Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

[knobby]

Just wondering if any of you ever worked on a river boat? I had a job on the Mississippi River one year for ADM as a deckhand. A great job for a young'un. Beautiful scenery, 12 on 12 off 30 days at a time. New Orleans to Cape G. and back.

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

Neat-O!.... As in a Paddle wheeler, or a push boat running barges? Heck either one would be cool..

 

[knobby]

Re: Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

Pushing barges, 3 wide 7 long - slow up, fast back. 4-5 stops along the way. Nothing else like it, strickly for young guys, winching lines between barges gets old fast. Constantly painting, but a brotherhood of great guys.

 

[Jack Shellac]

Re: Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

My father was the captain of a riverboat for many years as were several cousins. Good people who treated each other right. I only worked summers, but it was a good experience. One of my cousins had a teenager who was starting to fool with drugs. They put him on one of the boats and would switch him off to another relative's boat before they went into port. That kid didn't set foot on dry land for months. It worked and he later became a captain himself. We were on the Tombigbee and Black Warrior rivers in Alabama. As a kid, I remember seeing the last steam powered stern wheeler still in regular cargo use. The Sylph. I still remeber what it looked like with a head of steam up and that wheel churning the water.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

Talking about the Tombigbee, look here.<br />If you were in the loop at the time, you probally heard about it.<br /> http://www.onr.com/user/rleo/More/towboat.htm <br /><br />I was a "Master" for 3 year before I had a medical reason, detached retinas, take me out.<br />Just did local stuff with coal barges, but it could get hairy in high water.

 

[bubbakat]

Re: Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

I always wanted to work on a river boat but never did chase that dream

 

[Jack Shellac]

Re: Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

Thanks for the link, SBN. I remember this incident, but never knew the whole story. The boat names are familiar, with the Cathy Parker being the boat of a family friend, Capt. Tim Parker. The rivers are tough when they're up as high as they were at the time. Have been across and under the Rooster Bridge at Demopolis many times.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

I work on a river boat in Grand Canyon. I guide white water trips through the canyon. A different kind of boat than your talking about probably.

 

[John Carpenter]

Re: Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

I went to work as a deckhand the summer after high school...turned 18 on the river. We pushed crude oil on the Ohio & ran from Mt. Vernon where the Wabash River comes in, to Catlettsburg & up the Big Sandy to pump off. Nine days running upstream loaded and three days coming back unloaded. It was a great experience really...although I would not let my kids do it...too dangerous. If you are going to work on the river, you need to either be in the wheelhouse or the engine room.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

Cool on the Ohio to Catlettsburg and to Ashland Oil.<br />That's where I live and know where you went.<br />I pushed coal barges up and back that same Big Sandy river.<br />The E.W.Thompson was my boat.

 

[John Carpenter]

Re: Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

You nailed that one SBN...I was on the Walter G. Hougland...rode that sucker for almost 90 days straight and got paid double for every day after the first 20...doubt they would let you do that now. I worked square watch for the first couple of weeks and then call watch after that. I think the river boat is where I developed my distaste for scraping and painting....if you are not doing anything else, you will be doing that.<br /><br />Ever get over to Kentucky Lake?

 

[Link]

Re: Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

Great post knobby!<br /><br />Jack Shellac: Great Story!! Should be in the good news section <br /><br />Spinner thanks for the link... alway wanted to read the whole story. I only had the FWD:FWD:FWD: email version of it.<br /> <br /><br />Forgot to add. Nope never worked on one but did take a river boat tour while in New Or'Leans back in the late 80's on the Muddy MissSipie (paddle wheel)

 

[JasonB]

Re: Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

SBN, My dad was a TB Master and ran that area quite a bit out of Paducah and up to Chester Il. His main ride was the Sunflower. Man that boat was huge compared to the one he ran when he was closer to home on the TN river. He also spent a lot of time on the Redwood, The Miss KD, and I think. his first boat was the James F. Hunter. After he left it, I think it sank in Cairo, IL under the bridge, but that was back in the 70's. Which company did you work for?

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Anybody ever work on a riverboat?

JasonB, I worked for McGinnis INC. in South Point, Oh. across from Merdie Boggs in Catlettsburg, Ky.