In the late 17th century, French-speaking boatmen known as
"voyageurs" paddled their birch-bark canoes across the northern
lakes on what's now the U.S.-Canada border west of Lake
Superior. They were the workboat operators of the lucrative fur
trade.
Today, the trappers and voyageurs are long gone. In their
place are tourists, many of whom also paddle if they can. If
they can't - or don't want to - they can ride an excursion
boat.
The newest vessel of this type was expected to begin plying
the waters of Rainy Lake, which straddles the Minnesota-Ontario
border, in late August. Over 60 miles long, Rainy Lake is the
largest lake in the area and an integral part of Voyageurs
National Park, established in 1971.
Called the Voyageur , the new 49-passenger aluminum boat is
owned and operated by the National Park Service and will be
homeported in International Falls, Minn., a small town near the
western end of the 218,000-acre park.
Unlike the voyageurs of the 1600s, however, today's
travelers on the Voyageur will not forsake the modern comforts
of screened windows, hot running water, electric heat, a
microwave-and-refrigerator-equipped galley, a flush toilet and
the choice of inside or outside seating. They will also be able
to view the passing scenery while cruising along comfortably at
20 knots, thanks to a pair of 610-hp Cummins QSM11 diesel
engines, which are set up to run on B-20 biodiesel. The engines
turn 30" × 34" wheels through Twin Disc MG-5082 A gears with
2.05:1 reduction ratios.
NEED FOR SPEED
The Voyageur was designed by Steve Hudson of Oak Hill Marine
Design in Southwest Harbor, Maine. Hudson said the original
design was 50' × 15'9" but he added 8' to give the bottom more
planing surface to make sure it met the specified speed of at
least 20 knots. "At 50 feet we might have made 20," he said,
"or we might have made 19."
At 58 feet, the Voyageur hit 28 knots empty and 24 knots
with a full load during sea trials.
Speed is important because one of the boat's regular runs
will be between the park's Rainy Lake Visitor Center and Kettle
Falls, about 40 miles to the east. The park service wants to
keep that trip to about two hours.
The park service also wanted shallow draft so Hudson tucked
the propellers into tunnels on the hard-chine, V-shaped
monohull. This gives the boat a draft between 30" and 36".
The new boat also needed to be truckable for delivery from
the builder, Armstrong Marine in Port Angeles, Wash., to
International Falls. To keep the over-the-road height under the
legal limit, the small pilothouse and upper railings and seats
are all removable. Once at Rainy Lake, everything will be
reassembled.
The Voyageur is Coast Guard-approved for 49 passengers, all
of whom can be accommodated inside the house on the main deck.
Up to 25 passengers can also sit on top of the house on seats
with weathertight compartments that store PFDs. The small
pilothouse is also surrounded by built-in seating.
The main saloon doesn't have fixed seating because the
operators wanted the flexibility to quickly reconfigure the
area with tables for dinner cruises.
Because northern Minnesota can be more than a little chilly,
especially in the shoulder seasons, the house has several
electric heaters.
For wheelchair passengers there are wide boarding doors on
both sides near the stern, as well as wide doors to the head,
which opens out to the aft deck, and the adjacent entrance to
the house, which also includes a ramp and handrails leading to
the interior.
The Voyageur will be operated by a crew of two: the captain
and a deckhand, who will also provide narrations over the
multichannel sound system.
The small pilothouse has great visibility and easy access to
controls and electronics, which doesn't include radar. "The
boat will always be operating within a mile of shore," said
Hudson, "so they didn't feel they needed radar."
Hudson was pleased that the yard installed the steering
wheel at an angle, rather than fully vertical. "It's just
easier to steer with a wheel angled away from you, especially
when sitting," he said. There's also a jog lever for
steering.
CORPS OVERSIGHT
Hudson said the boat was originally going to be built in New
England, but after the first builder was unable to take the
job, the project went out to bid again and Armstrong Marine won
the $1.5 million contract.
"I've been very impressed with Armstrong," said Hudson.
"When they said something was going to happen, it happened.
They've met their schedules all along."
In fact, Armstrong finished the boat far in advance of the
official project deadline of June 2010.
Throughout construction, which began last January, the
project has been overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers.
"The National Park Service had apparently never overseen a
boatbuild before, so they hired the Corps of Engineers to
oversee and manage the project," said Joe Beck, an engineer at
Armstrong Marine. "It worked out excellent. Someone from the
Marine Design Center in Philadelphia made biweekly visits
throughout the build. It worked out great. We were able to make
some money and keep everybody working and provide a nice
boat."