Crew works to move historic fishing vessel to permanent display

Crew works to move historic fishing vessel to permanent display



By JOSH LINTEREUR • Sheboygan Press staff • August 21, 2008

Aided by a 35-ton crane, workers made their first attempt Wednesday to hoist the 72-year-old FV Islander commercial fishing boat from the Sheboygan River so it can be put on permanent display in the South Pier District.

Once it's out of the water, the 43-foot commercial gill-netter will be restored and displayed at the pier as a tribute the community's commercial fishing history.

"Two to three generations from now, you might not see fishing tugs on the lake anymore," said Eldon Burg, a volunteer assisting with the project. "This represents a significant part of Sheboygan's maritime history."
But first they'll have to get it out of the water.
After their first attempt, the project's organizers found out that they're going to need a bigger crane. The FV Islander, which has sat in the river since it was taken out of service in the early 1990s, was barely out of the water Wednesday when the crane tipped forward, forcing the crane's operator to place the boat back in the water.

Burg said they will make another attempt to lift it out, using a stronger crane.
The boat's owners, third-generation fishermen Gary and Glenn Seger, were going to scrap the boat when local citizens and committee members from the Harbor Centre Business Improvement District suggested preserving it.

The Segers have since donated the boat to the city, which cleared the South Pier site where the boat will be kept.
The Kiwanis Foundation has donated $5,000 to remove the boat from the water, while the Carpenters Local 731 will donate more than 100 hours toward the restoration. AmeriCorps volunteers will also assist in the effort.
Today, there are three commercial fishing businesses operating out of Sheboygan, down from a dozen or so 50 years ago, according to Glenn Seger, 53, who co-owns the Great Lakes Fish Company, 819 Riverfront Drive.

Market conditions and a changing regulatory climate have made commercial fishing less economically feasible, Glenn Seger said, making it doubtful that future generations will fish for a living.
"I think it's important to preserve the boat as a symbol of the fishing that has taken place here and the heritage of fishing in this area," he said.

Gill-netters, which are considered extremely versatile boats, saw extensive use on Lake Michigan in the last century, mostly because the vessels can handle rough waters and can be outfitted to catch just about any type of fish.
The Segers figure that they caught up to 1 million pounds of chubs, perch and whitefish since purchasing the boat 31 years ago.

The boat was constructed in 1936 by Sturgeon Bay Boat Works and was sold to a Washington Island fisherman named Albert Goodmander. The boat remained in Door County until 1977, when the Seger brothers purchased it.

The Segers had a few close calls with the boat, like the time Glenn Seger was 25 miles out into Lake Michigan during a winter storm battling subzero temperatures and 30 mph winds. The boat's pump broke and it took on enough water and ice that it started sinking, forcing the crew to frantically bail water out of the vessel with buckets.

Somehow, they made it back.
Along with restoring the boat, Burg said they plan to fit it with Plexiglas viewing ports to allow passersby a view of the boat's interior. A video display terminal will also be added.
"It's not going to look like a $60 million yacht," Burg said. "It will be restored to what a working boat looks like."