Detroit’s historic SS St. Clair Boblo boat has reopened as a floating museum at Riverside Marina following extensive renovations.
source
© 2026 Cantinho do Vídeo - WordPress Video Theme by WPEnjoy
Detroit’s historic SS St. Clair Boblo boat has reopened as a floating museum at Riverside Marina following extensive renovations.
source
Was the person who set it on fire ever charged or at least fired? Unfortunately the Columbia has been abandoned in what is called Slio City in New York
Rode both boats just once each, out and back on the same day in the 1970's.
They left from Cobo Hall, stopped for passengers at Wyandotte park, and and cut through "Hole In The Wall" to the Canadian side.
Laid over 1 trip to get to ride both boats.
I spent the trips leaning on the railing above the engine room.
When we got to the island, me and my very young daughter were invited down, and got a tour.
I asked her recently, and she remembered what color the engine was.
Gray.
Big vertical triple expansion engine, steam steering engine (power steering), steam pumps.
The outboard railings had wire mesh below to prevent kids falling off. The mesh was almost completely closed off by being painted white every year, and never stripped.
These boats were big, with a lot of sail area.
One prop, one rudder, zero bow or stern thrusters, zero tugs.
Docking + undocking were done with the prop wash on the deflected rudder, and working against spring lines.
All in a day's work.
Let's not forget all the history!
No color people was allowed until Sarah Elizabeth Ray
American civil rights activist paved the way. All the way to, United States Supreme Court.
As a child, I knew one of the original engineers who ran the engine on a Boblo boat, Mr Nantau – an X marine turned engineer. He lived in Harrison Township, Michigan on Lanse Cruise Street just south of South River Road and had a cottage next door to my grandfather up in Canada about 20 miles north of the Blue Water Bridge. He was a gruff old character who seemed to like everyone. I remember asking him about his days operating the engine on the Boblo boat, he was all too happy to talk about his experiences. One day going back in the '60's he passed a kidney stone while in the crawl space of his cottage in Canada , he suvived it but it was a brutal event as anyone reading this can imagine. I'll never forget it. I'm 68 and he was old when I was like 10 years old so I'm sure he's long gone but I can picture him like it was yesterday. I can't imagine how impressed he'd be with your restoration. Bless you !!!
If that boats horn still works i remembet hearing it and not being ready for it! Wow!!
Went many times back in the late '60s. Yeah I'm old…
I am so happy this vessel is being restored! It was damaged severely after a fire. I was hoping that was the end
Well done! I remember seeing him restoring it a few years ago when it was docked next to the Dix Toledo bridge.
Bob Lo – the Ford Rotunda – Edgewater Park …
IF you were a kid in Detroit , THESE were your Disneyland 🏰
I only got to go 1 time to Boblo Island b4 it closed & dance parties on the Boblo Boat. This is so Awesome ❣️👍🏻
I love this ❤ . Good memories of the Boblo boat and Boblo island.
Heading to Boblo were the happiest years of my life. I was soooo sad to see it get closed. The BOAT gave me a peace i've not known… so relaxing watching the water…
The Boblo boats were amazing especially those warm summer nights cruising home was such a great way to wind down after all the fun of the day great work thank you for keeping the memories alive
Great memories of that boat!!
When I worked at NBD (National Bank of Detroit) between 1968 and 1974, the Bank would have their corporate outing on Boblo Island , and we would take either of the boats to the island. Both NBD and the amusement park on Boblo Island are long gone, but the memories of the enjoyment we all had with our co-workers and on both on the boats and the island remain all these years later. I grew up on Grosse Ile in the 1960s and Boblo was just a short ride from Grosse Ile, and always a great place to enjoy a summer’s day as well as a night. So sad that today’s youth do not have the enjoyment we experienced in our youth!
Thanks for the report Tony!
I remember riding the boat and overlooking the rail and it was so exciting as a older child heading to the island. ⛴️⛴️⛴️❤❤❤. So happy to see she is still around and a legend. 🙌🙌
Amazing 😊
I wish it was docked down in its original place. Now, it's like 30 minutes North of me. 😢😢😢I grew up riding on that Boat back in the day when it would Ferry us over to Boblo Island!!! I miss those magical days!!!
🤗😃
Never got the chance to have the "Boblo Experience" of riding on the boats or seeing the island. But I definitely want to see this boat and also see it fully restored. Every day we read about symbols of the "good old days" being torn down or scrapped, but finally something is being PRESERVED.
That boat made a lot of people happy over the years.
Awesome to see her here with us still.👍
Back in 2018 when this was caught on fire, I said to myself "no matter what happens, a committee is going to make this a floating museum!" And what do you know! It's a floating museum! Well done to all who are involved in salvaging and preserving what's left of this beautiful magnificent vessel! Bravo! Hopefully one day myself, I will be able to walk upon this floating vessel. As everything I want to do seemingly goes up in flames, ironic yeah? Awful really, be nice if itd stop. I'm going to blame Governor Whitmore* I may have missed spelled that, or Obama….!( I'm pretty sure Prince Harry & Duchess Megan* got married the same year this went up in flames. Roughly around the same time…?) If I remember correctly, I was working at a front desk, at a hotel that's BRIGHT PINK that I really didn't want to work at, but I was forced to because I had a car payment that I had to make that was originally for my sister. By the way my sister was still alive then. Healthy as an ox! Anyways, enough about me congratulations!