McBarge

McBarge was a floating McDonald's restaurant constructed for Expo 86 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Officially named Seaborne II and previously known as Friendship 500, the vessel was approximately 187 feet (57 metres) long and operated briefly as one of McDonald's five restaurants at the 1986 exposition. Its floating design was intended to demonstrate a mobile, technologically advanced restaurant concept that could potentially be relocated after the fair. It was also described as the second floating McDonald's location in the world, following an earlier restaurant in St. Louis, Missouri. The vessel was designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and built as part of a group of Expo 86 McDonald's facilities whose combined construction cost was reported as $12 million. McDonald's initially intended to continue operating the barge as a restaurant after the exposition, but the plan did not materialize. It remained at the former Expo grounds until 1991, when the new owner of the site required its removal. The barge was subsequently anchored in Burrard Inlet, north of Burnaby, where it sat unused among industrial vessels and near an oil refinery for almost three decades. During its long period of inactivity, McBarge became a Vancouver-area curiosity and a recurring subject of redevelopment proposals. In 2003, Marvel Entertainment and New Line Cinema rented it as a filming location for the 2004 movie Blade: Trinity. In 2009, owner and Gastown developer Howard Meakin proposed incorporating it into Sturgeon's on the Fraser, a waterfront development in Mission featuring restaurants, a marina, paddlewheeler excursions, and float-plane services. The proposal was rejected amid concerns involving float-plane noise and environmental effects. A separate suggestion to use the vessel as a homeless shelter was made without the owner's participation and did not proceed. McBarge was moved from Burrard Inlet to Maple Ridge, British Columbia, on December 22, 2015. Its owners announced plans for a multimillion-dollar refit, but the proposed redevelopments repeatedly failed to reach operation. In 2017, plans were announced to convert it into a Deep Ocean Discovery Centre in partnership with diving pioneer Phil Nuytten. A crowdfunding launch event was cancelled because of weather concerns. Further reports in 2020 and 2021 described possible conversion into a seafood restaurant, although a final site and government approvals remained unresolved. By late March 2025, the vessel had capsized and partially sunk in the Fraser River at Maple Ridge. Transport Canada reportedly could not locate the current owner during the response. Howard Meakin died in April 2025, shortly after the capsizing was reported. McBarge therefore ended its life not as a revived restaurant or attraction, but as a derelict and partially submerged remnant of Expo 86's experimental hospitality architecture.

McBarge was created as an Expo 86 project in Vancouver, British Columbia. Officially designated Seaborne II and formerly called Friendship 500, it was a 187-foot floating restaurant designed by Robert Allan Ltd. for McDonald's. The vessel formed part of a group of five McDonald's restaurants built for the exposition at a combined reported cost of $12 million. Its location on False Creek and its marine construction were intended to express Expo 86's emphasis on transportation, technology, and future-oriented design. The restaurant opened for the 1986 exposition and was one of the world's earliest floating McDonald's locations. The concept was meant to be more than a temporary fair installation: McDonald's envisioned being able to move the vessel and continue operating it elsewhere once Expo 86 ended. In practice, the restaurant was used only briefly. It remained at the Expo site after the event until the grounds' new owner required McDonald's to remove it in 1991. After leaving False Creek, the vessel was anchored in Burrard Inlet, north of Burnaby, British Columbia. It stayed there empty and increasingly derelict for approximately 24 years. The floating restaurant's unusual appearance made it a local landmark, but its condition and uncertain ownership prevented the planned continuation of restaurant operations. It did receive occasional secondary uses. In 2003, Marvel Entertainment and New Line Cinema used it as a filming location for Blade: Trinity, released in 2004. A number of proposals attempted to give the vessel a new function. In 2009, Howard Meakin, identified as the owner and a Gastown developer, presented Mission city council with a waterfront plan called Sturgeon's on the Fraser. The proposal would have made McBarge the centrepiece of a larger restaurant and marina development with paddlewheeler trips and float-plane connections to Victoria and Nanaimo. Concerns about float-plane noise and environmental effects contributed to the proposal's rejection. Another proposal, made without the owner's interest, suggested adapting the barge as a homeless shelter, but this also did not result in a project. In December 2015, Meakin announced that McBarge would leave Burrard Inlet. It was moved to Maple Ridge on December 22, with a proposed $4.5 million refit and an eventual relocation to an undisclosed destination. In 2017, the owners and Phil Nuytten announced the Deep Ocean Discovery Centre, an attraction intended to repurpose the barge around ocean exploration. A crowdfunding event scheduled for October 21, 2017, was cancelled because of weather concerns, and the attraction did not open. The vessel continued to be associated with unrealized redevelopment plans. Reports in 2020 discussed a seafood restaurant conversion, while a 2021 report said a potential site had been selected but still required government approval. McBarge never returned to active restaurant service or became an operating attraction. By the end of March 2025, it had capsized and partially sunk in the Fraser River at Maple Ridge. Transport Canada was unable to locate the current owner during the incident response. Howard Meakin died in April 2025, shortly afterward. The capsizing marked the latest and most damaging stage in the vessel's long decline from Expo 86 showcase to derelict maritime landmark.

• 2025

  Capsizing and partial sinking

  [1]McBargeen.wikipedia.org

  The vessel capsizes and partially sinks in the Fraser River near Maple Ridge.

• 2017

  Deep Ocean Discovery Centre plan

  [1]McBargeen.wikipedia.org

  Owners announce a proposed ocean-themed attraction with Phil Nuytten, but the launch and crowdfunding event are cancelled.

• 2015

  Relocation to Maple Ridge

  [1]McBargeen.wikipedia.org

  McBarge is moved from Burrard Inlet to Maple Ridge for a proposed refit.

• 2009

  Waterfront redevelopment proposal

  [1]McBargeen.wikipedia.org

  Howard Meakin proposes Sturgeon's on the Fraser, a restaurant and marina complex centred on McBarge.

• 2003

  Used as a film location

  [1]McBargeen.wikipedia.org

  McBarge is rented for filming Blade: Trinity.

• 1991

  Removed from the Expo site

  [1]McBargeen.wikipedia.org

  The vessel leaves the former exposition grounds after the new owner requires McDonald's to remove it and is anchored in Burrard Inlet.

• 1986

  Expo 86 restaurant opens

  [1]McBargeen.wikipedia.org

  McBarge operates as a floating McDonald's restaurant at Expo 86 in Vancouver's False Creek.

An experimental floating McDonald's restaurant and Expo 86 architectural attraction rather than a conventional permanent restaurant location.

• Floating quick-service restaurant · 1986

  McBarge / Seaborne II

  A 187-foot (57-metre) floating McDonald's restaurant designed by Robert Allan Ltd. for Expo 86. It served standard McDonald's fast-food offerings during the exposition and was conceived as a relocatable restaurant facility. After the fair, it ceased active restaurant operations and remained unused for decades.

• 2020

  Proposed seafood restaurant conversionStrategy

  Background

  With earlier redevelopment concepts unrealized, reports described another attempt to give McBarge a commercial hospitality use.

  Action taken

  The owners considered refitting the vessel as a seafood restaurant.

  Aftermath

  No operating location was secured at the time, and the vessel remained inactive.

  Source

• 2017

  Proposed conversion into Deep Ocean Discovery CentreStrategy

  Background

  The owners sought a non-restaurant use that could turn the derelict vessel into a visitor attraction.

  Action taken

  The owners and Phil Nuytten announced plans for an ocean-exploration centre and scheduled a crowdfunding launch.

  Aftermath

  The planned launch event was cancelled because of weather concerns, and the centre never opened.

  Source

• 2015

  Relocation for planned refitStrategy

  Background

  After nearly three decades anchored in Burrard Inlet, the vessel's owners sought to move it for redevelopment.

  Action taken

  McBarge was transported to Maple Ridge, with a proposed $4.5 million refit and a future relocation to an undisclosed site.

  Aftermath

  The refit did not result in a reopened restaurant or confirmed operating attraction.

  Proposed refit cost. $4.5 million (2015 proposal)

  Source

• 1986

  Launch of a floating McDonald's restaurantProduct launch

  Background

  McDonald's used Expo 86 to present a floating restaurant concept combining its quick-service format with marine architecture.

  Action taken

  The company opened McBarge, officially Seaborne II, as one of its exposition restaurants and intended the structure to be reusable after the fair.

  Aftermath

  The restaurant operated only briefly and was not successfully redeployed as an active McDonald's location.

  Source

1. 1McBargeen.wikipedia.org