Belle of Richmond
Boat Name: The Belle of Richmond
Owner: Tom & Wilma Pile, 1900 Kanawha Ave., Dunbar, West Virginia
Home Port: Mile 51.2 on the Kanawha River at Dunbar, West Virginia
Hull: Scow/model bow, steel hull, 78 gross tons, 64 net tons
Hull Size: 60' x 19' x 4.5'
Paddlewheel: Simulated sidewheel boat, paddle boxes 12' x 10.6
Engine: 1982 Detroit Diesel 8.2 liter, fuel pincher
Generator: 6.0 Onan
Drive Train: Allgire 360 steering, bow thruster
Builder: Built in 1963 by Kelly Shop, Jefferson, Indiana for Mr. & Mrs. William B. Patterson of Richmond, Indiana.
Superstructure: One deck 16' x 45', all steel construction; pilot house 8' x 8'
Misc: Built to resemble a turn of the century sidewheel packet boat with swinging stage, stacks, wood burning fireplace. The pilot house was paneled from walnut siding that was cut from beams formerly in the Beckel Hotel in Dayton, Ohio (built in 1845). It was an overnight lodging place for canal boatmen on the Ohio-Erie canal in those days. Interior walls of the cabin were done in walnut. Purchased by Bob Limle in 1974 who made it his home in the Cincinnati area. Mr. Limle was Trustee Emeritus with the ASA and lived on the Belle until he sold it to Tom and Wilma Pile, April 2003, who brought it to the Kanawha River. Interior totally redone with new carpet, new fireplace with gas logs, all new bathroom, new kitchen appliances and all new furnishings. The boat has been rewired and the engine rebuilt. Our intent is to decorate with the Patterson's original idea of a turn of the century sidewheel boat.
The boat will be renamed the 'Pile Inn' after receiving documentation from the Coast Guard.