Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittney And Ryan Stirpe.
Hi Brittney and Ryan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The Conroe Ice Cream Boat began in 2023 on a warm summer day. We were sitting at one of the lakeside parks, talking about how fun it would be if an ice cream truck pulled up so we could have something cold and refreshing. At almost the same time as each other, we looked out at the water and said, “what if it was a boat that came up to the shore?” Some quick research showed this idea has been done in other states, but not on a large scale in Texas, so we immediately got to work. We bought a boat and freezers, found local vendors and made our dream of The Original Conroe Ice Cream Boat a reality.
“One of our most important goals for The Conroe Ice Cream Boat is to help people forget all of their troubles and enjoy a moment of fun with friends and family.” said Brittney Stirpe, Owner of The Conroe Ice Cream Boat. “Seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter of the people we meet throughout the summer makes all of the hard work worth it.”
We are now heading into our third year on Lake Conroe and couldn’t be more excited to be back out on the water for the 2026 summer season. In 2025, we were voted the Best Food Truck in Conroe by Community Votes – Conroe, an award we are honored and humbled by, and one that we look to repeat as winners of in 2026!
“As a small business, we want to promote other small businesses as much as we can.” Said Ryan Stirpe, Owner of The Conroe Ice Cream Boat. “We work with local vendors to provide our ice cream, beef jerky, popcorn, and are introducing pickle packs this summer”
Since we’ve been on the water, it has been a couple years of trial and error to figure out what works, from how to best display the flags to our sound system and everything in between. We continue to shift our product offerings so we can appeal to a larger group of customers on the lake and now offer snack foods and sodas for fishers and boaters as well as ice cream flavors for a wide range of tastes with dietary restrictions considered. We want to appeal to everyone, so we carry sugar free, gluten free, and dairy free options so everyone can find something to enjoy on The Conroe Ice Cream Boat!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There was a lot of behind-the-scenes work getting the boat initially set up and approved to get out on the water. Because it was such a new concept in Texas, we had to work with banks, insurance providers, state and local agencies to identify what we were and figure out how to license us. We are a food truck, but we are also not a food truck, so we had to work together to define the concept in order to move forward. After about eight months of tireless work and lots of back and forth, we got it done.
Then came the challenge of making sure the boat is properly balanced and safe while we are out on the water. We removed the seats and installed the freezers and generators in such a way that the boat remains steady in any weather so we, as well as our customers, are always safe.
On a daily basis, our biggest obstacle is the shifting and unpredictable wind and rain patterns that Houston is very familiar with. We have about five weather and wind apps that we are constantly monitoring because rain is our biggest enemy and would ruin the freezers and our chance to deliver ice cream to our customers. Some days are far more challenging than others, so on those days, we stick to the quieter and calmer coves as much as we can. However, we do our best to be on the water as much as possible.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The basic concept of The Conroe Ice Cream Boat is an ice cream truck on the water. We operate on a 20-foot pink and blue pontoon boat, playing traditional ice cream truck tunes from 4 large speakers, so you can’t miss us. We carry 26 flavors of ice cream with snacks and soda from local vendors, and are the only Ice Cream Boat operating in this capacity in the state of Texas, making this adventure all the more special to us and an experience that we love to share with our customers and visitors of Lake Conroe.
The Conroe Ice Cream Boat is available for lakefront gatherings including birthdays, weddings, corporate events, neighborhood gatherings, or reunions. We do not charge any additional booking fees, so reserving a time is easy, affordable, and fun. The boat is also equipped with a live tracker so people can follow us throughout the day and know when we are close to them by going to ConroeIceCreamBoat.com.
We are a small business based out of Montgomery County and want to support other businesses in Montgomery and Harris Counties as much as we can. Every one of our vendors and suppliers is local and we go so far as to use only Igloo coolers because they are based in Houston. We operate on weekends from April through the end of September, making our rounds. We go to all the local spots on the lake, from the North to the South, including Ayers Island, East Beach, and Party Cove as well as all the nooks and crannies in the coves that make Lake Conroe so unique.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
When we were in the planning stages, we kept the number of people who knew about the boat very small. Then came the day when all the planning was done and we were ready to bring it to the public and make the announcement that we were coming to Lake Conroe that first summer. The nerves and anxiety were almost too much to handle as we posted our first social media announcement. Then we sat and waited for the response.
When the city did respond, it was with a flood of love and support for the concept. We have been blown away by the amount of support and encouragement we received from the city since that first post, and continue to have days when we are overwhelmed by how lucky and blessed we feel bringing The Conroe Ice Cream Boat to everyone we meet. Every weekend, when we are on the water, is met with smiles and joy, making us wish that we could do this year-round. That support and enthusiasm is what we love the most about this city.
If we had to pick something to not like, it’s the unpredictable weather that makes some of our days more of an adventure than we would like!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.conroeicecreamboat.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conroeicecreamboat/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093481775098
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Conroeicecreamboat
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@conroeicecreamboat?_t=8ilOYQMtX2t&_r=1
Image Credits
Photo Credit to Brittney and Ryan Stirpe
