Date: February 19, 2009
Contact: Park Headquarters, 218-283-6600
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| Armstrong Marine Inc. |
| Construction has begun on the hull of the new tour boat. |
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After many years of seeking funding for a new 49-passenger tour boat for Rainy Lake in Voyageurs National Park, the National Park Service is pleased to announce that the production of a new boat has begun. Armstrong Marine, Inc. of Port Angeles, Washington received the contract to build the boat. “We are very excited about being able to provide this opportunity to park visitors and the community,” said Mike Ward, Superintendent, Voyageurs National Park.
This tour boat will have an upper, open air viewing deck with pilot house and an enclosed lower deck with seating, galley, and other amenities; the lower level will be wheelchair accessible. The boat will have the following equipment: twin 600hp Cummins diesel engines, tunnel drive, and bow thrusters. The boat will run on biodiesel fuel.
Individuals interested in the boat’s construction can view the progress at a website hosted by Armstrong Marine, Inc. Follow the directions below.
- Go to www.armstrongmarine.com
- Click on Login – top right below the search box
- Enter user name: vpns
- Enter password: rainy2009
- Go to the Navigation bar and click on VNPS
- Select an album to view – photos will progress automatically
- To go back to the album list, click on ‘album list’ at the bottom right
- Logout when done – top right below the search box
The contract requires Armstrong Marine, Inc. to complete the boat by June of 2010, but as you visit the website you may see significant progress already.
