The Serenade (Ragbrai XLI day 4)
DB wandered over to the pond near our campsite in Knoxville, IA and discovered a perfect scale model of a steam boat. The boat was accompanied by the man who built it, Father Steve Ebel of Knoxville. The boat was under construction from 2005 until its launch in 2012.
The Serenade is a remotely controlled vessel. The perfectly scaled model is a replica of a real steamboat.
It has lots of bells and whistles including a music system with an mp3 player containing two hours of music appropriate to that time in history.
The railing is cut by laser. The people are dressed in clothing from the period.
In the unlikely event that the steamboat breaks down mid-voyage, its pilot sends out Little Toot o retrieve it. Little Toot is a remote control towboat; it's the blue vessel on the back of the table.
The ship is moved with a carefully engineered carrying system.
Father Ebel will retire in late 2013. He has other RC models. His primary interest is cars moreso than ships.