Tickets for the 2025 Season are NOW AVAILABLE!
The Pointer Boat, est. 1935
Originally built in 1934, this historic boat was restored in 1989 and extensively upgraded in 2014 to meet today’s United States Coast Guard standards.
Tours will depart from the Pier Restaurant in downtown Harbor Springs. This tour hugs the shoreline of historic associations including Harbor Point and Wequetonsing. Tours can be catered by the Pier with hors d’oeuvres and beverages.
We look forward to offering this amazing experience to you, your family and friends!
History of the Pointer Boat
The area which is now The Pointer Room at the Pier Restaurant in Harbor Springs, Michigan is literally “on the water.” Until 1962 it was the boat house for the Harbor Point Association’s water taxi, The Pointer, which ran between Harbor Point and the Village of Harbor Springs. As there were no cars allowed on Harbor Point, The Pointer provided a vital link for the residents of the association during the summer months.
There were a total of three different vessels, all named The Pointer, which ran from 1930 until 1962. Pointer is now on display outside the Pier Restaurant, in the exact location where residents and visitors formerly caught the boat for service to the Harbor Point Hotel.
Using vintage photographs by Virgil Haynes, Harbor Springs boat builder Steve Van Dam spent seven months creating an authentic restoration of The Pointer, including the blue upholstered interior seating and side curtains. He added a beautifully designed compass rose table, ice storage area and sink to make the vessel a bit more yacht like. As close as Mr. Van Dam can figure, The Pointer was a work boat built in Chessel, Michigan in 1934, with painted wood construction typical of Scandinavian design.