The historic Ladybird speedboat has been returned to Nelson’s Hall Street Pier.
The vessel was removed from its temperature-controlled display in August 2024 to allow for further mechanical balancing, only a month after it was first installed.
At the time, the city said the work involved adjusting the heating, cooling, moisture control and overall air handling systems of the display enclosure.
The exhibit meets strict, museum-grade preservation standards that required several refinements.
That work is now complete, with the City of Nelson announcing on Facebook that the Ladybird was being reinstalled Friday morning.
Donated to the museum in 1968, the Ladybird was painstakingly restored in the 1980s by archivist Shawn Lamb and a team of volunteers.
It was first displayed at the museum’s former Anderson Street location but placed in storage in 2006 when the museum moved to 502 Vernon Street.
Now, the record-setting Ladybird is showcased on the waterfront in a climate-controlled enclosure that preserves the vessel while allowing residents and visitors to see it once again.
The Ladybird display was part of the $4.8-million Hall Street Pier project, which was completed in September 2024.
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