How to Talk lakeboat when you visit the Great Lakes... and not look like a doofus 

I’m now prepared for my lakeboat merit badge test! Thanks, Wes!

Good information and entertaining presentation. I love watching the boats come and go in Duluth when I visit. The salutes between the boats and the Aerial Lift Bridge are a treat for the ears. You just gained another subscriber...

Wonderful! Thanks for this and appreciate your droll sense of humor. 👍

Great job, Wes! Keep up the GREAT WORK!

Informative as usual Wes. Learned a lot.

being a Great Lakes Merchant Mariner I have seen every lake boat in this video and then some, the Sam Laud is a regular on the Cuyahoga River

Nice video, informative. Now everyone who watched this we should write a 1500 word double spaced essay and send it to you for your approval :)

I see the Obijwa every couple weeks when she's in Thunder Bay. such a cool ship.

I Lived in the Detroit area until 1999. Another spot to watch lakeboats is Detroit's Belle Isle. I always enjoyed watching the lakeboats near the southeastern point, where they have to turn south, to avoid the Belle Isle bridge on the north side of the island.

I don't know if or when I'll ever be able to go spotting, but this video is fantastic, even from a casual point of view. Really funny, too.

Great video. Thanks for the boatnerd info ℹ.

Great video! My wife thinks I’m turning into a boatnerd. I just enjoy watching videos of lake boats. Grew up about 40 miles south of Lake Erie and on the rare occasions the family would go to the beach, I would hope to see a passing boat, wondering where they were going and what they were carrying. Now I have some idea. Thanks for sharing!

Wes - THIS IS GREAT !! - thanks so much.

Great video. I enjoyed watching and even learned a thing or two. :)

Speaking of LLT updating older boats, don't forget huron cement did the same thing for many many years.

Thank you for this video, I've learned so much my head hurts! I know I'm ignorant about all things Ocean and ships, but at least now I know what I don't know! It's a great help.

I love the classic lake boats. Proud to say I own a porthole from the Silverdale ex "Gleneagles" built in 1925 and broken up in my hometown of Windsor,Ont if I remember right 1985/86. I was the night watchman where she met her end. That's how I was able to get such a fine (extremely heavy) souvenir. I also received from another friend that did security work a souvenir book from the SS Aquarama. She was in a slip just up from the breakers for sometime. She went overseas and was broken up a few years back now. Sad to see them go but for the most part I have good memories of that time in my life living right on the Detroit river. I could see the lakers pass right out the backdoor of my house.

When I was a kid in the 70's my brother and I used to sail further off shore in Georgian Bay than was sensible. Those old lakers passing by were a fascinating sight from the perspective of a tiny day-sailer.

So, their is the Interlake Steamship Company, Lower Lakes Transportation (Towing), The Great Lakes Fleet, The Algoma Central Corporation, and Canada Steamship Lines. 5 Great Lake Ship companies. Their are also the Companies, Corporations, and Firms that operate the Salties, and all the Recreational Boats on the Lakes too. One final note: I believe that the Lock’s of the Great Lakes as well as the St. Lawrence Seaway should be Widened to allow Bigger ships, such as the 1000 footers to be able to go out to the Atlantic ocean and back.

Great video. All the best Wes.

🤓I would have watched the entire video even if it was 2 hours long. To be honest, I wish it was 2 hours long. Its so hard to find good content on youtube these days. Thank you, sir.

I guess I will never be a TRUE boat nerd! I will never call a ship a boat! Lol I consider the great lakes fresh water inland seas! So ships they are! Any thing under 200 ft is a boat in my mind! Or Yacht! We see a lot of the footers in Duluth when we are up there! Great vid Wes!!!

Finally a video explaining our beloved language!

Great video. I'm an east coast guy but knew a few guys that worked the lake boats. I'm retired living in Panama near the canal. I see CSL offloaders from time to time. Cant say I've ever seen any other saltwater vessel rigged that way.

Thanks for the Tips!

My dad was a Captain for United States Steel, Pittsburgh Steamship Division back in the day. He didn’t like the term ‘tin stacker’ - he preferred ‘Silver Stacker’ - which sounds much nicer.

As a Great Lakes sailor my hubby and I have been spotting Lakers and salties for many years! You never mention the cruise liners plying the Great Lakes...they are also pretty cool...thanks and cheers!

Thank you Wes. Great video. I like how you used the satellite imagery to show the geographic points of interest. Many years ago when I was on vacation with my family catching a ferry boat to Mackinaw Island, I stopped in to a shop that had whitefish kielbasa. Very delicious. Do they have that at the Soo?

Excellent, thanks for the explanations

Thanks Wes great video.

Good to know that I'm still a boatnerd in good standing. But I graduated a long time ago from Know Your Ships to the Greenwood's Guide to Great Lakes Shipping.

Fun video - thank you!

1975 and 1976: US Merchant Marine Great Lakes for Standard Oil AMOCO Wisconsin. Lake tanker built in the early 1900's Still had steam winches. Sailed out of Whiting Indiana. Carried, gasoline, heating oil, jet fuel, kerosene, diesel. Sailed TO...everywhere!!! I mean everywhere. Around all the lakes and up to Sault St Marie. The boats were immaculate. Fresh water!!! And lots of oil money for overtime and the best quality paint. AMOCO colors.....Red, light blue and black. She's gone. There were three. AMOCO Wisconsin, AMOCO Illinois, and the AMOCO Indiana. All scrapped in 1985. I was an OS. Ordinary Seaman. Best job on the boat. MASSIVE education by the old timers. Learned my seamanship right! Became an AB unlimited...salt water. MSC ....Military' Sea Lift Command.

Great video. Thanks.

Thanks! Now I'm craving a fish sandwich. Also a sad update - the J. B. FORD is vanishing at an alarming rate.

I say that one day, the Welland Ship Canal & the St Lawrence Seaway should be widened to allow larger ships such as the Footers to reach the Sea. Also, If only there were lists of all Past Ships owned by Companies on the Great Lakes.

Alpena is my favorite and it's on the cover of this years "know your ships", nice

Thanks, Wes!

When I was a kid, my school years were near Youngstown in the 1960s and I spent one year in Royal Oak, MI near the St. Clair River. My dad always worked in the mills and I did too but in Alabama from 1977 to 1995 in which I live now in Pensacola. I remember vacationing on Pelee Island in Lake Erie and there would be a steady flow of straight deckers that were going upbound and downbound from the Canadian and Cleveland mills. I would guess most of them were steam because I could see smoke from the stacks before the ships would come on the horizon. I had to take a few trips from Birmingham to USS-Gary and Inland Steel to the blast furnaces decades later and was amazed on how much bigger the lakers were coming into Gary and Indiana Harbor.... When the iron mines ran out in Birmingham, we received pellets from barges coming from the Port of Mobile and our pellets come from Venezuela, Chile and even Australia. I don't ever recall us getting any Mesabi pellets unless they came by rail. I was working for USS and Republic at the time in Birmingham and Gadsden.... I was new in Birmingham when I heard the Fitzgerald went down and I remember the pit in my stomach....

Very good and fun video; my only nit pick is we always referred to the 1000 foot boats as 'thousand footers' and not just 'footers'

I am three minutes into this video and can't contain my sudden urge to exclaim how awesome all this knowledge is!!!! Wes, which ones do you have as a tattoo?? P.S. I am the 500th LIKE!!!

In MN north shore/wi area the boats are considered Lakers, not lakeboats. Also no one calls the 1000ft boats 'footers' here. .. elsewhere they might be called something else, just know here... fun fact the Walter J. McCarthy Jr (seen at 3:56) partially sank from a 7ft gash in the bottom of the hull in 2008, while docking in Superior Wi

Duluth is also a great port city to watch ships come in. Idk about the others, but unless it’s late night or very early morning, lake boats always give out horn signals to the lift bridge, which then signals back. The common signals are the captains salute (1 long blast and 2 short blasts) and the master salute (3 long blasts and 2 short blasts) very rarely they deviate from those two. Sometimes they have two salutes as well.

...and six inches Paul. 1013.5 ft

“It’s ok to like them” hahaha too funny! 👍🏻

you missed mckeil marine! one of the newer (bulker-wise) canadian fleets! we use salties converted to be flatback lakers :)

Wonderful video. Very informative and funny at the same time. I guess it should be obvious, but I don't understand the shape of the bows (the blunt shape that is). Thank you Wes.

I sailed on the Saginaw as a deckhand. Fun hard work.

another good place to watch marine traffic is Belle Isle the State of Michigan is now running the park and putting more money in to it then the city could afford my favorite place to watch "the boats" is middle of lake St. Clair, sail along right next to, but just out side of the channel you can get real close helm down hard a lee

I tested myself as you went along and the only things I missed was a few of the viewing points I've not been to ( I usually view from up near the locks themselves.). Also, have you been to Marine City Fish Company (and your opinion if you have?

Excellent information! But I have always heard the opposite for upbound/downbound on Lake Michigan, and looking at several other sources adds even more confusion. The Lake Carriers Association refers to the courses specifically as "Northbound" and "Southbound," however the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority does use "upbound" to the south and "downbound" to the north. NOAA further complicates matters by listing Lake Michigan courses under "Southbound/Inbound" (also referred to as "upbound/inbound") and "Northbound/Outbound" (also referred to as downbound/outbound). Perhaps that's why we should "keep it that simple," as you say!

Prior to viewing your fine video, I used the 2000 movie, "Lakeboat" as a reference. (old Atlantic sailor)

WHY DID THEY MOVE THE BRIDGE FROM THE BOW TO THE STERN ON THE NEWER LAKE BOATS? I REALLY ENJOY YOUR VIDEOS!! THANKS

Growing up I always heard the term "Laker" used vs "Lakeboat"

I didn't know Boatnerds had rivet counters too like railroad "Foamers".

Do you know the story about the Calumet & Hecla lakeboat division? Didn't know it was a thing until i saw a Rudy Maki picture of one of the boats. Didn't expect a copper mining company to have a fleet.

Nice video but Salty should have a * The Reason we have a infestation of Zebra Mussels in the great Lakes. The Seaway has caused the greatest environmental damage to the great Lakes in mankind's history. It never should have been built.

Really interesting

Lake boat = sweet water sailors

Hate to get too nerdy on you (actually, I love it!), but if you're watching ships traverse the Welland Canal, the upbound/downbound terminology is reversed. Boats going south are upbound and boats going north are downbound.

You can still get fresh Whitefish in Paradise at a little restaurant west of town.

I'm the bosun/wheelsman on the Wilfred Sykes, this is accurate!

What was the first freighter you have ever seen?

I live in Ludington, Michigan. I have always heard these boats referred to as "Lower Lakers." Is that term incorrect?

Why didn't you mention the cement boat fleet?

Welland Canal is a good place to see boats and salties but the footers can't get there. About the only boat I can easily recognize is the John D. Leitch but will always be Canadian Century to me. The Federal salties are all named after rivers foe example, Federal Weser.

I get that ships are worked on during the winter layup. When is repainting done?

You can often see Wagonborg vessels on the lake's also

American steamship is another major company.

Why wasn't American Steamship Co. mentioned as being part of the lake boat fleet?

FedNav will undoubtedly soon be flying a pennant at their masthead....."it's OK to like us". lol

Have any or do any lake boats cross the ocean for any reason ?

Is the Alpena a self-unloader?

Some other fleets that weren't mentioned are American Steamship Company: A former major player there fleet now is only footers Inland lakes management: they have a fleet of only 1 vessel operating and 2 in lay up the 1 operating is the cement carrier Alpena the oldest vessel on the Great lakes VanEnkevort Tug & Barge: This company operates 4 tug and barge combinations 1 of there barges was originally a lake freighternthat being the Joseph H Thompson Lafarge cement: This cement transportation company has a fleet of 2 tug and barge combinations Andrie Inc: The fleet of Andrie inc carries chemicals across lake Michigan and Lake Erie especially in the Chicago area McKeil Marine: This company is another Canadian fleet that has several bulk carriers and 1 cement carrier as well as tug and barges U.S. Oil: This company has 2 tug And barges they Carry oil St Mary's cement: This is another cement company they run routes on Lake Ontario and Erie they own 2 tug and barges Nova Algoma cement: similar to St Mary's cement they run on the Ontario and Erie route with there 3 cement carries

On the Great Lakes, I thought they were called boats.

Next was a very good video.

Good bye to the Ojibway

Can’t help but wonder why you didn’t mention Americans Steamship?

Too bad the Ojibway is headed for the scrapyard.

I have a book called " The Lakers volume 1

I take exception to the comment that people who like the Lakers pay no attention to Salties. I am one that loves them. Also other Salt Water Fleets that make multiple trips in are Polsteam, Canadian Forest Navigation (CanFor Nav) and The BBC Fleet. Otherwise a decent explanation.

Hey. HEY. Upbound is south. Hi from St. Catharines!