AMERICAN EAGLE

You do that.

I will be waiting.
In 2015 any steam or river boat pics are appreciated!

Lots of pix on Facebook

If you access Facebook, go to the public group Mississippi River Photos. People have been posting shots at the locks today. She'll be here well after dark. I might wander over to Oneida St. in the morning to get some shots.

In Davenport

It arrived at Oneida St. at 9:55 tonight. It looks like the QoM - straight, no sheer or camber.

Judy Patsch;34909 wrote: If you access Facebook, go to the public group Mississippi River Photos. People have been posting shots at the locks today. She'll be here well after dark. I might wander over to Oneida St. in the morning to get some shots.

Well look at that! I didn't know that group existed. Thanks.

AE at 15

The new American Eagle at 15. Sorry but I can only post 1 pix on here. I have 7 on Facebook. Don't know what happened to being able to post 3....

Judy, don't you think they probably have TV coverage for a stern view? My car has a back-up camera, after all we're in the high tech age. Actually if you're "between the sticks" on her Royal Highness your stern view is pretty well blocked by the smoke stack. I'm afraid sheer and camber is a thing of the past, too expensive and not structurally necessary.

Probably true about the cameras, Jim. As far as sheer and camber, Alan Bates argued that not only does it make a boat more beautiful, it helps in may other ways as far as rain water removal goes. There is less rust, less water pooling in areas that would get tracked all over the boat, less work for the crew.

Bob, all that is true, but sheer is expensive...look at the beautiful sheer Alan designed into the NATCHEZ.....yet when they got to the Texas deck straight as an arrow, they were cutting down on expenses. Alan used to "cry" over this and Doc installed the canvas awnings on the bow and stern of the Texas to give it the look of having some sheer.

Sheer and camber on the NATCHEZ9

Jim, I'm not sure what Alan was crying about - there most certainly IS sheer and camber on the Texas Deck! I worked in the Gift Shop 6 summers and we had to position the racks and displays over the camber, and my legs would take some breaking in to my heels being lower than my toes as I stood behind the register. The cabinets' baseboards were cut to fit the sheer, which is quite obvious out near the stern. Both sheer and camber are a necessity in NOLA for the drainage of water, which falls frequently and often in deluges. If the NATCHEZ had a flat deck, she could have a swimming pool! As to the canopies, they were installed in the 1984-85 layup for the purpose of providing more shaded seating areas for the passengers, not to provide sheer. Now when they were designing them, there was a debate as to whether to build them out flat or have them extend the sheer of the roof, and obviously they chose the sheer option. But they weren't added to make sheer where there wasn't any. I defer to you and others about old boats' construction, but I do know the NATCHEZ!

AQ tumble home design

Judy Patsch;34910 wrote: It arrived at Oneida St. at 9:55 tonight. It looks like the QoM - straight, no sheer or camber.

Judy, remember when AMCV in their wisdom designed the AQ with "tumble home" architecture? It created a deck camber that tilted inboard instead of outboard. When heavy rains came the hallways flooded from the forward doors and exterior cabins had water intrusion. Eventually the situation was corrected at lay up. Ironically, a toad- soaking rain in the McDermott yard caused extensive flooding. Capt. Keeton told the powers that were but no results. That whole first season deck hands, after a heavy rain, had to run a huge water vac on all the outer decks to remove standing water. One of the many reason why I jumped at the chance to transfer to the Delta Queen for '97-98-99.

A forgotten tidbit

I had forgotten about that little gem! Thanks for pointing it out. I cannot understand why company execs who have knowledgeable people under them will not listen to them. They always have to go outside the company to find a consultant or expert. And look what you usually get! I can remember on one of my weeklong stints as the Jr. Activities Director on the MQ coming out on deck and splashing through an inch or so of rain water. My first reaction was: this wouldn't be sitting on the DQ's deck!!!! One of the excuses I've heard for the flatness of the MQ was how hard it was to shape the steel - oops, the NATCHEZ was built the same year. She must have had stronger shipyard workers!!!!

You are the expert on the NATCHEZ. True the beautiful sheer goes right up to the skylight roof which the texas sits on, but look at the texas roof which the pilothouse sits on, its flat or so Alan said.
In your posting you pretty much showed explained why they don't put sheer in modern boats when you said "the cabinets baseboard were cut to fit the sheer." Where that might not have been a big deal for the carpenters at the Howard Shipyard, it would be for todays carpenters who are trained that every corner be square and every cut be straight. Can you imagine how expensive it would be to make a bar, say 20 feet long, and have the top level but the base cut to fit the sheer of a steamboat.

NATCHEZ roof

There is camber in the roof, little sheer. I've dropped some stuff when sitting out there and have to run to catch it before going 'overboard'...But I was referring to the flooring when thinking about the Texas Deck....speaking of sheer, I have a window from the PRESIDENT here. Talk about having to make things in nonconforming shapes! I imagine every one of those windows had to be measured as there would have been a different amount of sheer on each!