ABSTRACT
Steam-propelled vessels were a novelty at the turn of the 19th century, and the shipwrights designing these ships were still testing the viability of various hull forms to determine an ideal shape for river and lake environments. The first three decades of the 19th century represent this era of experimentation, and Phoenix, among only a handful of other early hull remains from this period, is a good example of the adaptation of steam navigation in America. The four known extant hulls from the first quarter of the 19th century that have been studied and can be compared with Phoenix are Vermont, Ticonderoga, Lady Sherbrooke, and Phoenix II. Phoenix II appears to have followed the successful model of her namesake, with only minor modifications in principal dimensions. Lady Sherbrooke of the St. Lawrence River retained the river prototype design with regard to a flat bottom and hard chines, but was capaciously built with robust timbers and marked bow reinforcement.
