Escape at 4 mph: A guide to boats that cruise Northeast Ohio waterways

By Michael Norman, The Plain Dealer

June 26, 2009, 12:02AM

It's a safe bet that Og the Neanderthal realized early on that a waterfront sunset was a better precursor to romance than a club to the noggin. There's just something about the sound of lapping waves and the rocking of gentle swells that can drive a cave girl wild.

Maybe that -- and changing courtship rituals, of course -- is why the dance cruises on the Goodtime III, the granddaddy of Cleveland's Lake Erie and Cuyahoga River tour boats, are so popular. The dance cruises for Friday, June 26, and Friday, July 3, already are sold out, for example.

But if you're not lookin' for love in all the watery places, the allure of an outing aboard the Goodtime could be the history lessons that Capt. Rick Fryan, whose grandfather launched the popular boat line 51 years ago, incorporates in every cruise.

The first Goodtime held 150 passengers and sailed Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga from 1958 to 1960. It now runs out of Sandusky. That boat was followed by the Goodtime II, which could accommodate three times as many passengers. It's now in Florida as a gaming vessel.

Now the Goodtime III -- which is Coast Guard-rated for 1,000 passengers even though Fryan and his team limit the manifest to 800 on the three passenger decks (four counting the oversized crow's nest on the top deck) -- plies the North Coast's bounding main.

Usually, it's Bruce Hudec at the helm of the 151-foot long boat. Hudec has been part of the Goodtime family since 1971. He wrote the history lecture passengers hear as they cruise the Cuyahoga, talking about this building or that, this dock or another.

Knowing the text of the lecture works in Hudec's favor. He knows when to speed up, when to slow down and when to stop. Of course, speeding up is a relative term; the Goodtime normally cruises at about 4 mph. That doesn't seem fast on the surface, but remember: When fully loaded with passengers and fuel, the ship weighs more than 500 tons . . . and there are no brakes. It can make 13 mph if Hudec, who also oversees the engines, drops the hammer. The 40-foot beam and specially designed bottom combine to keep rocking and wake to a minimum.

The ship has a full galley for special charters and parties, but normally the cruise fare is limited to hot dogs, burgers and the like. That and an economy that encourages staycations vs. traveling are among the reasons the $15-per-person, two-hour cruises are so popular with families.

The enclosed main deck, with its stage and dance floor, is protected from the elements. But really, half the fun is feeling the sea, er, lake breezes caress your cheeks.

Secured tables and chairs provide ample seating on all three decks, and the 36-member Goodtime III crew is quick to lend a hand to passengers. Even Fryan patrols the ship with a hand towel to dry seats or tabletops that may have leftover reminders of squalls.

Fryan and his team strive to ensure the Goodtime is so comfortable, even a cave man would enjoy it. Og -- and his missus -- would approve.