ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WXYZ) — The roar of an engine across the water is a familiar sound today — but more than a century ago, it was something entirely new, and it was built right here in southeast Michigan.
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The sights and sounds of summer on Lake St. Clair are unmistakable, but long before recreational boating became a favorite pastime, southeast Michigan was helping write the blueprint.
It began in 1874 with a young boat builder named Christopher Smith.
George Burgess, director of the Algonac-Clay Township Maritime Museum, said Smith's impact on the sport cannot be overstated.
"Chris is known as the father of recreational boating," Burgess said.
Fast forward to the 1900s — as automobiles transformed transportation on land, Smith was helping turn boating into recreation on the water. Smith started building fast, affordable runabout boats for the masses, creating the company famously known as Chris-Craft.
"Chris Smith basically followed Henry Ford's model of building," Burgess said.
In the 1920s, Smith created an assembly line — but for boats — and was able to build roughly 1,000 per year by the end of the decade.
"Basically, it made it available to the average person, and again, that's why it became recreational boating because Chris was able to bring the price down to where people were able to afford it," Burgess said.
Today, the Algonac-Clay Township Maritime Museum preserves that history.
"There's a story for everything," Burgess said.
In St. Clair Shores, boating remains a major part of the local economy, which includes 7 marinas and over 2,700 boat slips. Pete Beauregard owns Colony Marine on Lake St. Clair.
"It's a multi-billion-dollar business if you add up all the ancillary things that come with boating," Beauregard said. "It's a community. It's not just a product. It's a lifestyle."
At Freedom Boat Club, getting out on the water has become easier than ever. Instead of owning a boat, members can reserve one and spend a day out on the lake.
"We just are able to give everyone access to boating, so if you weren't boating before, you're boating now," Taylor Kayne, general manager of Freedom Boat Club, said.
For boat owners like the Ritchlin family, being out on the water is a way of spending time with one another.
"This is just an opportunity for us to spend more time with our kids and our family together. You've got to try and lure the kids in with something, and recreational boating is a great way to do it," Sean Ritchlin said.
Louisa Ritchlin echoed that sentiment.
"Our kids are looking forward to taking their friends out, spending lots of time on the water, fishing, and tubing, and just getting to hang out with friends and enjoying full family time," Louisa Ritchlin said.
The history and lifestyle of recreational boating continues to shape life on Lake St. Clair — and across the nation.
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