Vintage boat · Fine wine · Chicago River

Decanter

Chicago, poured slowly.

A private, wine-led Chicago River experience aboard a restored vintage AristoCraft. Four guests. One boat. A slower way to taste the city.

Be first to Decant Discover the story

Decanter restoration in progress in Chicago

A vintage Chicago vessel, being restored for its next chapter

The experience

A wine salon that happens to float.

Decanter is being built around intimacy rather than capacity: a restored vintage vessel, a host, a thoughtful sequence of pours, and Chicago unfolding at river level.

Built around four

Vessel. Host. Itinerary. Access.

Private by design

Designed around four guests rather than a crowd, preserving conversation, service and a sense of occasion.

Wine first

Curated pours, thoughtful pairings and a hospitality point of view informed by Chicago’s restaurant and wine culture.

Chicago at river level

An experience intended to connect the vessel with the city—its architecture, restaurants, riverfront destinations and neighborhoods.

The origin of Decanter

Before the first pour, there was a restoration.

Early Decanter restoration with vintage interior

Summer 2026 · Acquisition

A $1,000 vintage find

The AristoCraft was found on Facebook Marketplace in Griffith, Indiana. Original engine, decades of patina, and enough character to justify the trip. It came back to Chicago on a trailer with a new name waiting: Decanter.

Restoration begins · Chicago

Mechanical first. Beauty second.

The recommissioning started with the fundamentals: engine, ignition, cooling, fluids, wiring, trim and structure—while the original woodgrain, chrome and unmistakable 1970s proportions were preserved wherever possible.

Original Decanter seat pieces being disassembled for restoration

Then, a coincidence

Wine racks in the alley

While work was underway beside the boat, six wooden wine-rack sections appeared in the alley. They were recovered on the spot. For a boat already becoming a floating wine experience, the timing felt almost too perfect—and the racks became part of the story.

“A wine tour of Chicago, by river.”

Decanter Chicago

Restored, not erased

The old boat is the point.

The goal is not to make Decanter look new. It is to make it feel intentional again. Champagne-toned hardtop. Cream fiberglass. Revived woodgrain. Polished aluminum and chrome. Blue marine upholstery. A darker blue hull planned for the next phase. The restoration keeps the vessel’s age visible while giving it a new purpose.

The result is meant to feel more like a small vintage hospitality room than a conventional tour boat.

Vintage Decanter interior during restoration

Original seat component during Decanter rebuild

From the Decanter archive

Details of the build.

This section is designed as the homepage image archive: the brand flag, restoration progress, engine work, upholstery rebuild and future photography can all live here as Decanter evolves.

Primary flag mark

Decanter restoration progress — Restoration

Reservations

Be the first to Decant in 2027.

Decanter’s inaugural private Chicago River experiences are planned for 2027. The first season will be intentionally limited, with intimate four-guest outings built around wine, hospitality and the city from the water.

Opening details and first-release reservations coming soon.

The next chapter

The first pour comes after the boat earns it.

Decanter is moving toward its maiden voyage and the private Chicago River experiences that follow. The restoration, the wine program and the route are being developed as one story—not separate pieces.