Question.....

[Eddy Matthews]

As a lot of you will know, I tend to like the more unusual types of vessel to model, rather than the "normal" passenger vessels or tugs etc etc.

So I was wondering, has there ever been a paddle dredger, or a paddle powered floating crane, that sort of thing? Not a paddler with a work barge, but one complete vessel....

I've never seen anything like that, but I'm fairly sure the odd one must have existed at some point - Can anyone help please?

Regards
Eddy

[Harold H. Duncan]

 Hi Eddy,
how's about this one?

The vessel in the foreground of the above picture (with the twin smokestacks) is the William M. Black, a paddle wheel steam --powered dredging ship that worked the Mississippi River from 1934 to 1973. It is now part of the National Mississippi River Aquarium and Museum . . . in our opinion a "must see" attraction for any Dubuque visitor. In the middle of the picture is the riverboat Diamond Jo Casino which anchors the southern end of the attractive Mississippi Riverwalk

kiwi

[hucksdad]

Good morning Gents!  I have visited the Wm. Black a couple of times at the Dubuque Ice Harbor and River Museum.  Definitely worth the trip if you are in the area.  Eddy, do a search for Henry Shreve and his Government Snag Boats.  Usually catamaran hulled steamers used to clear snags (sunken trees) from the US inland river system.I'm in a bit of a rush this morning or I would have found a couple of links for you.

David

[Dinosaursoupman]

On the Universtiy of LaCrosse website there are 2 pictures of the Independent of Pittsburgh. I think they are close to what you are looking for, a dredge with integral buckets. Here are the links; http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/WebZ/FETCH?sessionid=01-42799-1526631260&recno=1&resultset=13&format=F&next=html/nffull.html&bad=error/badfetch.html&&entitytoprecno=1&entitycurrecno=1&entityreturnTo=brief and http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/WebZ/FETCH?sessionid=01-42799-1526631260&recno=2&resultset=13&format=F&next=html/nffull.html&bad=error/badfetch.html&&entitytoprecno=2&entitycurrecno=2&entityreturnTo=brief. The first clearly shows the bucket mechanism aboard the vessel while the second shows a barge that looks like it was towed alongside with buckets on it too.

Randy

[Eddy Matthews]

Many thanks for the replies so far.....

I have to admit I'd prefer something that really showed off the machinery, rather than hiding it away under the superstructure if possible....

Just been reading up on Henry Shreve - A fascinating man! Clearing a 200 mile logjam on the Red River must have been a horrendous undertaking, millions of trees to move so the river could be made navigable.

Regards
Eddy

[greateastern]

Hi Eddy,
 It looks as though you haven't yet found your "true love" and I thought since I haven't ponied up some support money, I'd provide you with some suggetions and drawings.
 Somehting a bit different might be the USS Saranac (1847) bark-rigged sidewheeler designed by Wm Webb. Have some good drawings for that one and an article about it..
   The second possibility might be the USS Choctaw, a casemated civil war sidewheeler. Have some drawings and articles to help.
  Does it have to be a paddler? I have some drawings by an engineer named Bentham who created some really novel utility vessels--dredges, camels, --maybe you add paddles??? hahahaha.
  Anyway, let me know if this strikes your fancy.

[Stuart Badger]

Well Eddy - if you want something with machinery showing there is this! I suspect it would have been towed though - but certainly by a paddle steamer as it dates from about 1860.

Stuart

[Eddy Matthews]

Dave,

I think I'd probably lose the will to live if I did a fully rigged sidewheeler - My clumsy fingers and all those masts and rigging definately don't go together!   One of the civil war ironclads could be a possibility - Walter Snowdon keeps suggesting that I should do one of those! And yes, it must be a paddler....

Stuart,

That's getting closer to the sort of thing I was thinking about, but as I said, I'd much prefer a self propelled paddle dredge rather than a towed dredge barge - I'm sure something like that must have existed, I've just got to find it!

Regards
Eddy

[Stuart Badger]

How about this then?  http://www.zazzle.co.uk/budgewoi_lake_paddle_wheel_dredge_postcard-239477483129570440

Stuart

[steamboatmodel]

Hi Eddy,
How about one of these?
A operational model could come in handy at some ponds.
Regards,
Gerald

[Eddy Matthews]

Hmmmm....

Not really sure about building a scale model of one of those weed cutters, far too modern for me!

But I was wondering if it would be possible to make a working weed cutter at model sizes, that would chop off the weed at around 2 feet below the surface - Using paddle drive so as not to have silly screws that get clogged with weed....

We have a real weed problem at our lake, and having something to trundle around and cut it off would be a godsend - It doesn't have to pick up the weed, just cut it, so any budding designers out there that could come up with something that would work?

Regards
Eddy

[greateastern]

you asked for it. Any platform would work--a wooden disc, an old model, etc. You could use a 12 or 18 volt battery powered  drill pointed downward, get a 2 foot rod, tap one end for a bolt, get a 7 inch circular saw blade, mount it to the rod, isolate the rod with a plastic sheve and put it in the drill check, and voila, a  floating-moving inland lake weed cutter [patent pending, of course]. Motive power on disc, model could be anything from a pull line to a steam engine. If the lake is not too wide, pull line could work like the old car/horse ferries with a line on both shores. And no masts, rigging, of fiddly stuff. I would hate for you to loose the will to live.
 Someone was working on that cigar ship--you could turn the center paddle into a weed cutter simply by making the paddle outsized and sharpening the edges. A little cigar-store injun'uity.
   I would have recommended a scuba unit and garden shears, but the shear s are too expensive. 

[Stuart Badger]

Found this old NZ gold dredge - nice and ugly with exposed machinery - AND PADDLES!

Stuart

[Eddy Matthews]

Found this old NZ gold dredge - nice and ugly with exposed machinery - AND PADDLES!

Stuart

Now that's more like it Stuart! Does anyone know any more about this vessel?

It just about ticks all the boxes, ugly but functional, exposed machinery, and paddlewheel propulsion.... Brilliant!

Eddy

[derekwarner_decoy]

Well no PD's...but it is certainly bloody ugly....

I suggest it is a 'chain cutter dredge'.......the FWD A frame would lower the chain cutter arm [complete with cutting buckets] ....& the resultant MUCK would have been deposited into a barge moored to the stern of the dredge

One of the side houses would have covered the chain cutter propulsion.......the other side house for the paddle wheel propulsion system   

Each to his own Eddy....but to me is not even a good example of a 'dogs breakfast'.......... ....Derek