(WXYZ) — Generations of Detroiters have a soft spot in their hearts for Boblo Island and the Boblo Boats. Many thought the Detroit icons were a thing of the past following the fire on the Ste. Claire in 2018. However, renovations are ongoing, and the public might be able to visit a Boblo Boat again soon.
Stephen Faraj’s family owns the Ste. Claire Boblo Boat, and he gave 7 Action News a sneak peek.
He walked around the boat pointing out original equipment like the steam engine, the smokestack, the steering wheel, the air compressor, and the dance area.
“Right here is where the infamous dance floor would have been. We’re pretty much standing on it. Right in front of the smokestack there is where the DJ booth would have been,” explained Faraj.
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The main level’s floor needed to be remade following the fire. Each level is being reinforced with steel framing. Faraj estimates his family has put over a million dollars into the project already. He explained why the project is so important to his family.
“This is something that my family grew up riding and doing. This is our childhood memories, is going to Boblo’s,” Faraj explained.
Plus, he knows he is not alone in that nostalgia.
“People telling me about how they worked on the Boblo Boat, their school trip was on the Boblo Boat, they got married or engaged on the Boblo Boat, their first kiss is on the Boblo Boat.”
Aaron Schillinger, the director of the new film “Boblo Boats: A Detroit Fairy Tale” said people have been reaching out from just about everywhere with their Boblo boat stories.
“This guy from California told me that his girlfriend, he remembers being dumped on the Boblo Boat and riding the Ferris wheel, completely broken hearted,” related Schillinger.
He said people need to keep in mind that not only Detroiters went to the boat.
“Detroit was a big tourist destination. So you got to figure that people would come from all over the country and maybe the world, go to Detroit and then when they got here, one of the best things that everyone told them to do was go to Boblo. It was part of the whole experience of being a Detroiter,” said Schillinger.
He knows how cemented the boats are in the history of the city.
“They’re as Detroit as Faygo, Better Made Potato Chips,” said Schillinger.
So, when might the public get the chance to indulge their childhood nostalgia?
“We want to get people on-board as soon as possible. You know there is a chance people could be on board as early as next year. You know she might not be totally at that point, but she’ll still be the boat,” said Stephen Faraj.
