Lady Michigan, providing glass-bottom-boat tours of the shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, set the stage for many of the activities that will be offered this spring, summer, and fall.

The plans to shuttle people out into the bay to tour lighthouses, snorkel, scuba dive, or kayak the shipwrecks, required a lot of investment.

Jeff Konczak and his wife Tina, who own Thunder Bay Shipwreck Tours, stepped to the plate, opened up their wallet, and added to the business’ growing fleet of boats and recreational offerings.

Last year, Konczak purchased a catamaran-style boat that was capable of shuttling people and kayaks into Thunder Bay to paddle over the shipwrecks. Now, with the help of John Madigan, who owns Superior Boats and Pictured Rocks Kayaking, the Konczaks are having a new and larger kayaking boat made, and the smaller one will be used for smaller and more private tours and excursions.

Courtesy Photo The new boat being made for Thunder Bay Kayaking Tours by Moran Iron Works nears completion and the logo of the business will be applied soon. The boat is expected to be delivered in a couple of weeks.

The new boat is being constructed by Moran Iron Works in Onaway and will be named TATT CAT after the couple’s children Taylor, Alex, Trevor, and Taryn. When completed, it will offer guided kayak tours of the shipwrecks.

TATT CAT

Konczak needed to pull some strings to be able to make the 50-foot catamaran a reality, he said. Madigan holds the patent for the kayak boat he owns and operates at Pictured Rocks, but rarely sells the boats or the rights to have one made.

Konczak entered into a deal with Madigan and the $1.1 million boat is in the final phase of construction. When completed and delivered to Alpena in mid-May, the boat can carry 48 passengers, kayaks, and gear, out into Thunder Bay.

“It was built from scratch and went from nothing to what it is now, and it is massive,” Konczak said. “There is nothing else like it in the world outside of Pictured Rocks and now Alpena will have one. It is state of the art.”

Courtesy Photo The new boat being made for Thunder Bay Kayaking Tours by Moran Iron Works nears completion and the logo of the business will be applied soon. The boat is expected to be delivered in a couple of weeks.

Madigan said northern Michigan partnerships for the construction of the new boat should help bolster tourism and give people a better understanding of Lake Huron.

“Superior Boats, Pictured Rocks Kayaking, and Moran Iron Works is proud to deliver a state of the art, new Catamaran Kayak Vessel to Jeff Konczak and the folks at Alpena Shipwreck Tours,” he said. “This new tourist attraction will bring new visitors to the great area of Alpena to experience Thunder Bay and the surrounding area.”

The boat will feature a bathroom that guests can utilize while miles offshore and also a hoist system that helps get in and out of the water in the kayak. Konczak said there will be one tour guide for every six kayakers.

SANCTUARY PADDLER

Konczak originally intended for this boat to be used exclusively for kayakers, but with the addition of TATT CAT, he has other ideas for it now. He said the boat carries up to 26 passengers and he intends to offer a variety of tours, including a lighthouse tour, night tours, and possibly a fireworks tour.

“For the lighthouse tour, we would take the guests up to Presque Isle and see all five of the lighthouses, islands, and everything else along the way,” he said. “We will serve lunch on the boat and it will be an all-day event.”

LADY MICHIGAN

Konczak said the glass-bottom boat added another layer to the tourism dynamic of Alpena and fits perfectly with the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. The boat takes more than 100,000 people a year on shipwreck tours, not counting many area students who take the tour as a field trip.

Konczak said there have been some upgrades to Lady Michigan over the last year. He said all three boats have been equipped with Starlink internet and improved sound systems. Lady Michigan, and the other two boats, will also have portable automated external defibrillator units on them in case someone has cardiovascular concerns.

Konczak said people who take a cruise on the boat this year will also be able to purchase cocktails, as he was awarded a liquor license for the boat.

Over the years Lady Michigan has had its fair share of miles out on it, but Konczak said it is holding up well. He said as demand for the cruises grows, a new Lady Michigan may need to be built, likely by Moran Iron Works.

“We are working toward a new and larger glass bottom boat that will be custom designed and be configured differently,” he said. “There would be better seating and hopefully better viewing.”

Konczak said when Viking Cruises began to make stops in Alpena it changed some of the thinking locally on how to accommodate the people who came onshore. He said the number one thing that was needed was more excursions. He said the list of things to do for Viking’s passengers has grown, but he intends to offer more, intending to increase foot traffic downtown and more money pouring into local businesses.

“To me, that’s really what it’s all about and we’re all in on this,” he said. “We are making the investment in order to get more people walking around the downtown, but you can’t do that unless there are things to do and unique experiences for them. We have a great relationship with Viking and I think we all can see the impact it has had. Now, imagine what Alpena would look like if we had three or four more cruise lines making stops here.”