After 73 years, it's time for new Burger Boat vessel

Burger Boat lands state contract to build vessel monitoring lakes' marine life

By: Charlie Mathews, Herald Times Reporter

MANITOWOC — A new, 60-foot research vessel will help monitor fish populations and, possibly, increase employment at Burger Boat Co.

"People will be put to work now," said Matt Frank, secretary of the state Department of Natural Resources before signing the contract to build the RV Coregonus with Jim Ruffolo, president of the 163-year-old boat builder with yard alongside the Manitowoc River.

A news release from the DNR said the vessel would be built at a cost of $1.9 million. Completion is expected in 2011.

Ruffolo said Burger Boat employs about 250 people and the new contract "may bring back a few" hull workers who have been laid off.

"We will continue to focus on the custom yacht market but are expanding into commercial,  government, fire and rescue and foreign military," Ruffolo said.

This year, Burger Boat is scheduled to complete two tri-deck motor yachts — a 142-footer and a 140-footer — with its global customers in recent years typically investing more than $15 million in their ocean-going vessels.

However, the Coregonus will mainly ply the waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior performing research vital to the economic health of the commercial and sport fishing industries, Frank said.

He said sport fishing alone generates about $419 million in revenue and sustains 5,000 jobs.

"This is a good day … it represents our continued commitment to have good science and data to understand what is going on in our lakes and make the right decisions to enhance and protect these resources for decades to come," Frank said.

The boat is named for the fish genus that includes lake whitefish, lake herring and bloater chubs. It replaces the nearly 75-year-old Barney Devine, also built by Burger Boat in 1937.

Frank said Burger's manufacturing quality ensures that the Coregonus will be in service "for the rest of the 21st century or most of it."

He said DNR researchers would have state-of-the-art technology on the vessel, enabling surveys of water quality, different fish populations, as well as invasive species, algae, zebra mussels and other challenges to the economic health of the fishing industry.

"It also will be a safer boat for our staff who will spend many hours on this boat in all kinds of weather … and we know how Lake Michigan can get pretty feisty," Frank said.

He said the Coregonus also will be more efficient, with a top speed of 20 knots, versus 10 knots for the Barney Devine, cutting in half the current 15 hours it takes researchers to travel from Sturgeon Bay to Milwaukee.

It will be capable of gill netting, trawling and serving as the on-water base for SCUBA divers performing research projects.

Frank didn't want any of the officials, employees and news media gathered at the contract signing to get the wrong idea.

"Although they are very good at building boats like the one we are going to buy from them, their main business is building really nice yachts," Frank said of Burger Boat.

"We didn't add any of those luxury features to this boat … but we know it will be well-built and last for years to come," he said.

Frank said Gov. Jim Doyle appreciates Burger's expertise and economic impact and was pleased to award the company $3.3 million in state grants in the past five years to improve its shipbuilding capabilities.

"As much as we love Burger, we have state purchasing rules … Burger had to compete to get this contract. But it should be no surprise it won the competition," Frank said.

Ruffolo and Burger Boat officials will continue to try and win the competition to build mega-yachts.

Ruffolo said Burger Boat was represented at the Abu Dhabi show in the United Arab Emirates in February, as well as international boat shows in Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Palm Beach.

He said potential clients "are just not sure what the economy is going to do. Because of economic conditions there are many boats out there on the used market at low prices.

"Everybody is taking a wait-and-see attitude," Ruffolo said.

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