The Dixie Dry Docked For Five-Year DNR Inspection
By Phoebe Muthart
InkFreeNews
NORTH WEBSTER — The Dixie is out of the water for the season. The stern-wheeler has been dry docked for the season for its five-year hull inspection. Every five years, The Dixie must be inspected by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, according to Bob Dailey, president of the Dixie board of directors.
The two-day process occurred Oct. 21-22. It took about eight volunteers.
The first day, volunteers helped take the wheel off. They take the wheel off every year so it doesn’t get damaged, said Dailey.
Next, they manually tie lines on the Dixie and take it from the dock over to the beach area.
There, they use steel rails to get the boat out of the water.
They line those up and use roller wheels during the process.
“They use a heavy machine and then it has to be jacked up to a certain height after it has been raised,” said Dailey.
This is the second time in five years the boat, built in 1929, has been inspected.
“The DNR has to inspect the bottom to check for cracks,” said Dailey. “It has a steel bottom.”
This time, said Dailey, they hired a company, T&A Rigging Inc. of Plymouth. An exact date has not yet been set for the inspection.
“Before we hired someone, we did it ourselves,” said Dailey.
The cost of the removal and inspection is substantial, said Dailey, adding the price is much higher this time.
“We usually set aside money for things like this,” said Dailey. The main revenue for the Dixie’s upkeep is the $7 per person ride ticket.
If the Dixie committee buys the steel this time, they will later store it to be used in the future. So far, $2,500 has been donated but more work needs to be done.
“It needs to be sandblasted and painted. There’s some rust. We are trying to preserve the bottom as much as we can,” said Dailey.
There are a lot of ways to be involved with the Dixie in the off-season. Currently, there are several woodworking projects needing attention. If woodworking is not your thing, several other projects are in the works. To help, email [email protected].
Monetary donations can be mailed to: Dixie Stern-Wheeler, Inc., P.O. Box 674, North Webster, IN 46555.
Online donations can be made through Venmo at @TheDixie or through Paypal (search for Dixie Sternwheeler Inc), or visit ridethedixie.com.