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26-600: The Edmonton Riverboat , formerly known as the Edmonton Queen , is a riverboat on the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The riverboat originally started to sail on the river under the name Edmonton Queen in 1995 and has become a unique Edmonton attraction. The Edmonton Riverboat is 52 metres long and configured to carry 399 passengers as of 2020. The Edmonton Riverboat primary operates during

52-794: A crucial role during the age of the steamboat. The first steam-powered vessel to enter the Skeena was the Union in 1864. In 1866 the Mumford attempted to ascend the river but was only able to reach the Kitsumkalum River . It was not until 1891 that the Hudson's Bay Company sternwheeler the Caledonia successfully negotiated through the Kitselas Canyon and reached Hazelton . A number of other steamers were built around

78-401: A pair of tall smokestacks belching smoke and cinders, and twin double-acting pistons driving a large paddlewheel at the stern, churning foam. This type of propulsion was an advantage as a rear paddlewheel operates in an area clear of snags, is easily repaired, and is not likely to suffer damage in a grounding. By burning wood, the boat could consume fuel provided by woodcutters along the shore of

104-573: Is also quite low compared to other modes of transport. Raft A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull . Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood , sealed barrels , or inflated air chambers (such as pontoons ), and are typically not propelled by an engine. Rafts are an ancient mode of transport; naturally-occurring rafts such as entwined vegetation and pieces of wood have been used to traverse water since

130-627: Is known as water taxi in English-speaking countries, vaporetto in Venice, water/river tramway in former Soviet Union and Poland (although sightseeing boats can be called water tramways too). Local waterborne public transport is similar to ferry. The transport craft shown below is used for short-distance carriage of passengers between villages and small cities along the Yangtze, while larger craft are used for low-cost carriage over longer distance, without

156-686: The Colorado , Columbia , and Sacramento rivers. These American riverboats were designed to draw very little water, and in fact it was commonly said that they could "navigate on a heavy dew". Australia has a history of riverboats. Australia's biggest river, the Murray , has an inland port called Echuca . Many large riverboats were working on the Murray, but now a lower water level is stopping them. The Kalgan River in Western Australia has had two main riverboats,

182-506: The Silver Star , 1918 to 1935, would lower her funnel to get under the low bridge. Today, the Kalgan Queen riverboat takes tourists up the river to taste the local wines. She lowers her roof to get under the same bridge. It is these early steam-driven river craft that typically come to mind when " steamboat " is mentioned, as these were powered by burning wood, with iron boilers drafted by

208-627: The Three Gorges , one-way travel was enforced through fast narrows . While less maneuverable and deeper draft vessels were obliged to wait for clearance, these high-speed boats were free to zip past waiting traffic by running in the shallows. Smaller riverboats are used in urban and suburban areas for sightseeing and public transport. Sightseeing boats can be found in Amsterdam, Paris, and other touristic cities where historical monuments are located near water. The concept of local waterborn public transport

234-460: The logging industry for the transportation of logs, by tying them together into rafts and drifting or pulling them down a river. This method was very common up until the middle of the 20th century but is now used only rarely. Large rafts made of balsa logs and using sails for navigation were important in maritime trade on the Pacific Ocean coast of South America from pre-Columbian times until

260-559: The 19th century. Voyages were made to locations as far away as Mexico, and many trans-Pacific voyages using replicas of ancient rafts have been undertaken to demonstrate possible contacts between South America and Polynesia . The type of raft used for recreational rafting is almost exclusively an inflatable raft , manufactured of flexible materials for use on whitewater . In biology , particularly in island biogeography , non-manmade rafts are an important concept. Such rafts consist of matted clumps of vegetation that has been swept off

286-507: The Middle Ages, towpaths were built along most waterways to use working animals or people to pull riverboats. In the 19th century, steamboats became common. The most famous riverboats were on the rivers of the midwestern and central southern United States , on the Mississippi , Ohio and Missouri rivers in the early 19th century. Out west, riverboats were common transportation on

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312-505: The Mississippi River that could operate in water under two metres deep. While a ferry is often used to cross a river, a riverboat is used to travel along the course of the river, while carrying passengers or cargo, or both, for revenue. (Vessels like ' riverboat casinos ' are not considered here, as they are essentially stationary.) The significance of riverboats is dependent on the number of navigable rivers and channels as well as

338-566: The North Saskatchewan River on 4 May 1995. In April 2016, the boat was sold in auction for $ 553,000 and underwent renovations, upgrades, and a change in name to Edmonton Riverboat . The Edmonton Riverboat has had a number of grounding and weather incidents throughout its history. In July 2019, the boat became lodged on a sandbar . The 300 passengers on board were rescued by the Edmonton Fire Department . In April 2020,

364-484: The Yangtze River, typically employees have double duties: both as serving staff and as evening-costumed dancers. Smaller luxury craft (without entertainment) operate on European waterways - both rivers and canals, with some providing bicycle and van side trips to smaller villages. High-speed boats such as those shown here had a special advantage in some operations in the free-running Yangtze. In several locations within

390-658: The boat was damaged after its hull was punctured by one of the underwater concrete pilings at dock due to rapid water level fluctuations from the spring thaw . In June 2020, the riverboat was dry-docked in Whitemud Park for repairs, which were completed in July 2022. In May 2024, the boat was sold to two local couples for an undisclosed amount. Riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes , rivers , and artificial waterways . They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of

416-532: The carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for entertainment enterprises, such as lake or harbour tour boats . As larger water craft, virtually all riverboats are especially designed and constructed, or alternatively, constructed with special-purpose features that optimize them as riverine or lake service craft, for instance, dredgers , survey boats, fisheries management craft, fireboats and law enforcement patrol craft. Riverboats are usually less sturdy than ships built for

442-637: The city, but would refuse to release the vessel, claiming he was owed $ 1.35-million. The riverboat was a lifelong dream of Edmonton businessmen Ray Collins who formed the North Saskatchewan Riverboat Company and prepared the boat. The North Saskatchewan Riverboat Company would fail before launching the Edmonton Queen, and the riverboat was subsequently sold to the development corporation Carrington Properties for CA$ 500,000 in early 1995. The Edmonton Queen would eventually be launched on

468-423: The condition of the road and rail network. Generally speaking, riverboats provide slow but cheap transport especially suited for bulk cargo and containers . As early as 20,000 BC people started fishing in rivers and lakes using rafts and dugouts . Roman sources dated 50 BC mention extensive transportation of goods and people on the river Rhine . Upstream, boats were usually powered by sails or oars . In

494-401: The dawn of humanity. Traditional or primitive rafts were constructed of wood, bamboo or reeds ; early buoyed or float rafts use inflated animal skins or sealed clay pots which are lashed together. Modern float rafts may also use pontoons , drums , or extruded polystyrene blocks. Depending on its use and size, it may have a superstructure , masts, or rudders. Timber rafting is used by

520-592: The dry land by a storm , tsunami , tide , earthquake or similar event; in modern times they sometimes also incorporate other kind of flotsam and jetsam , e.g. plastic containers. They stay afloat by its natural buoyancy and can travel for hundreds, even thousands of miles and are ultimately destroyed by wave action and decomposition , or make landfall. Rafting events are important means of oceanic dispersal for non-flying animals. For amphibians , reptiles , and small mammals , in particular, but for many invertebrates as well, such rafts of vegetation were often

546-453: The fancy food or shows seen on the tourist riverboats. In some cases, the traveller must provide their own food. As the major rivers in China are mostly east-west, most rail and road transport are typically north-south. As roads along the rivers are inadequate for heavy truck transport and in some cases extremely dangerous, drive-on/drive-off ramp barges are used to transport trucks. In many cases

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572-419: The open seas, with limited navigational and rescue equipment, as they do not have to withstand the high winds or large waves characteristic to large lakes, seas or oceans. They can thus be built from light composite materials. They are limited in size by width and depth of the river as well as the height of bridges spanning the river. They can be designed with shallow drafts, as were the paddle wheel steamers on

598-579: The river. These early boats carried a brow (a short bridge) on the bow, so they could head in to an unimproved shore for transfer of cargo and passengers. Modern riverboats are generally screw (propeller) -driven, with pairs of diesel engines of several thousand horsepower. The standard reference for the development of the steamboat is Steamboats on Western Rivers: An Economic and Technological History by Louis C. Hunter (1949). Terrace, British Columbia , Canada, celebrates "Riverboat Days" each summer. The Skeena River passes through Terrace and played

624-406: The summer months as the cold weather, variable river levels and the North Saskatchewan River is often iced-over throughout the winter. On 2 April 1992, Edmonton Mayor Jan Reimer would announce a CA$ 3.4-million venture partially funded by the federal and provincial government to build a dock for the proposed Edmonton Riverboat. Edmonton builder Scott Steel would construct the riverboat within

650-400: The trucks transported are new and are being delivered to customers or dealers. Perhaps unique to China, the new trucks observed traveling upstream were all blue, while the new trucks traveling downstream were all white. Low-value goods are transported on rivers and canals worldwide, since slow-speed barge traffic offers the lowest possible cost per ton mile and the capital cost per ton carried

676-413: The turn of the century, in part due to the growing fish industry and the gold rush . The WT Preston , a museum ship that was once a specialised river dredge , also called a "snagboat". Some large riverboats are comparable in accommodation, food service, and entertainment to a modern oceanic cruise ship . Tourist boats provide a scenic and relaxing trip through the segment they operate in. On

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