We had to take a sawzall to our own helm console right at the dock—because without working steering, this entire river voyage was over.
Fighting stiff manual steering, brutal weather, and floating river debris forced us to pull into the downtown Louisville waterfront. In this episode, a sudden summer river storm tears off our name sign, we wait on emergency Amazon parts, cut open the console, and fabricate a complete hydraulic steering system right on the water. Once we finally hit the current and lock through the massive McAlpine Lock, our outboard cooling system decides to throw another curveball out in the channel.
A huge special shoutout in this episode to Precision Sewing for stepping up to sponsor this journey! Ever since his open-heart surgery, Pops can't sleep flat in a regular bunk. Precision Sewing custom-built an incredible, handcrafted swivel recliner from scratch just for him so he can rest easy out on the water. Be sure to check them out for any custom RV interiors, pontoon upholstery, or high-end furniture builds.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Recap: Steering Issues & River Hazards
02:26 - Pulling into Louisville & Securing Shore Power
05:29 - Saying Goodbye to Jeremy & Griddle Burgers
06:07 - Louisville Waterfront Night Skyline & Fireworks
06:33 - Storytime: Head-On Tugboat Close Call
07:46 - Severe River Thunderstorm & The Name Sign Blows Off
09:57 - Emergency Steering Parts Arrive & Rigging Night Lights
11:15 - Local History: Falls of the Ohio
14:45 - E-Bike Water Mission & Meeting Louisville Locals
17:04 - Tearing Apart the Helm Console with a Sawzall
20:41 - Mounting the Hydraulic Cylinder to the Outboard
22:15 - Louisville Dragon Boat Team Visits the Shanty Boat
23:59 - Late-Night Pizza on Deck
24:52 - Pops Reviews His Custom Precision Sewing Recliner
27:12 - Installing Field-Attachable Hydraulic Fittings
29:10 - Bleeding Air From the Hydraulic Steering Lines
32:37 - First Test Run with Smooth Steering
33:40 - Locking Through McAlpine Lock System
36:21 - River Laundry & Cruising Downstream
37:00 - Emergency: Outboard Stops Peeing (Troubleshooting Cooling)
38:30 - Cleaning the Washable River Water Filters
39:49 - Sunset Run & Moonrise Over the Ohio River
41:30 - Tucking into Blue River for the Night
42:25 - Sponsor Spotlight: MillerTech Lithium & RightMark Roofing
44:40 - Fueling Up the Outboard & Unhooking the Jon Boat
Featured Sponsors & Gear That Made This Trip Possible:
Precision Sewing – Huge thanks to Precision Sewing for sponsoring our voyage and custom-building Pops’ swivel recliner. Following open-heart surgery, sleeping flat on a traditional bunk is out of the question for Pops—this chair has been his bed every night on the water. Precision Sewing crafts authentic Amish, top-tier custom furniture from scratch, specializing in full RV interior refits, complete boat and pontoon upholstery, and commercial-grade builds. Check out their work:
https://precisionsewingproducts.com/
MillerTech Performance Lithium Batteries – Proudly powered by MillerTech. Their lithium battery setup is the off-grid backbone of our boat, keeping our navigation, refrigeration, cabin lighting, and power tools running seamlessly:
https://millertechenergy.com
RightMark Roofing – A huge shoutout to our sponsors at RightMark Roofing for keeping our homemade shanty boat cabin completely dry, sealed, and protected through violent summer river storms:
https://www.rightmarkroofing.com
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