Topic starter
10/06/2011 2:15 am
Hello all,
While looking around the internet today, a picture taken last week of the QUEEN OF THE WEST appeared revealing some major modifications made to her stern.
It appears her wheel was majorly reduced in diameter and the fantails were shortened slightly. Also, there appears to be some modification to support the new fantails. This new wheel looks quite small in comparison to the old one.
Does anyone know the scope of these alterations?
In the past I understood the Paddlewheel Lounge was quite noisy owing to her hydraulic motors being so close in proximity to the room. Perhaps the new drive system has alleviated this? I don't see a hydraulic motor in this picture...so I am assuming it is on the starboard side?
Looking forward to hearing some information on the changes!
Here's the link to the picture I found Week in photos
Travis
10/06/2011 4:51 am
Travis,
Hard to tell from that photo, but it doesn't look like there's even a drive to the wheel. Perhaps it is now just gingerbread?
S'
David D.
10/06/2011 6:40 am
Queen of West wheel comparison
What a change indeed! Take a look at the attached photo and see the comparison.
10/06/2011 3:19 pm
Definitely not an improvement in the boat's appearance, in my opinion...
10/06/2011 4:27 pm
Steve Huffman;26268 wrote: Definitely not an improvement in the boat's appearance, in my opinion...
Twain said, "It's a difference of opinion that makes a horse race." I think the new wheel looks much better. The scale of the wheel seems to me to be more in line with the rest of the boat. Also the wheel's construction looks more traditional, but I bet it's not balanced.
I wonder if there has been any change in her speed and handling. A rule of thumb was the greater the diameter of the wheel, the faster the boat would be. The smaller the diameter the more power the boat would have.
10/06/2011 5:39 pm
I agree that the smaller wheel will make the rest of the boat look bigger, but it still seems a bit small. Wonder if it is still hydraulic powered, or faux? Also it usually goes that you can get more speed with less bucket dip (to a point), and more power with deeper dip. The larger the wheel diameter, the better "attack" the buckets have on the water, as they are doing less "pushing down" and "lifting up" upon entering and exiting the water. But I can't tell much difference in the QOW's dip from these photos!
10/06/2011 5:56 pm
I could be wrong, but I don't think that she was built with props for'd of her wheel. Also from the photo, it appears as if the new wheel has three buckets in the water. Three buckets dipping at one time is ideal too. I'm thinking that the wheel looks heavily built, much more so than it would need to be if it was just fake.
10/06/2011 6:58 pm
Right, it's my understanding that the wheel alone has been her propulsion (no conventional propellers or Z drives). With this news about the wheel/fantail rebuild, I just wasn't sure what all they had done! It would seem too costly to have fit her with screws now(?). I agree, the new wheel construction looks heavy enough to be for actual use.
There is an interesting NTSB report about her engine room fire in '08 here:
http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2009/MAR0904.pdf
11/06/2011 3:03 pm
Steve Huffman;26273 wrote: Right, it's my understanding that the wheel alone has been her propulsion (no conventional propellers or Z drives). With this news about the wheel/fantail rebuild, I just wasn't sure what all they had done! It would seem too costly to have fit her with screws now(?). I agree, the new wheel construction looks heavy enough to be for actual use.
There is an interesting NTSB report about her engine room fire in '08 here:
http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2009/MAR0904.pdf
For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure the wheel on the Empress of the North does not drive the boat.
Paul