The idea to build a paddlewheel boat came to Roy when he was about 25 years old. He had read about Mississippi river boats, and other seagoing paddle craft. They seemed to travel at a good speed, especally in the right conditions (rivers, lakes and deltas). 500 foot vessels like the Robert E. Lee and the Natchez were said to reach speeds of 25 plus knots, which is impressive even by today's standards.
The Paddellac took a little over a year to get ready to launch, and it has changed through time with improvements in the three years since. In the process, there has been a lot of thought and continual testing, so the Paddellac is a work in progress. Roy & Allen's goal is to perfect the air-cooled drive to the maximum of its performance, while still maintaining a low fuel consumption at the same time.
Specs: The Paddellac measures 20 feet long x 8 feet wide, with a twin pontoon design, made of materals aquired at Home Depot, and is powered by a rider lawn mower drive.
She runs for up to more than 3 hours on one gallon of gas, and has been clocked at up to 15 mph (approx. 13 knots). Another item of interest is that she has 3 inches of foam flotation sealed in her hulls and decks for added safety.
The Cover:
The Paddellacs' cover was sewn by longtime professional seamstress, Lola. She had to spread the thick fabric out on her small living room floor, which presented quite a challenge. In the end, after breaking quite a few sewing needles (!), she designed a superb cover for the boat, which is both weatherproof and attractive.
About the MERMAID Figurehead:
Roy says: "She was given to me about 40 years ago by Joe Mcgrath, another childhood friend. He had picked it up at a garage sale. In research, I found out that she came from Mystic seaport, and was part of their memorabilia". This antique mermaid is made of traditional hand-painted wood, unlike the newer fiberglass figureheads.
Deb Wong (webmaster) notes: "I dubbed the mermaid 'Oceana', in honor of our high school alma mater."
Webmaster's UPDATE:
The Paddellac is now up for sale. Roy Chenier passed away in late 2008, and the boat was eventually left in the care of its co-creator Allen Piccolotti. Allen and Roy had had a lot of fun in the Paddellac, even taking it out to McCovey Cove (behind AT&T Park), shortly before Roy died. But Allen just didn't have the heart to use her again, without Roy. After all, Roy was the Captain (or "Cappy", as he was called).
Roy had asked me to do this website in 2007, using video clips that I had shot, and photos that my husband Michael and I shot, during the launches. We took a few rides on the Paddellac, which was quite fun. She also caused quite a stir, drawing crowds in Princeton Harbor (California). Roy & I spoke on the phone quite a bit prior to his death, and he was so enthusiastic about the website, that he paid for the domain name for 5 years. He gave me the technical information about the boat on this page.
This site will remain until at least 2013, even if the boat is sold, as a tribute to this very special craft, in addition to perhaps inspiring other paddlewheel enthusiasts into building their own "Paddellacs". Roy would have wanted it that way.
Deb Wong
debwongdebwong@gmail.com
