Guards (steamboat)

[1] While the Strader was an extreme case, it was common for guards to make the main deck 50 to 75 per cent wider than the hull.

[1] Guards were also used on sternwheelers, where, with the paddle wheel being mounted at the stern, they had no structural function on the vessel.

[1] On sternwheelers the guards gave additional room to store freight and fuel, allowed a passage between different parts of the boat, and provided a place for passengers to promenade.

[1] One problem with guards was that they could make the steamboat less stable, and with the type of boilers used on the Ohio-Mississippi boats, even a list of ten or twelve inches to one side could cause the boilers to malfunction, which, if prolonged, could result in an explosion.

[1] This was difficult to manage, especially when for example passengers would crowd along one side of a boat to observe an attraction.