Volunteers remove ‘eyesore' boat beached on Beer Can Island in Hudson
An abandoned 54-foot cruiser boat beached on Beer Can Island in the St. Croix River in Hudson has been towed away after the owner racked up more than $40,000 in fines from the city.
Calling it an 'eyesore,' Dave Jarvis, of St. Croix River Cruises in Hudson, worked with three other men to get the boat, the Sweet Destiny, towed off the island on Friday.
'We were all kind of sick of looking at it,' he said. 'If we didn't do it, who would've done it?'
The city, Jarvis said, had been looking into possible funding to have the boat removed, but it might have been an even longer wait. So Jarvis called the city and asked permission to tow the boat.
'They didn't hire us,' Jarvis said of the city. 'We just did it.'
As of December, the owner of the boat had racked up more than $44,000 in fines, according to Police Chief Geoff Willems. It is unclear how much the owner, Grayson McNew, owes now.
He did not return emails for comment on Friday night.
A crew of four spent all day Friday removing the beached boat.
Jarvis and his father, Gordy, worked with Wayne Prokosch and Josh Stokes from River City Welding in Red Wing, beginning at 8 a.m. and finishing up with the boat settled in for the night at Jarvis's dock at 5 p.m.
Getting the boat off the island was the 'right thing to do,' Jarvis said. 'Let me put it this way, it's been a sour topic in our community for quite some time and honestly, an eyesore. Everybody has been wanting that boat off of there. There are safety issues and environmental hazards. It was time. It was time for somebody to do something and we have the knowledge, ability and experience.'
Jarvis said the boat will be towed to Red Wing on Monday where it is possible someone might buy it for next to nothing.
'It might be scrapped or refurbished. It is really a wreck. Everything would have to be replaced,' Jarvis said, noting the boat would need a lot of work including a new engine and electrical system.
McNew apparently bought the 1981 Bluewater Intercoastal in 2024. The boat, which was beached on the sand, apparently had a hole in its hull and sank halfway, Willems said. It also had its rudder ripped off, he said.
'He thought he got a good deal and that he could fix it up and do something with it,' Willems said. 'Then life happened, and he didn't have the money or time to fix it up.'
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In August 2024, Hudson officials contacted McNew, of Afton, and told him he had until Oct. 1 to remove the boat or he would be charged for the removal and towing of the boat. McNew 'stated he understood,' according to police reports.
But the boat remained marooned on the island until Friday.
McNew, who has twice run unsuccessfully for the Minnesota House, first came to the attention of Hudson officials in July when he docked the cruiser at the city's new boat launch in Lakefront Park, Willems said.
'It was parked there for, like, a week, and we started getting complaints about it,' Willems said. 'So we called him and said, 'Hey, the boat's got to move.' He moved it out to (Beer Can) Island and then just left it there.'
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