Design project takes paddle-wheeler back to the future
High Tech H.S. student updates steamboat for use by maritime group
BY ANUM AZAM
Correspondent

Rik van Hemmen and Caitlin Bogdan look over her design for an updated paddle-wheeler like the ones that once were a familiar sight on the Navesink River. Bogdan designed a modern version of the steamboat (above) while she was an intern at Martin, Ottaway, van Hemmen & Dolan, Red Bank.

Caitlin Bogdan, steamboat designer and aspiring engineer, has a seafaring dream.

While interning last spring at Martin, Ottaway, van Hemmen & Dolan Inc., a Red Bank maritime consulting firm, Neptune resident and recent High Technology High School graduate, Bogdan designed a replica paddle steamer like the ones that once plied the waterways of eastern Monmouth County.

"Back in the 1800s, the ocean highway was actually on the ocean.

Paddle-wheelers went out of Long Branch, Red Bank and a few other ports in Shrewsbury and on the Navesink River," said Bogdan of the historical significance of the project, which she undertook at the behest of the Navesink Maritime Heritage Association (NMHA).

"The idea was to create a paddle-wheeler that looked like those from the era, but also served as a headquarters for the NMHA, and as such it had to have offices, classroom space, meeting space and enough room to allow for party-like events," she said.

PHOTOSBYMIGUEL JUAREZ staff

The NMHA is a nonprofit educational organization formed for the purpose of promoting appreciation and preservation of the Navesink River communities' maritime heritage, including history, skills, watercraft, artifacts and associated arts, crafts, and sciences, according to the NMHA Web site.

Before the advent of automobiles and mass transportation, the Navesink River had busy steamboat traffic, and NMHA has been active in reviving interest in Navesink steamers, a press release on Bogdan's design project states.

Rik van Hemmen, a partner in the Red Bank firm, also serves on the NMHA board of trustees and suggested to Bogdan that she prepare a preliminary design for a replica Navesink steamboat.

"I live less than five minutes from the ocean, so I've always been around [boats], but actually what inspired me to begin thinking about designing them was 'The Hunt for Red October' [a novel by Tom Clancy]. For a while, I really wanted to design submarines. By the end of this project, I had a broader interest in naval architecture and engineering in general," said Bogdan.

In addition to the specifications for the paddle-steamer provided by the NMHA for their headquarters space, Bogdan also had to take into account several engineering constraints when drafting her design.

"[The paddle-steamer] had to be 100 feet long. The original steamers usually ran more in the 200- to 300- foot range. And it had to be able to navigate the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers as well as prove capable of a trip to New York, which was the most common destination for the original steamers," explained Bogdan.

"This meant that it had to have a draft less than 3 1/2 feet and use side wheels rather than a rear one, which allows for better stability in the ocean waves. The paddle-wheelers on the Mississippi didn't have to deal with that as much, which is why more of them ended up being stern-wheelers," she continued.

Any steamboat that uses a paddle wheel for propulsion may be referred to as a paddle-steamer or paddle-wheeler, but stern-wheelers have a paddle wheel in the back of the ship while side-wheelers have the paddlewheel on the side, Bogdan explained.

Bogdan completed her research, calculations and drawings on paddle-wheelers and met with NMHA board members for suggestions, which she incorporated into her preliminary design. Bogdan's final paddle-steamer design can carry about 100 passengers for river excursions and can also function as a floating classroom, meeting center and headquarters for the NMHA.

The design met the need to create an authentic-looking design on an overall length of 100 feet rather than the customary 200 feet of the original Navesink steamers, according to a press release on the project.

The issue of propulsion also proved to be a source of challenge for Bogdan whose design needed to strike a balance between economic efficiency and historical accuracy.

"The original paddle-wheels were steamers, as in they were driven by a steam plant. Because that technology's no longer common, the cost of training specialists and hiring them in order to run a steamship would outweigh the benefits of true authenticity," she said.

As a result, the vessel incorporates paddle-wheels for propulsion, which are driven by a heavily soundproofed diesel engine through hydraulic drives.

"Because the idea was to get as close to the original as possible, I used a diesel engine with soundproofing and hydraulics. The soundproofing provides a quieter run, one of the signatures of steam vessels. The hydraulics are for maneuverability; they allow you to run the two paddle wheels in opposing directions from the same engine, as opposed to using two individual diesels," said Bogdan.

However, the most challenging part of the project was the layout and scaling of the separate rooms, she said.

"It was about four different functions [the NMHA] were looking for, all to be fitted into a boat that is half the size of the originals.

Boats tend to be cramped because you have to bring everything with you, but a design like this required open space," said Bogdan.

"I made one presentation to the NMHA about mid-project to go through the customer review process. I showed them what I had and they gave me lots of feedback. For example, I forgot about making it handicap accessible. They pointed this out, and we discussed different ways to better equip the boat, such as wider doors to the main spaces, elevators and optional elevators," she added.

Bogdan also presented her paddle steamer design to Scarano Boats of Albany, N.Y., a company which specializes in the construction of replica vessels. Scarano Boats reviewed the design for constructability and provided construction cost estimates, said Bogdan.

The estimated cost for construction of the paddle-steamer is about $2.5 million, said Bogdan, "which isn't too bad, in the realm of boat building."

The NMHA does not have any present plans to build the vessel, but the organization anticipates that Bogdan's design will "serve as inspiration for potential partners in the construction of a replica steamboat," according to the press release.

Bogdan completed her semester-long internship at Martin, Ottaway, van Hemmen & Dolan as part of the senior mentorship program, a mandatory requirement for seniors at High Technology High School, in Lincroft.

As part of the mentorship program, seniors are required to undertake a technical or scientific internship with an expert in the field, and make a final presentation to students and faculty, said Bogdan.

"For people like me who are looking into fields they've never really explored before, it's a great opportunity to either realize that it's all you ever hoped for or the worst potential mistake of your life," she said.

For Bogdan, the mentorship experience was decidedly a good one. She will be a full scholarship mechanical engineering student at the University of Massachusetts this fall and hopes to continue her graduate education to specialize in naval architecture.

Said Bogdan, "It's been cool driving down Ocean Boulevard and thinking that someday my design might be driving down the ocean parkway."