Fintry Queen owner lowers the flag on relocation plan, lists dinner cruise ship for sale

KELOWNA – The owner of the Fintry Queen has given up on the plan to move the iconic dinner cruise ship to Pentiction, and has instead listed the boat for sale.

Andy Schwab, president of the Okanagan Lake Boat Company, had been trying to raise money to resurrect the Fintry Queen with plans for a semi-scheduled service in the south part of the lake. Instead, Schwab has retained Re/Max Pentiction Realty to find a new owner, although the spec sheet on the ship is still encouraging would-be buyers to move it to Penticton.

"The Fintry Queen has all the makings to become one of the Okanagan's main attractions by connecting local communities," said Schwab.

Schwab had been proposing to move the one-time Okanagan Lake car ferry-turned dinner cruise ship down south and operate it as a tourist attraction. As part of the plan, Schwab was seeking to raise $600,000 from investors by March 1 under the B.C. Capital Investment program and use the cash to build a dedicated dock in Penticton, plus make improvements to the vessel.

The program allowed his company Okanagan Lake Boat Company to offer a 30 per cent tax credit to investors who buy in at $1.00 per share, up to a maximum of $60,000 year, to a maximum of $180,000, over the span of the five-year investment period. “We did have some interest from some individuals and different groups but nothing has yet to materialize,” Schwab said.

The Fintry Queen is currently moored in Sutherland Bay in Kelowna, but many Central Okanagan residents will remember the ship as a constant presence on the Kelowna waterfront.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infotelnews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

-Update 2:45, March 6, 2015 with new information about the possible sale of the Fintry Queen.