The S/V Steelhead is a safe vessel for off-shore work and the vessel design allows for efficient sampling of the deeper waters of Lake Michigan with multiple gear types. However, because the S/V Steelhead is not capable of safely sampling waters less than 25' deep, the Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station maintains a smaller vessel for sampling shallow near-shore waters and bays. The R/V Pimephales ("Bluntnose minnow") is a 23' long, 8' beam, welded aluminum boat with twin 150-horsepower outboard motors. It is trailerable, and has a cruising speed of 25-30 knots, making it an excellent boat for a variety of sampling needs and locations. The R/V Pimephales is equipped with a small gill net lifter, and is capable of fishing gill nets, small trawls, and larval fish and other plankton nets, as well as providing a platform for habitat and other sampling gear.