Northlandia: Meet ‘Petertoon,’ a Duluth businessman’s floating photo magnet

ISLAND LAKE — Is it a floating truck? A family boat with headlights and an eye-wateringly loud horn?

In a garage about 30 minutes north of Duluth sits "Petertoon." Roughly equal parts pontoon boat and gleaming semitruck, it's the creation of Jeff Foster Trucking, a Duluth-based shipping, warehouse and manufacturing firm.

"It's somewhat of an identity thing," Jeff Foster, the company's CEO and namesake, said of Petertoon. "My son and I and our family and the people that built it. We’re all around trucks all the time. Trucks are what we know. ... I’m the truck guy, so I guess it makes sense that the truck guy has a truck pontoon."

Petertoon's cab and hood come from a pair of 1988 Peterbilt Model 378s, and the pontoon below it is a 28-foot "tritoon," which has a third pontoon segment running underneath.

It's no longer roadworthy, but the truck still has many of the features of a real-deal semi. The cab's headlights and running lights all work. A compressor in the back powers the horn and cushions two air ride seats in the cab. A marine radio has replaced the CB.

Noticeably absent, though, are the pedals, the shifter and the truck's engine. Petertoon's grille swings upward to let passengers disembark through the mostly empty engine compartment if the leap from the pontoon deck or truck doors is too tricky.

Behind the cab are the pontoon's seats. Behind them is the boat's original motor, ready to be replaced by a more powerful but quieter one this summer. The Foster family plans to add striping along the length of the truck, according to Brian Foster, Jeff Foster's son and the company's chief operating officer.

Brian said his favorite parts of Petertoon are the "chicken lights" that extend toward the back of the boat, as well as the cab's chrome visor and chrome retro headlights. "We like shiny," he said.

Petertoon's origins lie in a video of a similar truck/boat hybrid that was passed around the company, Brian said, and it evolved into a team-building exercise in the firm's bodyshop.

"We thought it was super cool," Brian said. "It's very bizarre to see a vehicle out on the water. From a distance, it really throws you off."

The company had a disused 28-foot pontoon on its grounds, and staff there attached the cab and hood of two separate Peterbilt trucks atop the boat's frame. They finished building Petertoon in 2017. Some, but not all, of the 10-15 people who had a hand in Petertoon's creation have had a chance to take it for a spin themselves, according to Jeff Foster.

As a boat, Petertoon handles more or less like a run-of-the-mill pontoon. Its turns are wider and the truck cab sometimes catches the wind. It can reach speeds of about 20 mph on the water.

"But then again, we didn't build it to go fast, either. It's a pontoon boat. Nobody goes fast on a pontoon boat," Jeff said with a chuckle. "Normally."

It's also a photo magnet. The Fosters took Petertoon onto Lake Superior for the Festival of Sail, drawing considerable attention from boaters and festival-goers. It mostly stays on Island Lake, though.

Kids frequently make honk-your-horn arm pumps at Petertoon, but, wary of the noise, the Fosters try not to blare it too much.

"Blowing the air horn is very popular," Brian Foster said. "It gives me goosebumps."

With striping and an upgraded motor, Brian said, the family might take it "exploring" and to more events.

"It’ll be in Lake Superior a little more," he said.