Boatnerd Discussion Forum

When the economy was decent, Manistee would see around a boat or two a week. There were days when there would be two boats in town at once. Things aren't the same anymore and traffic has slowed down. This year you're lucky to see two boats a month. You'd have better luck traveling to Grand Haven or Holland to see ships up close.

Along those same lines, I never considered Manistee a hotbed of boat traffic. So I was wondering roughly how many boats go through there in a month? One a week? The point is, you need to go where there is boat traffic like the Soo or Port Huron if you want to boatwatch. Wherever you go, the words "boat", "plan" and "schedule" are never used in the same sentence. Boatwatching is always hit or miss.

Many times it is next to impossible to plan a vacation based on a lakers schedule. Things such as wind, surf, unexpectedly long load times or unload times can all factor into delaying a ships schedule. It is common for a ship to loose a day or two due to these factors. Many times a ship will not know its route more than 2 weeks out. Your best bet is to find a campground near a busy river or harbor for ship-watching. I suggest Brimley State Park just west of the Soo. You can get a campsite right on the water and watch boats run by all day.

I took my first trip to Manistee in July and learned that large ships go from Lake Michigan to Manistee Lake through the Manistee River.

I would plan a vacation around an opportunity to watch ships make that trip. Is there a way to find a schedule?

Thanks!