Riverboat

They can be designed with shallow drafts, as were the paddle wheel steamers on the Mississippi River that could operate in water under two metres deep.

The significance of riverboats is dependent on the number of navigable rivers and channels as well as the condition of the road and rail network.

Generally speaking, riverboats provide slow but cheap transport especially suited for bulk cargo and containers.

Roman sources dated 50 BC mention extensive transportation of goods and people on the river Rhine.

The Kalgan River in Western Australia has had two main riverboats, the Silver Star, 1918 to 1935, would lower her funnel to get under the low bridge.

It is these early steam-driven river craft that typically come to mind[dubious – discuss] when "steamboat" is mentioned, as these were powered by burning wood, with iron boilers drafted by a pair of tall smokestacks belching smoke and cinders, and twin double-acting pistons driving a large paddlewheel at the stern, churning foam.

This type of propulsion was an advantage as a rear paddlewheel operates in an area clear of snags, is easily repaired, and is not likely to suffer damage in a grounding.

These early boats carried a brow (a short bridge) on the bow, so they could head in to an unimproved shore for transfer of cargo and passengers.

It was not until 1891 that the Hudson's Bay Company sternwheeler the Caledonia successfully negotiated through the Kitselas Canyon and reached Hazelton.

A number of other steamers were built around the turn of the century, in part due to the growing fish industry and the gold rush.

Some large riverboats are comparable in accommodation, food service, and entertainment to a modern oceanic cruise ship.