Retrofitted century-old boats, meant as unique Old Port accommodations, still en route

A luxury camp site is up and running in Montreal's Old Port, but there's one thing still missing: the old restored boats which will double as hotel rooms where people can spend the night.

The boats, several of them almost 100 years old, were supposed to be in place in in May.

"Due to the weather we had in May, everything had to be delayed," said Daniel Jourdain, the promoter of the Village by the Locks site, as well as a cabinetmaker who is passionate about the outdoors and old boats.

He restored the boats, and did manage to bring one over to the Old Port, by the urban camping site near the abandoned Silo No. 5.

"If you look inside you'll see that six people can sleep here," Jourdain said.

The wet weather wasn't the only reason for the delays. Jourdain also hit some snags such as having to wait for permits from the city. There were also come technical issues to resolve.

"For example, we bought a boat in Ontario and when we had to transport it, the boat was about two feet too high. The roof had to be cut."

Boats set to arrive in coming weeks

Fifteen boats are set to arrive in the next few weeks. Once the project is complete, there will be 30 boats.

The Old Port of Montreal says it supports the initiative.

"It's a great, innovative urban project that meets a demand," Jimmy Laforge, a spokesperson for the Old Port, told Radio-Canada.

Besides the boats on the way, the urban luxury camping site already includes about 30 mini-homes complete with beds, a kitchenette, a bathroom and a green roof. They were all booked up during Grand Prix weekend.

They are identical to the cabins built on all Parks Canada sites.

"We could have had another 40, and they would have been all booked," Jourdain said about the project he describes as "alternative urban lodging."

Jourdain said he is now thinking about installing other boat hotels across Canada.