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The Fintry Queen is up for sale as the most recent attempt to save the iconic paddle wheeler has once again failed to generate steam.
In mid-February owner Andy Schwab announced that the Fintry Queen received BC Tax Credit Allocation which meant that investors could receive a tax credit for investing. The deadline to receive investments on the boat past on March 1st, and according to Schawb, the response just wasn’t there.
The Fintry Queen (Photo Credit: Andy Schwab)
“We didn’t really get any subscribers in time for the deadline and there was a lot of people that we sent information to but it was just too short for people to react and get the necessary work done in time,” said Schwab. “So this is plan B, now it’s up for sale and if it doesn’t sell by the end of the summer then I’ll probably try the tax program again in the fall.”
Schwab adds that the announcement for the tax credit did generate more interest in the historic boat; he hopes one of them will be a potential buyer. The asking price for the boat is $349,900.
“I’ve got to make something happen so I’m firing on all cylinders until I make it work,” he adds. “I’m willing to sell it outright or take an interest in it or help them make it happen.”
The Fintry Queen (Photo Credit: Andy Schwab)
The Fintry Queen is being sold through ReMax in Penticton and currently Schwab is working on attaining environmental permitting and completing the environmental assessment.
“Maybe someone in Kelowna wants to buy it,” Schwab adds. “Then we could build two docks and have it going up and down the lake every single day.”
Previously, Schwab had a plan to raise $600,000 to renovate the ship and build a dock in Penticton but that idea fell apart. The Fintry Queen is the largest commercial passenger ship on Okanagan Lake and was originally built as a car ferry in 1948 which carried vehicles and passengers across the lake annually.
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