Chattanooga Cycleboats has left the city.
Business owner Nate Wilson and his family moved the human-powered party boat to Milwaukee earlier this week for the rest of the season, citing a lack of business in the Scenic City.
"Thank you so much to everyone who has been a patron over the years. We did not stay as busy as we hoped and we are forced to move the boat to another region that will have more participation," Wilson posted to the company's Facebook page.
The hope for Wilson is a bigger city with an established market will be beneficial for his company. The Wisconsin city has two other cycleboat companies that have sold out for the rest of the year. Wilson will keep the boat there for the remainder of the season to meet the demand of the market. From there, he is undecided.
Wilson liquidated his retirement fund to start the business in 2016. He thought the outdoors-minded city built around its river would be a good match. However, the company hasn't had the success he envisioned. He's struggled to find customers willing to book in advance. Customers begin booking cycleboats in larger cities over the winter and are often nearly sold out for the season before summer, he said.
"Here, people wait for that 10-day forecast," he said.
The business has a refund policy for trips canceled because of weather. But regardless, the company wasn't bringing in enough business to exceed its costs.
Wilson still believes Chattanoogans like the company. He cites high customer reviews on TripAdvisor, Facebook and Google along with positive verbal feedback from customers. And the former engineer wants to give Chattanooga residents another chance.
He will launch a Kickstarter campaign this fall "with an aggressive goal."
"My goal is to bring the boat back, give Chattanooga a chance to keep it here," he said. "It's not to ask for donations. It's simply to ask people to commit to an advanced reservation."
The success of the campaign will determine the future of the company. If it reaches its goal, the cycleboat will be back on the Tennessee River next year, taking tourists, bachelorette parties and birthday gatherings out for a trip on the water. If not, Wilson will take the Chattanooga Cycleboat to a different city.
Contact staff writer Mark Pace at mpace@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @themarkpace and on Facebook at ChattanoogaOutdoorsTFP.