ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 25, 1996 TAG: 9612260032
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: HOLIDAY
DATELINE: DUBLIN
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
The future of Claytor Lake cruises on the Pioneer Maid may depend on some lawsuits.
Howard Barrett, captain of the 140-passenger cruise boat, said he and his wife, Joyce, had had to use their own money to refurbish it after it sank last winter because of a design defect in a bilge pump.
The company with which they had their craft insured has been "dragging its feet" and they have taken legal action to get it to pay for the damages, he said. They are also suing the bilge pump manufacturer for damages.
The couple had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, where assets are used to pay off debts, in time to prevent the auctioning of the cruise boat and a deli and gift shop they opened on the road to Claytor Lake State Park where the craft is docked. The auction had been the result a default on a $150,000 Small Business Administration loan.
They have also had to pay cleanup costs for fuel that got into the lake when the boat sank, although the amount of fuel contamination is still in question. Howard Barrett said it had been estimated at as little as 3 to 5 gallons, but cleanup costs are still significant.
They are hoping they can recover enough money from the suits "so everything gets taken care of," Barrett said Monday. He was reached at his home in Austinville after a Tuesday New River Current article on the bankruptcy had already gone to press.
He said the boat is in good condition now. The dock at the park could use some work, he said, and he is hoping the state will help with that. He said he and his wife had done improvements on it once before.
He was hopeful that he and his wife would be able to continue offering the cruises next year.
The 60-foot Pioneer Maid has been taking groups for lake cruises, usually with meals, since 1992.
LENGTH: Short : 42 linesby CNB