Voyageur and Sea Hunter Comparison?

[Rafiki]

The Voyageur leaves at 7:30am and arrives at Windigo at 10am.
The Sea Hunter leaves at 8:30am and arrives at Windigo at 10am.

If my intentions are to go to Windigo and I do not need to use the Voyageur to get me to another part of the island like McCargoe Cove or Rock Harbor, is there any difference between taking these two boats other than the Sea Hunter allowing me to get an extra hour of sleep and leave later. I am missing out on taking one over the other?

P.S. I wish the Voyaguer operated on Fridays. It would be so nice to be able to get picked up at Rock Harbor, Daisy Farm, Chippewa Harbor, or Malone Bay on a Saturday so we could get back to Grand Portage and stay the night somewhere with the intentions of driving home on a Sunday. Oh well.

[Tom]

The Sea Hunter III performs a 'tour format' as well, wrapping around Hat Point to Witches Tree, up through the Susie Islands, and then hovers over the America Wreck on the inbound. The outbound also goes out to Rock of Ages Lighthouse.
On days that both Voyageur II and Sea Hunter III are inbound to Windigo, they try to coordinate it so that the V-II has left the dock at Windigo before the SH-III pulls in, just to prevent dock confusion and make it easier on the rangers. (I think the V-II gets in earlier than 10am. Probably 9:30.)
The SH-III is a 'planing' hull which means she cruises smoother in rough seas, and moves at a much faster clip than the V-II. If you don't like crossing open water, the SH-III is your girl.
So. Back to the original question. If you really want to get a 15-30 minute head start on another possible group of hikers, and want to talk to 'primarily*' hikers on your voyage, then take the Voyageur.
If you want a faster trip, get to see some additional sites, and don't care that many of the passengers are day trippers, then the Sea Hunter is your choice.
*I say 'primarily' because in the past, the only non-hikers were either NPS Staff/Friends or heading to stay at the lodge in Rock Harbor. With the new cabins at Windigo, that could change.

Having sailed on both, if I was going to Windigo I wouldn't hesitate to take the Sea Hunter. It also adds a lot of options to the schedule for getting home, of course, as well!

[Rafiki]

she cruises smoother in rough seas

This would be most ideal for my girlfriend so I think we have a winner. Out of curiousity, I know we will be taking the V-II home because we will be getting picked up at a point between Rock Harbor and Windigo, do you know if the V-II does the Rock of Ages Lighthouse tour like the Sea Hunter does on the way back or is that strictly a Sea Hunter thing. I am excited that we will at least get to see the America Wreck on our inbound trip with the Sea Hunter. Any furhter imformation would be appreciated. Thanks Tom.

[Tom]

The Rock of Ages stop is a Sea Hunter feature. The Voyageur II takes the shortcut back through the North Gap and heads straight for home.
(To note: It's not a 'tour' of Rock of Ages, per se; more over they take the boat out near it so you get close and can get some good pictures...)

[Rafiki]

Well it looks like we will miss out on the Rock of Ages, but hopefully it won't be that big a loss. Thanks for every Tom. Im going to try to make my reservation today if they are still open or tomorrow if they are not.

[backpackingZombie]

Fun! I had already reserved a few seats of the SH, but reading the above info makes me happy I made that choice. Basically my choice was based on the time difference (why would I want to spend more time on a boat if I don't need to?), but a smoother ride and some sight seeing are some good ingredients.

nice!

[ruthwj]

So it looks like the Sea Hunter is only to Windigo and back correct? If one is heading to Rock Harbor it's either departure from Houghton or taking the Voyager the extra hours. Do I have that right?

[Ingo]

So it looks like the Sea Hunter is only to Windigo and back correct? If one is heading to Rock Harbor it's either departure from Houghton or taking the Voyager the extra hours. Do I have that right?

Correct. (and add or Copper Harbor to R.H.)

[ruthwj]

Thanks @ingo for the reply. That's my plan so unless the weather forces me to do otherwise it's a long ride there and a short one back.