Train-Troll towboat JOHN BENJAMIN finished photos

[jbvb]

From photos I've seen, when launching shallow-draft river and lake boats into shallow water, they usually went in sideways.  The decaying shipways I recall from mis-spending my youth along the waterfront in Newburyport, MA were basically large partly-squared logs laid perpendicular to the water's edge, with various kinds of cribbing and pilings under them to support them all parallel when the river bank was uneven.  I'd guess the way timbers were maybe 10 feet apart?

[postalkarl]

HI:

By-the-way how was it to build that reart paddle wheel.

Karl