‘Help float the boat’: S.S. Naramata looks to get back on Okanagan Lake

She’s been out of commission since 1967, but the S.S. Naramata tugboat could be back on the water in the next two to three years.

Volunteers with the S.S. Sicamous Restoration Society, which previously helped restore that iconic Okanagan vessel, are looking to make the historic tugboat into a floating museum.

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The S.S. Naramata first hit the water of Okanagan Lake in 1914 and primarily shipped fruit to and from communities between Penticton and Vernon.

The restoration effort got a helping hand from the provincial government Tuesday, which committed $25,000 to help fund the project.

The society is going to use that money to first bring in a professional engineer to assess the boat and figure out what needs to be done to have her floating on Okanagan Lake once again. After that a provisional budget on the full restoration will be made.

The entire restoration process is expected to take anywhere from two to three years.