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Boblo boat owners launch crowdfunding campaign to rebuild after fire

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Last week, a fire destroyed much of an old Boblo Boat that was docked in an east side Detroit marina. The owners, physicians Ron Kattoo and Saqib Nakadar, still have hopes for the boat and vow to bring it back. They’ve started a GoFundMe site to try to raise $500,000 to rebuild the historic Ste. Claire.

Although the fire department has not confirmed a cause yet, it’s believed that the fire was started by sparks from a welding project on board. The second deck of the boat quickly caught on fire after that.

As for insurance, the Detroit News says that the owners had it insured for the hull if the ship sank, but because of the boat’s condition, they couldn’t get it insured for fire damage. The owners said that the wood was burned, but the steel was still in good shape.

As for plans for the ship, the owners wanted to open it up as a museum along the Riverfront once it was restored. They also planned to rent out the boat for events during the holidays and a haunted house (boat) in October.

As of Wednesday morning, the campaign had reached $1,550. The owners said they’ve received an “outpouring of support” from many who have shared their memories of the nostalgic boat.