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The Volunteer (canal boat)

Field	Value
section1	{{Infobox ship/image
image	Lasallecanalboat1.jpg
image_caption	The Volunteer moored on the Illinois and Michigan Canal at LaSalle, Illinois
section2	{{Infobox ship/career
name	The Volunteer
owner	Canal Corridor Association
registry	LaSalle, Illinois, United States
builder	Scarano Boat Builders, Albany, New York
original_cost	$993,840
yard_number	CCA4108
completed	2008
identification	VIN: 1212447
section3	{{Infobox ship/characteristics
type	Passenger canal boat
tonnage
length	76.3 ft
beam	15.5 ft
draft	5.8 ft
notes

The Volunteer is a 76 ft replica of a 19th-century canal boat which is owned and operated by the Canal Corridor Association. The Volunteer operates on a restored section of the Illinois and Michigan Canal at LaSalle, Illinois, United States.

Construction

The boat was built in Albany, New York, by Scarano Boat Builders at a cost of $993,840. The Volunteer was designed to resemble an original canal boat; however, the hull of The Volunteer is constructed out of aluminum and the upper portion is built of rot resistant white cedar. The use of these non-traditional materials was intended to help make the boat easy to maintain and increase the vessel's life.

The boat ride

The Volunteer takes up to 70 passengers on hour-long round trip journeys on a restored segment of the 96 mi Illinois and Michigan Canal. While headed east from its dock at Lock 14, The Volunteer is pulled by one of two mules named "Moe" and "Larry" that walk along the adjacent towpath. The captain steers the boat by hand with the large wooden rudder at the back of the boat. Along the way an interpreter, dressed in period clothing, explains to passengers the history of the canal and what travel was like in the year 1848. Once the boat reaches the Little Vermilion River aqueduct, the mules are detached and the boat reverses using its twin 4-horsepower electric motors.

References

[https://archive.today/20120805150343/http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/NDC/veslchar/veslcharsearch.htm Vessel ID 1212447].
United States Coast Guard PSIX. [http://cgmix.uscg.mil/PSIX/PSIXDetails.aspx?VesselID=934696 The Volunteer].
Stanley, Charles. (June 27, 2008). "'Dreamboat' christened Replica canal boat officially goes into service". The Times Company / Moline Dispatch Publishing Company, LLC.
Hopkins, Catherine. (June 29, 2008 ). "Replica canal boat ushers in old era". GateHouse Media.
(February 29, 2008). "La Salle canal boat only half built; tours already being booked". The Times Company / Moline Dispatch Publishing Company, LLC.
(September 25, 2007). "La Salle: Boat bid accepted". The Times Company / Moline Dispatch Publishing Company, LLC.
Stanley, Charles. (March 3, 2008). "Highway trip first voyage for canal boat". The Times Company / Moline Dispatch Publishing Company, LLC.
Rackl, Lori. (July 9, 2008). "Canal leads to yesterday". Chicago Sun-Times.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

replica-ships tourist-attractions-in-lasalle-county,-illinois 2008-ships canals-in-illinois

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