With the region’s watercraft dealers saying the boat supply is the leanest it has been in years — and with demand to get out on the lakes the highest — a handful of entrepreneurs are meeting the need of locals and others looking to float a boat in Leelanau County this season. Among new ways on the water: a pontoon membership club near Lake Leelanau, and a double-decker sightseeing vessel due to cruise from Discovery Pier starting July 8. Here’s more from the Leelanau Ticker.

Jason Thibodeau, operating partner at The Parlor and Brasserie Amie in Traverse City has partnered with boating industry veteran Adam Prettyman to launch Leelanau Boat Co., a full-service boatyard and boat rental service in Bingham Township.

Prettyman is also a skipper, marine surveyor, and owner of Prettyman Marine Services. Thibodeau explains the aim in partnering was to bring “the good ole days” back to boating services: “I have a background in hospitality and Adam helped me find our dream boat. We became great friends through that process and through many conversations on that boat we discussed how hospitality was lacking in the boating industry, so we set out to fix that.”

Leelanau Boat Co. opened just east of Lake Leelanau at 8585 E. Bingham Road last September and began storing boats immediately. Now in full summer mode, Thibodeau and Prettyman are also offering mechanic and fiberglass work, restoration, detailing, concierge services, and boat rentals.

“We are having a blast with it,” says Thibodeau, adding they had “locals who love to boat but don’t own one” in mind when launching their new Leelanau Boat Club.

“Boating shouldn't be limited to those with lots of money or those who know how to pull a heavy trailer and back it down a slippery launch,” he says.  

Instead, club members can pay a flat fee to use 2021 luxury Landau tritoons and pontoons.

“We transport, launch, and retrieve the boats for members and provide all insurance, maintenance, repairs, and cleaning,” says Thibodeau. “Everyone should experience the highlights of boating, and this is a great way to do just that without all the trouble of owning.”

They do cater to boat owners, too, with a concierge service that includes indoor storage, transport, launch, and retrieval “when and where you want,” says Thibodeau. “We want to help you get the most enjoyment out of your boat. Plus, this way you don’t have to wait the five to seven years for your own slip.”

Indeed, boat slip wait times in the county can be even longer: At Northport’s G. Marsten Dame Marina at the tip of the peninsula, Harbormaster Bill Rosemurgy says the current wait for a 32-foot slip is 8 years; for 42-foot slip, it’s 20 years. Prospects are even more dim at the gateway to the county. Jim Kostrzewa, harbor master at Harbor West Yacht Club, says the marina’s waitlist is “so long we are no longer taking names.”

Also in the works in Bingham Township are what Thibodeau calls “boat storage condos.”

“They are currently under development, but we will build and sell 1,200 square-foot private heated storage units. These can be used to store and work on your boat, RV, classic car, or motorcycle,” he says.

Condo owners will also have access to common areas such as bathrooms, a kitchen, and other amenities facilities and services of Leelanau Boat Co. “We plan for this to be a community where the owners will share common interests,” he says. That, and the 25 years of marine knowledge of his partner: “Adam knows more about boats than anyone I know.”

Right now in Greilickville, Discovery Cruises’ 65-foot double-decker touring vessel, which is United States Coast Guard certified to carry 149 passengers, awaits final inspections for its (tentative) first sightseeing voyage on West Bay on July 8.

The Discovery was purchased by Harley and Tammy Hoy three years ago as a 30-year dream in the making for Harley Hoy, the boat’s captain. Tammy Hoy is cruise director. Their company is offering two-hour narrated sightseeing cruises and happy hour cruises through color season. Wine-tasting and kid-themed cruises are also on the horizon.

The vessel has spent the last two years undergoing renovations at a drydock in St. Ignace, and motored into town to her home dock at Discovery Pier in late June.

The boat once resembled a 20th century steamboat, and previously sailed from Charles Town, West Virginia, then operated out of New York City as a charter boat before making its way to the Great Lakes. Tammy Hoy shares that the boat used to carry 220 passengers, but the renovations were intended to make “everyone comfortable” with a great view of the bay.

She is also billing the Discovery as West Bay’s only “floating event center.” The private charters — for corporate events, family reunions, and wedding receptions — can range from two passengers up to about 100 and can include buffet dinners, music and dancing on board.

A snack bar and full-service bar will be open for all public cruises and private charter events.

Summer’s daily sightseeing excursions will immerse passengers in the action on the Traverse City coast, then cruise past Old Mission Peninsula, and hug the Leelanau Peninsula shore on the return to Discovery Pier.

Narration will include Native American history, tales of Traverse City’s early days, plus “talk about the bay itself,” says Hoy. “Water temps, the depth, the weather, the environment, and how it impacts the bay.”

Hoy adds, “My husband wanted to put a boat here for 30 years. The renovations occurring at the Discovery Pier started about the same time we happened to move here. It fell into place, and we are excited that dream is now a reality. We love being on the water and being able to provide the visitors and locals alike with an opportunity to be on the water, relax, and have a good time.

“We think it’s time for a boat of this magnitude on the bay,” she says.

Discovery Cruises is accepting reservations now. 

Finally, wilderness first responder and Cedar EMT Eric Clone has started LyfMotiv Adventures this summer in his home peninsula, offering guided bike-and-sail, sunset sail and backpacking excursions as a way to “share his passion for the Northern Michigan lifestyle and landscape.”

The Leelanau Bike and Sailing Adventure, for instance, offers a 2-hour e-bike ride along the Leelanau Trail, followed by a two-plus hour sail on West Grand Traverse Bay. “We will take a mid-session break at Shady Lane Winery, where guests can relax and enjoy a glass of wine and purchase refreshments for their upcoming sailing excursion,” he says. The sailboat departs from the marina in Elmwood Township. As Clone describes it: “Guests can swim, relax, bask in the sun as a team of professionals shows you a sample of Leelanau life.”

He adds that the new venture “is about appreciating the great outdoors, making the most of life, and seeing places from a local perspective.”