NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Riverboat

A riverboat is a specialized watercraft (vessel) designed for operating on inland waterways. While a ferryboat is often used to cross a river, a riverboat is used to traverse it, while carrying passengers and cargo, or both, for revenue. ("Riverboat casinos" are not considered here as they are essentially stationary). The Pride of Burgundy, a P&O Ferries car ferry on the Dover-Calais route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and possibly their vehicles, on a relatively short-distance, regularly-scheduled service. ... A Riverboat casino is a type of casino unique to several areas of the United States. ...

Rivers present special hazards to vessels. They usually have varying water flows that alternately lead to high speed water flows or protruding rock hazards. Changing siltation patterns may cause the sudden appearance of shoal waters, and often floating or sunken logs and trees (called snags) can endanger the hulls and propulsion of riverboats. Riverboats are generally of shallow draft, being broad of beam and rather square in plan, with a low freeboard and high topsides. Riverboats can survive with this type of configuration as they do not have to survive the high winds or large waves that are seen on large lakes, seas or oceans. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1736x877, 254 KB)Model of a stern wheel river boat at the San Francisco Maritime Museum. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1736x877, 254 KB)Model of a stern wheel river boat at the San Francisco Maritime Museum. ...

In most nations, riverboats are tourist attractions. In a few countries, such as China, riverboats provide authentic passenger and cargo transport — something a traveler (as opposed to a tourist) would consider for transport.

The riverine cargo carrying tasks once assigned to riverboats are now largely handled by barges, tied together, and pushed by a towboat. Self propelled barge carrying bulk crushed stone A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. ... The towboat Angelina pushes a barge in New Orleans. ...

Early riverboats in China on the Yangtze River were hauled upstream by crews of towmen pulling ropes. In the sheer canyons of the Three Gorges the towmen used paths carved into sheer cliffs or struggled through streambeds in places of low water. The Yangtze River or Chang Jiang (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), or Drichu in Tibetan (Tibetan: à½ à½–à¾²à½²à¼‹à½†à½´à¼‹; Wylie: bri chu) is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon in South America. ... The Three Gorges (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: [ ]) region is a scenic area along the Yangtze River in the Peoples Republic of China with a total length of approximately 200 km. ...

The most famous early riverboats were on the rivers of the midwestern and central southern United States, on the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri rivers in the early 19th century. It is these early steam driven river craft that typically come to mind when "steamboat" is mentioned, as these were powered by burning wood, with iron boilers drafted by a pair of tall smokestacks belching smoke and cinders, and twin double acting pistons driving a large paddlewheel at the stern churning foam. This type of propulsion was an advantage as a rear paddlewheel operates in an area clear of snags, is easily repaired, and is not likely to suffer damage in a grounding, while by burning wood, the boat could consume fuel provided by woodcutters along the shore of the river. These early boats would carry a brow (a short bridge) on the bow, so they could head in to an unimproved shore for transfer of cargo and passengers. The Midwest is a common name for a region of the United States of America. ... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest named river in North America, with a length of 2320 miles (3733 km) from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico. ... Cincinnati, Ohio is a well known city along the Ohio River, historically known for its riverboats. ... The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the United States. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Paddle steamers â€” Lucerne, Switzerland. ...

Modern riverboats are generally screw (propeller) driven, with pairs of diesel engines of several thousand horsepower. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Modern Riverboats

Tourist transport

Tourist boats such as the MV Splendid China, pictured below, are capable of meeting the "four star" requirements for hotels except for the necessarily smaller size of the staterooms. Tourist boats provide a scenic and relaxing trip through the segment they operate in.

Download high resolution version (996x490, 85 KB)M.V. Splendid China on the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) river. ... Download high resolution version (1085x769, 119 KB)Luxury tourist riverboat on the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) river. ...

High speed passenger transport

High speed boats such as those shown here had a special advantage in some operations in the free running Yangze. In several locations within the three gorges one way travel was enforced through fast narrows. While less maneuverable and deeper draft vessels were obliged to wait for clearance these high speed boats were free to zip past waiting traffic by running in the shallows.

The Three Gorges (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: [ ]) region is a scenic area along the Yangtze River in the Peoples Republic of China with a total length of approximately 200 km. ...

A Musto Skiff, planing on a fast reach A planing boats hull skims across the surface of the water rather than pushing through the water in the way a traditional displacement hull works. ... The Jetfoil Toppi is a ferry which connects Yakushima, Tanegashima Island and Kagoshima port in Japan. ... A speedy passenger craft planes over a glassy section of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) river. ... Meteor hydrofoil on the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) river. ...

Low cost passenger transport

The transport craft shown is used for short distance carriage of passengers between villages and small cities along the river. Local river transport on the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) river. ... Local river transport on the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) river. ...

Larger craft are used for low cost carriage over longer distance, without the fancy food or shows seen on the tourist riverboats. In some cases the traveller must provide their own food.

Goods transport

Multimodal

Roads through this region are inadequate for heavy truck transport and roads along the river are extremely dangerous. As the major rivers are mostly east-west, most railroad transport is typically north-south. Cargo transport riverboat carrying laden trucks in the Three Gorges area of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) river. ... Cargo transport riverboat carrying laden trucks in the Three Gorges area of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) river. ...

Here, a drive/on drive/off ramp barge is used to transport trucks. In many cases the trucks transported are new and are being delivered to customers or dealers. Perhaps unique to China, the new trucks observed traveling upstream were all blue, while the new trucks traveling downstream were all white.

Bulk cargo

Low value goods are transported on rivers and canals worldwide, since slow speed barge traffic offers the lowest possible cost per ton mile and the capital cost per ton carried is also quite low compared to other modes of transport Download high resolution version (900x349, 63 KB)Self propelled barge on the Yangtze river upstream from Wuhan. ... Download high resolution version (900x349, 63 KB)Self propelled barge on the Yangtze river upstream from Wuhan. ...

History

Terrace, British Columbia, Canada, celebrates "Riverboat Days" each summer. The Skeena River passes through Terrace and played a crucial role during the age of the steamboat. The first steam-powered vessel to enter the Skeena was the Union in 1864. In 1866 the Mumford attempted to ascend the river but was only able to reach the Kitsumkalum River. It was not until 1891 that the Hudson's Bay Company sternwheeler the Caledonia successfully negotiated through the Kitselas Canyon and reached Hazelton. A number of other steamers were built around the turn of the century, in part due to the growing fish industry and the gold rush.^[1] Image File history File links Sternwheeler_Inlander. ... Image File history File links Sternwheeler_Inlander. ... The Skeena River is on the north coast of British Columbia, passing through Terrace. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Mayor Jack Talstra Councillors Lynne Christiansen Marylin Davies Brian Downie Carol Leclerc Rich McDaniel Brad Pollard Land area 42. ... The Skeena River is on the north coast of British Columbia, passing through Terrace. ... Paddle steamers â€” Lucerne, Switzerland. ... The Bulkley River (left) flowing into the Skeena River (right) near Ksan Ksan Historical Village // Hazelton is a small town located at the junction of the Bulkley and Skeena Rivers in northern British Columbia, Canada. ... Salmon for sale at a fish market. ... A California Gold Rush handbill A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of gold. ...

WT Preston, a museum ship that was once a specialized river dredge, also called a "snagboat." The W.T. Preston is a specialized paddle steamer that operated as a river dredger, otherwise known as a snagboat, removing log jams and natural debris that prevented river navigation on several Puget Sound-area rivers, including the Skagit, Stillaguamish, and Snohomish rivers. ... // For other uses, see Dredge (disambiguation). ...

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