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Museum page

Paddlewheelers
and Sidewheelers

Paddlewheelers were used when there was a combination of a shallow, narrow river and an insufficient road or railway system. Paddlewheelers were constructed following the pattern of Mississippi river boats. The hull was built like a simple row boat, but bigger.

The hull was between three and eight feet deep with a sharp bow and a square stern. The hull was strengthened by many U-shaped wooden ribs, to which the hull planking was attached. Until the 1880's, there were no metal-hulled paddlewheelers. After the 1880's, there were only a few metal-hulled paddlewheelers. The majority of the hulls were between four and five feet deep. If the hull was damaged, water could fill the whole length of the ship, because it didn't contain watertight bulkheads. In later years, some of the hulls of the British Columbia paddlewheelers were built with watertight compartments.

To keep the ship as narrow as possible, the paddle wheel was placed at the rear of the boat, and was as wide as the boat (hence the name sternwheeler). The sidewheeler's engines were placed in the center of the boat, but the engines of the sternwheelers were placed at either end of the main deck.

Sidewheelers were deep enough for two or three deck levels and could carry hundreds of passengers and tonnes of freight. The sidewheelers worked best on water that was not subject to bad storms and high waves. A sidewheeler would partially lose control in deep waves as the paddles rolled in and out of the water. However, sidewheelers were very maneuverable in calm water and these features are needed in crowded harbors, lakes and rivers where agility and speed were required. On these sidewheelers, both paddle wheels usually turned in the same direction. If the boat had to have the ability to turn quickly, it could be built with a disconnect arrangement in the axle system so one paddle could go ahead while the other was stopped. The boat could also be built with one engine controlling each wheel.

The main deck was a very uncomfortable place to spend the trip, because of the heat from the engine and the furnace. If someone could not pay full fare, then this person travelled on the main deck.

When roads or railways were built, the paddlewheelers could not compete economically and eventually disappeared.

Bernie Schaloske, Alan Ross
ALF School 1989