, losing the boat would have a trickle-down effect on business and the number of people who visit the area, and it would hurt schools and students who learn about the wrecks and the Great Lakes from the tours.

“It has become an integral part of the community, and it doesn’t just help bring visitors here, but it has a huge economic impact,” Gray said.

When Konczak decided to purchase the boat, he learned there was another boat for sale, which he believed would fit in nicely in Alpena, so he bought it, too.

The boat is named Superior Paddler, and it is designed to transport kayakers and their equipment out into Lake Huron for a new adventure. The boat was delivered to Alpena on Thursday and Konczak said he hopes to have it taking people kayaking sometime in July. He said the new boat will add another item on visitors’ to-do list and a way for locals to get farther out into Thunder Bay to explore.

Konczak said having another attraction for people to enjoy will also help ensure the Viking Cruise ships, which have repeatedly visited Alpena the past couple years, keep making stops here.

“We decided, if we were going to be in with Lady Michigan, we might as well go all in with the Paddler, too,” Konczak said.

The boat has a bathroom on it and has a hoist that lowers a kayak launch to the water level for easy entry into the water. The system also makes it simple for people who have disabilities to get into a kayak and get in and out of the boat.

Gray said Viking will be pleased with the new activity option, and he said it might help draw more nautical traffic to Alpena, too.

“We hope it will lead to more stops by Viking and there are other cruise ships out there, as well,” Gray said.