Video of Queen Of The Mississippi

I am not on here to be Nancy Negative...but, is it me or is she horribly top heavy? Seems to me she will hang up on lock walls something fierce. They will probably have to sponson out that hull and put some serious rub rails on her or one of these days she will hang up on the wall while being lowered and make the news in a pretty bad way I fear. Just an observation. Oh and just a suggestion here but, when running her near people at least turn the paddlewheel on so it looks like something.

Other than that, I can say emphatically that there is a new cruise ship on the Mississippi. Another way to see our beautiful inland rivers. I wish them well with their endeavours on the river and know in my heart there is plenty of room for all of us out here! Welcome to the creek!

I don't think the motor is hooked up to the paddle wheel.Look close at the right side of the paddle wheel.

In the video you can see she is just dragging that paddle wheel along.

Nothing worse than a poser boat.

I thought the same thing, Travis, but I'm no expert. To be certified, she had to go through a stability test, so I'm assuming everything is kosher.

Maybe some of the newer folks who worked on the DQ & post on the board never heard a passenger ask---all quite seriously---'can't you turn that thing off, I can't sleep......'! I'm reasonably sure some of us old dogs can remember being asked that question.

Oh well, at least it floats. The AQ gets my money if I can swing it.
-JH

Fer cryin' out load even the DisneyLand "Steamboat" is under power of it's paddlewheel even if is is on a guide below.

Unless things have changed (and thy might have) the Disneyland steamboat is actually powered by her steam-driven wheel--the guy operating it is actually on the main deck just in front of the wheel. Boiler is mostly automatic. They use an infernal combustion engine to run the electrical generator, though at the time they had a steam back-up.
Lookin' at the QofM, it looks like the bracing is designed to support the wheel, not transfer power to the hull.
IMHO, sure is UGLY!

Purely speculation here, but perhaps the hydraulics to the wheel were not hooked up for her delivery trip because the high rate of speed she traveled at (I've seen pictures of her flying) as she passed the Keys would have created pressure on the hydraulic systems. Her AIS doesn't appear to have been activated until she reached New Orleans I think her data there indicates she made 9.9 knots as her top speed. This would explain why the wheel is just spinning with the prop wash. Again just speculation, but I too hope they roll the wheel when cruising on the Mississippi.

Either way, IMHO she is a very ugly, ungainly boat.

Liam