Four months after the Michigan Princess Riverboat was damaged during a scheduled inspection, its owner is still waiting for the OK to begin repairs.
The Lansing business closed suddenly in August following an accident when the boat was being returned to the water. A large airbag being used to float the boat back into the Grand River popped, causing major structural damage.
Chris Chamberlain, owner of the Michigan Princess, says the repair will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Until we finalize things with the insurance company, nothing much is really happening,” he said.
Between staff layoffs and the suspension of their fall color tours in October, Chamberlain says it’s been hard to deal with the closure.
“I miss the boat. I miss running it up and down the river, but accidents happen,” he said.
Chamberlain says once he gets final approval from his insurance company, it could take anywhere from a month and a half to three months to fix the boat and get it back into the water.
It’s unclear if that will happen before the usual start of public cruises around Mother’s Day.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
