#1,... Mississippi River Barge Towboats

[weeman11thefast]

when im out duck hunting we see like 5 to 10 barges a day and we are in pool 9 i think

[tmatte1981]

I love the randall its not the most comfortable boat to ride but in my 10+ years on the river that's the boat I've spent most of my career. I'm one of the mates on it now and we are making some drastic improvements to the old girl, nice video

[IntoWisOutdoors]

@tmatte1981 Wow! 10 years is a long time on the water! She's one of the nicer looking boats that's for sure! If you're on the Randall next year, Possibly in the spring. Could you give me a heads-up PM if possible if & when she'll be along the Wisconsin area? If it'd be on a weekend, I'd like to follow you folks for a couple of days from the shoreline & get footage from all angles imaginable for another video! You guys on the big river are a great bunch of folks!

[vickivon007]

My husband works on the Ardyce Randall. It was great to come across your video. I saved to my favorites. 

[IntoWisOutdoors]

@vickivon007 Hello Vicki! That's neat to hear of your husbands job! How does he like working on the boat? I'm hoping to catch the Ardyce again someday & get better footage of her! This was my 1st video that I've made, This video was taken on Nov. 22nd 2008 at the Genoa WI. Locks on the Mississippi River! The people on these vessels are realy nice folks! Seems like everytime I watch one of them, There's always someone on then shouting out a joke or just saying hello etc. I'm glad you like this!

[MegaMouseSEC]

these are the real workhorses of the USA. I work on teh lower mississippi river and it amazes me just how much tonnage goes through New Orleans every day.

[flyprprincess]

i love the power these boats have

[tmatte1981]

Wow I'm sitting in the galley of the ardyce randall right now. Just came across this video.

[IntoWisOutdoors]

@tmatte1981 Sheeze! Sorry for the late reply! LOL! Back in Nov. 22nd 2008, We caught her at the Geno Wi. Locking through! What a sweet looking boat! I'm hoping to catch her again someday! How do you like working on her?

[PiratenTreffen]

The Mississippi River is really beautiful

[PaulSAUK]

Thanks it's a shame that the UK can't go back to push tows now our rivers and canals are given to pleasure craft and our roads are chock a block with trucks

[b6pak]

boat built by st.louis ship i worked the pipe shop 1977 to 1980 .we made the best

[phildeez1984]

@b6pak hell yeah they built the best. puts all the others to shame

[ceddyced31]

I remember those days working on the DENNIS C. BOTTORFF (Ingram barge). its definitely a total change of lifestyle and if u never been on the river or had any knowledge about it, whew!! A eye opener. one of the best feelings is Crew change time lol!!!!!!!

[ringy17]

Oh ya no kidding that would be extremely hard. What do the deckhands pilots and captains make for a yearly wage?

[phildeez1984]

@ringy17 captains make between 400-500 a day deckhands between 130-230 a day and engineers make around 300 a day cooks are about the same as deckhands

[JetMechMA]

@phildeez1984: captains make between 400-500 a day deckhands between 130-230 a day and engineers make around 300 a day cooks are about the same as deckhands

JM: How's job security working on the boats? For instance, the airline I work for stole our pensions and slashed our wages. Now I'm DOA at retirement. I grew up near the Chicago sanitary and ship canal. I always wondered what it would be like working on the boats. I always imagined it paid well.

[phildeez1984]

@JetMechMA well if you can find a company that is hiring now, usally they treat the crews pretty well. with good benifits, pay and so on.. they gotta try and keep the crews happy because the operation is a bust without them. BTW towboaters call the sanitary canal the "shit ditch" ! lol

[JetMechMA]

@phildeez1984: BTW towboaters call the sanitary canal the "shit ditch" ! lol

JM: LOL, I didn't know you had that nick-name for it but I did learn about it online. I thought it was more cleaned up in modern times but I read some "Great Loop" blogs and they said, no, it's still got unmentionables floating in it. But thanks for the info. Aircraft mechanics are all over the spectrum....$17 dollars an hour at the anti-union chop-shops to $31 where I'm at to $45 at UPS, FedEx, Southwest.

[kzron]

awesome.i once was the 1st mate on the lainey jones for canal barge co.

[IntoWisOutdoors]

Thank you! How did you like working on a towboat? That's one job that I'd truely like to try out someday! That's a rough life & a tough job that you folks have!

[btown217]

@IntoWisOutdoors im tryna get on with artco now

[Jason05171989]

The skiff is mainly only used for crew changes because crew changes happen in the middle of nowhere most of time. it doesnt always work out that u hit a dock on the day of your crew change. and trust me when ur 28 or 30th day comes u are ready to get off. this just comes from my personal experience i work for Southern Towing Company Of Memphis TN

[IntoWisOutdoors]

Thank You Jason! I've often wondered about that as well! What do they do? Send you back home on a bus or something like that when you're a long ways from home? How many days off do you get after a shift tour? You guys make everything look so easy, But I know better!

That's a tough job that you folks have! Some day I'm hoping to ride along for a week on one of the tow boats on a trip along Wisconsin! I'm in awe everytime I see the boats on the ole Mighty Miss!

[phildeez1984]

most of the time the whole crew is relievied at once so the new crew getting on piles into a company van or charter van and hunts the closest place to make a crew change(which might be miles from the boat) then the crew getting off drives to the office to get their cars and heads home. Most companies ride 28 on/ 28 off or 28 on/14 off but that will vary a little depending on the size of the boat ond the company.

[phildeez1984]

@Jason05171989 hey do you know Larry? I worked with him when missouri barge lines was pushing urea for stc, he worked alot in the greenville ms area and his wife was bad sick. she was a sweet lady and I would love to get into contact with them to see how things are.

[andyz28]

5:20 is the best part when he hammers the throttle. Listen to that beast whine!

P.S. - I work for Hennepin Boat Store and I supply these guys with food and anything else they need. If you have any questions, feel free to message me!

[IntoWisOutdoors]

Wow! Thanks for the info Andy! You bet I'll ask away when I have any questions about all of this! I know what you mean by the best part is the ole engines whining away! It was awesome standing there & feeling the rumble vibrations go right thru your body! When ever I'm on the ole Miss,...I get a real feeling of being home! The crews on the boats as well as the lock & dams are a great bunch of people to chat & interact with! I wish everyone could be as kind as these folks!

[ringy17]

@andyz28 Hey i live not to far from Hennepin like 20 minutes and i was wondering how long the guys go out at a time on the Illinois River?

[andyz28]

@ringy17 Depends on the company as someone else said. Most are 28 on/28 off. Some do 30/15 or 28/14. I've known guys to stay on for 6 months straight before. If you're a homebody, towboating isn't for you. I don't know how these guys do this job. I would lose my mind.

[IntoWisOutdoors]

Yeah, It is indeed a very busy lifestyle with alot of dedication that go's with it!

[firefighter1811]

ya but it looks like a fun job to have though.

[IntoWisOutdoors]

You betcha!

[firefighter1811]

great video ken what was the 2 boats on the deck of the tug used for they cant be life boats they are to big for that? the BBQ on the boat was funny but I guess they gotta eat to. the timing on the train was great! was that coal they were hauling in the bardge? keep up the great work.

[IntoWisOutdoors]

They use the boats for just about anything from assisting in tying barges together if they broke apart etc. as well as going to shore etc! From what I was told by several crew members, They can be on the boats for up to 3 weeks or more at a time! The crews make this job look so easy,But it's a very rough job & lifestyle! They're a great bunch of people! I'm hoping someday that I'd be able to take a week or two trip on one of these. Train traffic is heavy So it was an easy catch! 2 trains in 1hr.

[IntoWisOutdoors]

I believe that they were hauling grain! Corn, beans etc. Usually the coal barges don't get covered.

[firefighter1811]

I should of guessed that they don't cover coal. lol

[firefighter1811]

very interesting I would of never guessed that they stay on the boats that long. I thought they only done that in the oceans.

[phildeez1984]

The "yawl" or "skiff" is indeed very versitile but I dont think I would go chasing a barge around with it, a jumbo barge can weigh up to 1500 tons and if the current is swift it would be pointless. no barge or its cargo is worth a crewmans life. another and a more important use for the skiff is during a man overboard that thing could be your life-line. great video.

[IntoWisOutdoors]

Hey thanks much for your knowledge on this Phil! I have on one instance saw them use a skiff to throw something to another crew member on one of the barges,...But other than that, I've never seen these used before. I'm glad that you had stopped by to share your knowledge with us so we can learn more on this! Thank You for your kind words!

[ZoeToots]

Do you know everybody? : ) The train people (so cool) The tug boat guy who is going to warmer weather! I want to hop on the back and go for a ride! That train rolling by was perfect timing!!! Beautiful video...

[IntoWisOutdoors]

Nope! I didn't know any of these people!

I use to know one of the guys working at the locks, But I havn't seen him in quite a while! The folks working on the Big River are usually always kind to talk to! As a matter of fact, Before I started shooting footage My Father & I chatted with the lockmaster for about 15 min. until he had to get back to his duties!

[IntoWisOutdoors]

Most of the Capt & their crews are a great bunch of people to talk & joke around with! There's usually someone kidding around on every Towboat & at the locks!

That's why I love visiting on the Mississippi River! So much fun!

Prior to being at the locks, I spoke with one of the crew members on the Andrew Cannava, They had to dock the Tow & wait for another northbound Towboat with empty coal barges to get through lock & dam #9 to the south! They parked their boat along the shoreline!