The M.V. 'Wilma K'
Boat Name: Wilma K
Owners: Wayne and Wilma Fisher
Phone: (251) 610-4170 E-Mail: wilmak@aol.com
Home Port: Creola, Alabama
Hull: Model bow, 3/16 steel with 5 watertight compartments
Hull Size: Length- 45 ft., Width-12 ft., Depth-3 ft., Draft-16 inches
Paddlewheel: 8 1/2 ft. diameter by 7 ft. wide with 12 - 11 inch treated pine buckets
Engine: Perkins diesel with 63 H.P.
Drive Train: All hydraulic
Builder: Built mostly by myself in my back yard in Creola, AL during 1990 to 1993
Cabin: Wooden superstructure covered in fiberglass measuring 8 x 34 feet. It sleeps 4 to 6 with cots. The layout consists of living room area, kitchen, full bath and one bedroom. The Pilot house is 6 feet by 8 feet. Second deck has table and chairs.
Misc.: Kubota 6.5 KW diesel generator, 165 gallons of water, 80 gallons of fuel and a 55 gallon holding tank. There are two window air conditioner units.
The Wilma K is a dream I carried for a long time. I read Mark Twain books in grade school and was hooked. In 1989, I decided I was not going to build it any younger, so I got started. Three years later She was running. As with most sternwheeler's, She is always a work in progress. As you might have guessed, the Wilma K is named after my wife Wilma, who was patient with the loss of part of our backyard for a long time.
A chance meeting with Clair and Gene Fitch in 1988 at Guntersville, Alabama was my introduction to the ASA. They invited Wilma and me aboard the Claire E and were gracious hosts. Gene and I talked boats for most of the day; he was most helpful. They were a fine couple.
We made the trip to Mobile Alabama this February ('07) for Mardi-Gras, had a great time. There were three paddlewheel boats; the Heart of Dixie, the Cherokee Rose and our Wilma K docked at the Convention Center on the Mobile River along with our friend Doug's cabin cruiser. By the by, Mardi-Gras was started in Mobile Alabama, not in New Orleans.
We make many short trips and enjoy it each time we go out. There is always a story to tell at the next bon-fire with the captains of other paddlewheelers.