Steamboat Minnehaha Blog

Wow Wow Wow wow! We have now launched the Minnehaha and have moved her to the home dock. Now for the WOW. We had a very eventful (we like uneventful) launch this year. Every year comes with its own share of problems and this was like no other (big surprise). Since we were working on the rubrail most of the winter we did not pay attention to hydrating the hull every weekend (spray with water) so this year the boat was very dry when we launched. Now let me add, for all the people who don’t know wood boats, wood is made up of tree cells and when you add water they swell but, when you take it away it contracts. This year it contracted more then usual and as soon as the boat was off the trailer we noticed we were taking on more water than usual. Luckily the marina that we launched at had 4 gas pumps they let us use. At about 5:00 (after 6 or 7 hours of waiting for the boat to swell enough) we decided that we would be able to make it across the lake to the home dock. So with many pumps dumping water overboard we hooked up a hose and filled our fresh water tanks (for the steam engine) with water (kind of ironic). Well we did make it to the dock and we continued to take on water. As the decision to have some crew come back and spend the night was pending, I and some other crew stared blankly at the water coming in and going out. Eventually the inevitable decision that we all knew was coming arrived. We needed to call for a night shift to stay with the boat as it swelled overnight. The Help arrived and I went home and now it looks as though we are nice and stable in the water with crew training beginning on Wednesday and a charter on Thursday we are in pretty good shape. See ya’ll on the Boat.

Can you believe it??? It’s Already May. Although it feels like April, We cannot deny it is May and that means final preparations are being made on the Minnehaha and her trailer for the emanate trip to the lake that will occur on Saturday May 10th. The barn crew has been working extended hours to finish rub-rail installation and the painting crew has now begun to paint the hull the nice bright Canary Yellow. We are also paining on a new “Minnehaha” name on the bow and stern so as you can see we have much work to do and only 8 days to do it. Oh, and did i mention that we will be dropping the boat in rain or shine???? you see we have this charter on Thursday May 15th so there is no question that the boat just has got to get into the lake and pronto. We will begin training sessions probably that Wednesday May 14 for crew so as the month of May progresses on all of you (lower lake people) will be seeing the Steamboat out on some practice runs as we refine our knowledge for the up and coming 12 boating season of the Steamboat Minnehaha!

We have been through a very cold and long winter and there is still ice on parts of the lake. As long as it is gone by May (which it will be){Update: The Ice is officially off of lake MTKA}, I will not have a problem. So… If you live on lower lake, you may see the boat out and about soon as we must be in the water as soon as repairs are completed. Speaking of repairs, We have increased our work-time on the boat (Friday and Saturday mornings). We are still installing our new oak rub-rails and will be painting the hull as soon as installation is complete.

As I was saying before we Must be in the water ASAP, why??? Well Before we ever have a cruise with the public, our crew undergoes an annual training including safety and operations. We also refine our talents and knowledge of the history of the boat and lake. Now our season does not begin until Memorial day weekend however, we have a charter scheduled for May 15th so that has increased our work effort significantly. If you are interested in tickets please order on-line to reserve your seat. This looks to be a promising and eventful year for the Steamboat Minnehaha come on out and get acquainted to the history that has affected us as a Metropolitan Community.

See ya on the BIG YELLOW BOAT!

Dear Minnehaha supporters,

Over the last couple of years we’ve noticed a trend in ridership on the Boat. There are fewer riders on the Excelsior to Wayzata cruises and more requesting the one hour trips.
Comments from passengers indicated that:
        They’ve been there & done that.
        It’s too long especially with the kids.
        There isn’t enough time to do anything in Wayzata.

This years schedule addresses these comments. First of all we lowered the ticket prices. Round trip tickets Excelsior to Wayzata are now $15 and the one hour cruises are $10. Children under 12 are $5 for all trips. infants are free as usual.

We are scheduling the Wayzata cruises with some new options. The first cruise of the day leaves Excelsior for Wayzata at 10:40 and returns to Excelsior at 1:20 with a one hour trip between so that passengers have a good 1 1/2 hour to have lunch, shop and walk around town. As you may remember we stopped in Wayzata for 1/2 hour before returning and that was barely enough time to get a cup of coffee or a hot dog. The one hour trip in the middle of this lets Wayzata passengers cruise the lake for an hour and return to the Depot.

Our return to Excelsior @ 2:20 is when the volunteers change and we run one hour trips for the remainder of the day. There are three different routes we will take in the afternoon. One will cruise Gideons Bay, Lafayette Bay up to the Narrows bridge and Gale island, The second heads to Carsons Bay, St. Louis Bay and the east side the Big Island. The third is a circumnavigation of Big Island. Mixing up the cruise schedule will freshen up our history talks and encourages those who have “been there & done that” to come back and see different parts of the lower lake.

Another exciting development is the dock on Big Island. In case you hadn’t heard the city of Orono has purchased and will install a dock this year. The 8′ wide floating dock will have bollards for the Minnehaha to land at. The dock will be in place sometime late June or early July. Minnehaha will not be landing there on a regular basis this year but we will be there for special events on the Island

We are looking forward to full season starting May 24 with the Memorial Day Holiday.
       
I’ve attached a copy of the 2008 schedule. (http://www.steamboatminnehaha.org/tickets.cfm)

Hope to see you on the Boat this summer

Thanks for your support of the 1906 Steamboat Minnehaha.

That’s Right our schedule for this coming season is totally different (but in no way worse) from last season. So here is the lay down of how it goes. In the Morning at about 10:40 we pick up passengers in Excelsior and shoot directly over to Wayzata, Passengers will arrive at 11:40 and have 1 1/2 hrs. in Wayzata to shop or what ever. Meanwhile the Minnehaha will be giving a tour of Wayzata Bay leaving from the Wayzata Dock (NOTE: this is the only round trip out of Wayzata and it departs promptly at noon!). We will then pick up the passengers from the first cruise for a return to Excelsior departing at 1:20. When we arrive in Excelsior there will be a crew change and the next trip will depart at 2:40 - going around Big Island, 4:00- going into Carson’s Bay, and the last trip departs at 5:20 going into Gideon’s & Lafayette Bays. We are intending to Show off more of the lake with these cruises and in-doing so try to encourage the “Regulars” to come out twice a season by increasing interest. Also we are working on stopping at Big Island in our schedule also we don’t have it figured out quite yet, however I will let you know that it will be available this summer. So you may want to bring a picnic basket if you plan to spend some time on the Island. So hope to see you all on the Boat this Summer and please make comments to this blog if you have concern or compliments!

Thanks

Adam Steinmetz!

{This is an article that was published in the Excelsior Sun Sailor last week Thursday Febuary 21, Written by Jared Huisenga}.

A plan to bring back Steamboat Minnehaha to Big Island Park sailed smoothly through the Orono City Council Feb. 11.

Council members voted unanimously to continue upgrading facilities at the park, including a plan to install an eight-foot by 80-foot floating dock that would give the historic steamboat a place to dock when it’s motoring passengers around Lake Minnetonka.

“One of the things we should want to do is resurrect that old stop that the Minnehaha made in the early 1900s,” he said.

The Museum of Lake Minnetonka is a non-profit organization. All proceeds from Steamboat Minnehaha fares go to operate and maintain the boat.

“We’ve been thinking about having the Minnehaha out there for some time,” Mayor Jim White said. “The dock gives us that opportunity. … We’d like to have more than one dock out there, but right now one is all we can afford.”

The Minnehaha in the 1900s was one of six streetcar-style steamboats that transported lake-area residents from place to place, visitors to the amusement park on Big Island, and provided lake tours.

Deemed irrelevant in 1926 by advances in automobiles, the Minnehaha was filled with debris from the amusement park - which had been torn down - filled with water and allowed to sink. In 1979, though, the ship was rediscovered and salvaged from the lake. In 1996, the refurbished boat set forth on its inaugural voyage from Excelsior to Wayzata.

After discussion arose last summer about the possibility of a dock on Big Island, Murphy said, he and other museum board members and the ship’s crew made a trip to the bay to determine if a dock would be feasible.

“We’ll slip in there real nicely,” he said. “We haven’t finalized how to schedule trips from Excelsior and Wayzata, but as the season gets closer, we’ll figure that out.”

Excelsior-based Minnetonka Portable Dredging will install the dock for a little more than $48,000. That cost includes three years of moving the dock for winter storage and re-installing it in the spring.

Concrete pads, rip rap

The council approved the following additional improvements at the park:

“Big Island is an oasis of natural serenity in the middle of Lake Minnetonka, and that’s what we want to preserve.”

Hey Everyone I was at the Boat Barn on Saturday after a 2 week vacation. There was a lot going on with 10-15 folks that came by the barn. The carpentry crew was pushing ahead on the rubrails as they get ready to install it. We will be using Oak for the rubrail replacement, originally on the 1st restoration we used Douglas Fur and that is too light of material so that is the reason for the more expensive, but durable oak. Also Progress continued on the engine and boiler room as I scouted around the barn for misplaced junk. I found a bunch of signs for the museum and also some of the Original SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) I think I talked about this in my last post. Then we found that we have Picnic baskets and blankets (IDEA!). Once the dock on Big Island is erected for the 2009 season you may be coming out for a picnic on Big Island. This is one of my Ideas and when we get to that point I hope I can convince the board that this is a fun and money making Idea. So this weeks post was a lot of gibberish and sometimes it is just fun to write whats on my mind. Talk to ya’ll later.