Pointer Boat History
A Harbor Springs Tradition Since 1930
The Pointer Boat has been part of Harbor Springs history for generations. Beginning in 1930, boats bearing the Pointer name carried passengers between Harbor Point and Harbor Springs, providing an important connection across the water during the summer season. Today, that story continues on Little Traverse Bay aboard a restored Pointer Boat.
Harbor Springs by Water
Before 1962, the area now occupied by the Pointer Room at The Pier Restaurant served as the boathouse for the Harbor Point Association’s water taxi, the Pointer. With automobiles prohibited on Harbor Point, the boat carried residents between Harbor Point and Harbor Springs throughout the summer, providing an important connection between the two communities.
Three Boats, One Name
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 pedestrians formerly caught the boat for service to the Harbor Point Hotel.
Restoring The Pointer
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.