Kevin Hallack stands alongside the PM 41 and Undaunted at the Ludington dock.
Kevin Hallack stands on shore in Ludington near the PM 41 and Undaunted.
This Great Lakes Boat Blog is presented by Hankwitz Heating & Cooling, 609 S. Washington Ave., Ludington; 231-843-2809.
By Mark Varenhorst, Contributing Writer
LUDINGTON — September 2 found me on the Rieth-Riley Construction Ludington dock once again meeting the tug Undaunted and barge Pere Marquette 41 as they had arrived in Ludington with a cargo of aggregate for Rieth-Riley.
They were well underway unloading when I arrived, probably due to me not wanting to get up at 5 a.m. to get there to meet them. Having worked shift work and a few different jobs being up at odd times I am more apt now to want to sleep in just a tad unless it is something I might miss altogether. I had made arrangements with Chuck Leonard who manages both Lake Michigan Carferry and Interlake Logistics Solutions (which operates the tug/barge) to be able to meet the tug when near bye. I once again asked for members of the crew I could speak with and get to know. My victim — I mean crew member — this time was Kevin Hallack. He might have wanted to slip aside and out of sight but hey they had caught his attention and pointed him my way.
The Undaunted at Rieth-Riley dock in Ludington
Hallack is the deck mechanic for the Undaunted. He basically keeps everything moving so the crew can load and unload. Kevin came out of Michigan Tech University with a degree in civil engineering technology. His uncle runs Hallack Construction in Hart and he spent 15 years working for that firm. He also spent eight years in the United States Coast Guard Reserve.
Hallack lives in Hart with his wife Crystal and they have four children. He started with the tug/barge (then owned by Pere Marquette Shipping) in 2014 as a deck hand working his way up to relief mechanic until assuming his present duties. Having talked to crew members before and Leonard I became well aware that some parts of the unloading equipment on the PM41 are unique to that barge, the conveyor system in particular. As Hallack said, “It’s kind of a vintage unit, interesting to maintain, one of a kind, kind of a trick to it”.
I had heard that mentioned before that the loader and crane had been replaced but not the conveyor system, it was the original installed on the barge when converted.
During our discussion Hallack mentioned the tug and barge are going to the shipyard in late September or early October. I mentioned my editor and I will be going over while it is there to visit the crew and tug to see her while in the shipyard in dry dock. Hallack mentioned, “she goes in every five years for inspection and such. Needing a coat of paint and some work. I try to go under her when she is in dry dock after they paint her and write my name on the keel”.
It made me think of my cousin who writes his name in walls when doing construction so people will find it years later. Hallack remarked that he had done that in 2015 and 2020. I thought about that after I left the Undaunted, that is a neat little final touch to add!
Undaunted/PM 41 inbound in Ludington channel.
This Great Lakes Boat Blog is presented by Hankwitz Heating & Cooling, 609 S. Washington Ave., Ludington; 231-843-2809
_____________________
Please Support Local News
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news.
To sign up, email editor@mediagroup31.com. In the subject line write: Subscription. Please supply your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (indicate cell phone). We will not share your information with any outside sources. For more than one email address in a household, the cost is $15 per month per email address.
We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).
Payment must be made in advance prior to subscription activation.
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2025, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
.png)
