Doing something not Gay - Riverboats!

[Rainbowmum]

Give these links a try ,hope this helps.
I have been in love with these boats since watching the African Queen.

Link 1

Link 2 Australian river boat

Link 3 show boat

Link 4 Free plans

Link 5 heritage museum.

Link 6 Paddle wheel.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

My interest derives because of my conversation I was recently having with Sam (yes Samuel Clemens). Granted this conversation was all in my head, it started off about things in his time and eventually lead to how he derived his pen-name Mark Twain.

And that started me down the path of wondering what an old-time, steam driven Paddle Boat would look like on the inside.

I know how steam works - I used to built 'toy' steam engines, various types from steam turbines to piston steam engines (which no one makes a piston steam engine anymore other than as a toy).

I was still wondering about the workings of a Riverboat on other things, such as what did the passengers and crew eat, where did they deposit stuff they had eaten when they had finished with it, et cetera.

Unfortunately for any of my friends in my head to carry a conversation, I have to know what we are talking about. It would be really great if the Sam in my head actually had all of this data to share with me when I don't know it myself.

And no I'm not really hearing voices - I'm kicking around a story idea or a couple of story ideas and got side tracked into the Paddle Steamers that plied the rivers (which are different in design than the paddle steamers that crossed the oceans).

Why not gay? Well I was being funny. I thought for certain everyone here would immediately think of Show Boat (the musical).

[Nick9]

Doing research for your writing? Great!!
If you don't find what you are looking for on those websites, let us know. Doing research is one of my most favorites pastimes :biggrin:

[monk]

My boyfriend and partner and I invested in a narrow boat (which lives on a river). We are both gay... why is the interest in river boats NOT gay???? is it because boats are referred to as SHE?

Oh, you lucky man - I love narrowboats!

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Well Nick (and others who may also research for writing), I can use more -in a general sort of way.

Deckplans of the old ones (before refrigeration and toilets in every cabin) would be nice to have.

Of course these vessels range in size and depending on the period and the place they were either stately palaces or amounted to barges with cargo space that passed as dormitories. Folk slept with the horses and cows :o.

And folk didn't bathe that often back then. Bath tubs were a new fan-dangled invention that most folk rather not use more than once a month!

I'm cobbling together an idea in my head what they were like. I hope I'm not too far off.

BTW - thanks all, I have been following up on links.

Yes I suppose that the food was brought from offshore, lots of dried food, pickled food and fresh from local towns along the way. Of course no castles with dungeons to store ice, but up and down the Mississippi plenty of root cellars.