A new recreation opportunity has arrived on the Keweenaw Peninsula as snowmobiles and off-road vehicles gain company from an unexpected addition: a hovercraft.
On Monday, Visit Keweenaw joined Dominic Snell on Portage Lake’s frozen surface to test his latest business venture.
Snell, owner of Copper Country Boat Tours, recently purchased a Hovertechnics Hoverguard 800 from Plymouth, Massachusetts. Snell says Hovertechnics used to manufacture its hovercraft vessels in Michigan. The model he brought to the Keweenaw Peninsula was built in 1994. Hovercraft have been used in various search and rescue incidents, boat fire incidents, and during flood response.
Since partnering with Keweenaw Waters Resort, Snell has sought ways to expand tour opportunities for visitors exploring the peninsula.
“Somebody described it as the little air hockey game, that little puck that flies around. You’ve got to control that thing. So you’re floating on a bed of air. But you get used to it and figure out how to use the blades to control where you’re going,” Snell said.
Jesse Wiederhold, managing director of Visit Keweenaw, praised Snell’s forward thinking in expanding recreation opportunities for next winter.
“It’s really helpful at getting people thinking about what to do after this spring and summer. Hopefully start planning those trips a little earlier, and it’s wonderful to see more people thinking about these shoulder transition seasons, providing more opportunities for things to do,” Wiederhold said.
Snell adds he needs to complete some recreation tourism paperwork with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources before offering commercial hovercraft tours of the Portage Canal. But for the first time in a long time, he’s excited to think about winter returning.
Until then, Snell plans to offer tours of the canal from his boats, S.S. Dragonfly or the S.S. Hydrofly. The Dragonfly offers a quiet and immersive tour of the Portage Canal, with the captain describing the region’s mining heritage with help from an all-electric motor. The S.S. Hydrofly specializes in providing golden hour tours traveling to the north Portage entry.
