Recent photos of the President

Darin,
Thanks for the PRESIDENT photos. Looks like she has been moored (poorly) amongst some empty barges with raked ends, or has been hit by a loose barge!

What shape's the hull in?

That was the major excuse for pulling her from the casino business - the amount of work needed on her hull. I remember Gary Frommelt telling me several years ago that it would be a million just to keep her afloat and about 4 mil to keep her casinoworthy. And you can imagine what 7 years of sitting and inattention have done to it. To sum up: it wouldn't be surprising to hear a glug glug ending to her.

It's a busy shipyard, so it could have been that things have hit the boat. It might be that the boat was damaged before it was brought to Wood River. I'm not sure. Incidently, the American Queen was moored just ahead of the President last year, during it's idle year. So, at this time last year, it might have been possible to see two boats at that stretch of the river. The President is the only thing interesting there now.

The boat has languished there for years. The way she has been moored (near empty rakes) and as Darin said the busy-ness of the place has done a lot of damage. I think some had been inflicted prior to her arrival in Wood River; the boat was tied up in the YAzoo River above Vicksburg for several years, and was less well watched and less well taken care of there than now. Lasr time I was on her (4 months ago???) it was a sad sight indeed.

I'm sorry, I really just don't understand why the current owners won't just give this vessel away. At least let some city or organization willing to try and put her to use have the ship.

The owner's plans were to cut her in pieces, transport her over land and rebuild her as a hotel. I haven't heard from the owner for a while now, so I have no information about whether he's still sticking with this idea.

The current owners have a business plan that they are working through. This ownership group doesn't intend to just leave the boat there to rot. In their grand plan, the boat will be dismantled, transported to a landlocked lake in St. Elmo, IL, where it will be reassembled. Following that, they will convert the boat into a hotel. One of the owners showed a group of us the blueprints and we heard about their plans. I don't think much of their plans. If the boat survives the transport to the lake, it will still be an uphill battle to get the rest done.

As for the "giving away" thought, the recent history of boats being given away hasn't worked out so well. See the stories about the Goldenrod, in this very same section of the forum. Even when people don't pay for the boats, they often suffer. Various reasons include money, lack of a plan, and sometimes lack of interest.

Which is why we are so adamant about saving the Delta Queen's exemption. If she isn't running, earning a living we fear the same fate for her. Few steamboats survive "preservation."
S'
David D.