Tiki Tours Capt. Gary Ethier shows off the new helm on the 30 foot pontoon boat. The deck of the helm comes from the home of a bootlegger.
Better late than never.
Tiki Tours in Lake George Village officially celebrated the launch of their second craft on Friday Aug. 27 with a ribbon cutting and short trip around the southernmost end of the lake. The team won approval from the village and Lake George Park Commission back in March.
“But just like most babies, the due date was not fixed,” Kandi Kelly told those gathered. She is the newest member of the ownership team, a position she almost did not take, she said, because she knew the amount of work involved. She thanked the rest of the team that includes Larry Davis, Greg Teresi and Anthony Ali. “What a great way to start the five year anniversary of the team.”
The 30-foot pontoon boat with thatched roof that gives the tiki boats their style, can hold 16 passengers at the bar and on benches, but the ownership has said they would run with fewer, usually up to 12, partly because two groups of six can fit socially separated.
The helm—the location of the steering wheel and instruments—has been moved closer to the bow of the boat so that the captains can navigate more easily. The old boat, at 14 feet wide and 20 long, was not ideal, both Kelly and Teresi said. The result of the hull and deck changes, they said, was a nicer boat with a smoother ride.
The helm also gives the boat its unofficial name, Kelly said, the "Huna Huna" or, by one Hawaiian translation, the "Secret Stash."
It seems the red deck of the helm comes from the home a bootlegger, one known by the father of co-owner Larry Davis, Kelly said. She went looking for a name that would invoke that history.
Lake George Village Mayor Bob Blais tied the Tiki Tours service into the village at large. Places like Lake George Village and resorts such as Coney Island and The Great Escape survive because they make changes in what they offer.
“This year we get this new Tiki boat,” he said, which helps to keep the village fresh. “Thank you for this gift.”
Gina Mintzer echoed what Blais and others said then thanked co-owner Greg Terisi for being active in the local community. Mintzer is executive director of the Lake George Chamber of Commerce and CVB, which helped to host the event.
“This has been a great addition to our wedding market,” she said. The tour may only last an hour and is only available in the summer, she said, but, “They’ll have those memories year-round.”
Tour boats on Lake George are piloted by licensed captains. Capt. Gary Ethier, of Tiki Boat Tours said he has a Coast Guard license, so he can pilot both lakes and the ocean. He is a native of the Capital Region and pilots here in the summer and Florida in the winters.
He said he likes seeing the faces, especially of people visiting the lake for the first time, as they tour. He gets to be a part of the vacation, talk and laugh with riders.
“This made me fall in love with the lake all over again,” Ethier said.
Guests on the boats bring their own food and drink and receive a tour of the lake and the shoreline, usually at 75 minutes a ride.
Assemblyman Matt Simpson and Warren County Supervisor Rachel Seeber were on hand to congratulate the group and wish them luck. Tiki Tours operates on the boardwalk at Lake George Beach Club, 3 Montcalm St. in Lake George Village.
Steve Thurston (2021)
Tiki Tours co-owner Larry Davis cuts the ribbon on the second boat in the company's fleet. From left: LG Chamber Executive Director Gina Mintzer; co-owner Greg Teresi, at back holding his son; Davis; and co-owner Kandi Kelly.