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Have a Sternwheeler who's
Home Port is on the Kanawha River?
We would love to host
a photo and the history of it here in the River Boat section.
Please email us at Webmaster@gkrn.org
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Admiral
David Haney and his lovely wife Brigid Haney are the proud owners of the
sternwheeler "Fancy Nancy". |
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The Hobby III was originally built by Harry Wilson at Belpre, Ohio, 1977-1985. It was rehauled by JD Pauley and Denny Dawson in 2000. The hull is all steel with 1/4 inch bow and stern with 1/2 inch overlays. Sides and bottom are 3/16 inch. The hull is scow bow with 5 water tight compartments and a 12 x 20 scag in the center. The Hobby has four rudders. The Hobby has a Velvet Drive 72C, 1.15:1 reduction tramission coupled to a V-belt reduction wheel which is coupled to a 6:1 Western reducing gear box and to the paddlewheel with a #160 chain. It has a wooden superstructure with the lower cabin area measuring 12 feet wide by 44 feet long. The boat sleeps four downstairs, two on a pull-out couch and two in the bedroom. The recently renovated 10 foot wide x 23 foot long Pilothouse/Texas cabin also sleeps four. The Hobby has a full bath and a complete kitchen with propane stove. She also has central air and heat. She has a 6.5 Kubota diesel generator and holds 210 gallons of fresh water, 250 gallons of diesel fuel and has a 110 gallon holding tank. The pilothouse is radar equipped and has a Garmin GPS system. Additionally there is a satellite TV hookup in the lower cabin area and the entire boat is protected with a rather sophisticated security system. |
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| The
Rufus B II was built in 1926 at LeClaire, Iowa on the banks of the
Mississippi River, The boats first owner was an attorney by the name
of Carl Lamback, and the original name was The Freddie Boy. She was
built of wood as a pleasure boat, complete with hogging chains and
was gasoline powered. Local legend has it that Attorney Lamback
entertained client Al Capone on board during the Freddie Boy's early years. In 1955 the boat was sold to Bill Molo in Dubuque, Iowa and the name changed to Bart L., Mr Molo died in 1960 and the boat was resold to William Altman in Dubuque and the name was changed to William S. In 1963 Dr. Phillip and Ruth Bettler purchased the boat and changed the name to the Rufus B II. In 1965 the Rufus B II was sent up the Mississippi river to Wabasha, Minnesota and the boat was put on dry dock for 2 years and the boat was renovated from top to bottom, the pilot house was moved forward and raised two-and-a-half feet. A captains cabin was added behind the pilot house. Original drop sash windows were left and the entire outside was recovered with redwood siding. The interior was covered by three-quarter-inch mahogany on the walls and redwood on the ceiling and the hull was changed from wood to steel. The boat has sleeping quarters for six people, one and half baths, galley and salon. During the next 26 years the Bettlers rode the boat over 30,000 miles covering the Mississippi , Tennessee, St.Croix, Ohio Cumberland and Kanawha Rivers. In 1991 the Rufus B II was sold to Lou Wendell Marine Sales in St. Albans, WV, the name remained the same in honor of Mrs Bettler, Dr. Bettler's nickname for his wife was Rufus. The boats appearance has remained the same for the past 44 years. The major change came in the engine room were the motor was changed from a 471 Detroit to a 671 Detroit. The drive was changed to a belt and the wooden spokes on the wheel were changed from wood to 3 inch steel channel. The boat has been to four Tall Stacks in Cincinnati, Ohio over the past few years. The hull is 63 feet long and 18 feet wide, the wheel is 7 1/2 wide and has 13 buckets. |
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| The Juanita was built to replace a wooden hull towboat that also named Juanita.
The 1st one was built in 1928 as the Estell II at Madison Ind. The Estell
II was the second boat in a long line of boats owned by O F Shearer & Sons that stretched from the early 1900's to 1973.The primary duties of the
Juanita were servicing the Shearer landing at Cedar Grove, WV and coal
loading docks on the upper Kanawha River. The Juanita and the rest of the
Shearer operations were sold in 1973 to Indiana & Michigan Power Co. In 1976 their base of operation was moved to Lakin, WV Mile 257.2 Ohio River. We purchased the boat in the 1994 and returned it to the Kanawha River after a nearly twenty year absence. When we purchased the boat it needed extensive renovation
work. There were no living facilities. The bedroom, bathroom, kitchen
and living room area were added. No changes were made to the outside
appearance. The hull has been sandblasted and coated with Coal Tar
epoxy. The paddlewheel was rebuilt and made one foot larger in diameter.
The three steering rudders were replaced with two new rudders. Wheel
- 12' wide x 12' diameter, 12 buckets, 24" dip,
1" oak boards, hexagon shaft |
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The Sea Horse is a wooden 1959 Shrimp Trawler from Swan
Quarter NC. She has been refitted into a pleasure craft with a 671
Detroit, Bathroom, and hot tub on the back. The hull has been
fiber-glassed over and the mast and outriggers re-built shorter to fit under
local river bridges. The main cabin has bench seats and a glass round
table, which converts to sleeping quarters for 2. the Sea Horse has a
42" prop, hydraulic steering, outside shower, air horns, radar, and plenty
of below deck storage.
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