The T. D. Vinette Company, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin designed and constructed the S/V Steelhead in 1967. 
It was constructed for the Department of Natural Resources for the purpose of sampling fisheries and deepwater habitats of the Great Lakes. It has operated out of the Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station since 1968. The S/V Steelhead is classified as a commercial trawler. It is 62.5 feet long, 16.3 feet in beam width, and has a draft of 6.0 feet. Its hull is welded-steel plate, with 3/8 inch forward and 3/16 inch amidships and aft and has a displacement weight of 70 tons. The deck is steel and the superstructure is aluminum. It has twin, V-6, 380 horsepower Cummins diesel engines and a maximum running speed of 10.5 knots (12mph). The S/V Steelhead, the only one of the four State research vessels that uses on-board crew accommodations, has five berths. There is a galley with refrigerator, stove/oven, microwave, sink with heated water, and small table. There is also a small shower and an electric toilet. The S/V Steelhead operates from March through December, mainly in Lake Michigan although occasionally assisting on other Great Lakes projects.
Safety equipment includes fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, flares, bilge pump, alarm bells for pressure and heat in the engine room, and an engine room automatic fire suppression system. The vessel is equipped with EPIRB (an emergency locator beacon), meteorological equipment and a marine radio to determine weather conditions, and navigational aids including radar, Loran, GPS, chart plotter, depth sounder, autopilot, and computer-aided charting system. The vessel was designed for fishing both gill nets and trawls - sampling gear appropriate for use in deep water habitats - and also provides an excellent platform for use of most habitat sampling gear, including sonar, cameras, and dredges. An enclosed heated laboratory / sample work-up area is located just forward of the rear net lifting area.
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