+Mike Daniels Hi Mike, Actually, the Minne has bow thrusters, but no propellers. The paddlewheel actually does power the Minne Ha Ha. It is powered by steam and uses steam pistons to turn the paddlewheel.
+PEPEProd I was on the mini after she was stretched and I saw a cat engine about mid ship, with a shaft facing the stern, I asked if the engine was running a propeller and the guy in the engine room smiled and and said yes while putting his finger to his lips indicating shhhh. For years the captain used to brag that the mini had no prop like others stern paddle wheelers, but he no longer says that
@@wurly164 They've never been secretive about adding the emergency prop when they lengthened the boat in 1998. It's mentioned in many publications the company has put out since then. Their publication "Mountain Steamboats" from the year 2000 has a section that mentions the horsepower of the then-newer diesel engine, and the extra speed/power it can give the boat if turned on. It's not hard to figure out if the diesel is on- you can hear/feel the diesel vibration very clearly, and can see it exhaust black smoke out of the bottom of the steam scape pipe boxes. If they're not docking or haven't lost steam, it's not on. Just a modern safety feature. The Julia Belle Swain steamboat in Wisconsin was having a prop put forward of her paddlewheel just like the Minne for the same reasons.
@@michaelstrohmaier1612 they sure didn't advertise it at the beginning and like I said, the guy let me know, yes it's there but they keep quiet about it. Since then maybe a different story
