What Is a Sternwheeler?
One wheel, a shallow hull and a design made for American rivers.
Get Sternwheeler QuotesWhat Is a Sternwheeler?
A sternwheeler is a boat driven by a single paddlewheel mounted across its stern. The wheel is a drum of spokes carrying flat boards, called buckets, which dip into the water and push the boat forward as the wheel turns. In reverse, the wheel backs the boat off a sandbar or riverbank.
On a classic steamboat, steam cylinders on each side of the stern drove the wheel through long wooden or steel arms called pitmans. The sound and motion of that machinery is a big part of the romance; our sister site Steamboating Cruises covers the steam side of the story.
Three Kinds of River Paddleboat
Sternwheeler
One wheel at the stern. Narrow and shallow-drafted; ideal for small, twisting rivers and for nosing up to a bank.
Sidewheeler
Two wheels amidships, one per side. More maneuverable, with each wheel able to turn separately; common on lakes, harbors and some big rivers.
Modern riverboat
No paddlewheel, or a decorative one. Propellers or thrusters, big windows and balconies; the Viking Mississippi is an example.
How to Spot a Real Sternwheeler
Look at the stern. A working wheel sits low, with its lower buckets in the water and spray coming off the top as it turns. Twin smokestacks at the bow, a pilothouse high on top and a hull that sits barely above the waterline are the classic profile.
When you compare cruises, ask whether the wheel turns while underway and whether you can see it from a public deck. On many boats the aft lounge or open stern deck is the best seat in the house.
Why Sternwheelers Won Out
In the early steamboat years many western boats were sidewheelers. As boats moved into smaller, shallower rivers, the stern wheel’s advantages grew: a narrower hull fit locks and tight channels, the wheel was shielded from drifting logs, and a boat could push its bow into a bank to load and then back away. By the late 19th century the sternwheeler was the standard design on most American rivers, and towboats used stern wheels into the 20th century before propellers took over.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a sternwheeler and a sidewheeler?
A sternwheeler has one paddlewheel across the back; a sidewheeler has two, one on each side. Sidewheelers turn more easily and were favored on wide waters and some big lower-river packets; sternwheelers were narrower and better in shallow, snag-filled rivers.
Is every paddlewheeler a sternwheeler?
No. “Paddlewheeler” covers both types. Almost all American passenger paddlewheelers sailing today are sternwheelers.
Does the wheel actually push the boat?
On historic steamboats, entirely. On modern paddlewheelers it varies: some use the wheel alongside modern propulsion, and on some it is largely for show. Ask about a specific ship if it matters to you.
Find a Boat With a Real Stern Wheel
Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will tell you which ships carry a stern wheel and send free quotes for your dates.
Ask an Advisor