...finance the construction of two replicas of Petersburg boats. The current design, drafted by Savannah boat builder Rusty Fleetwood, calls for 65-foot vessels with seating capacity for 48 adults and a two-person crew. Petersburg boats once...

...S. Coast Guard standards for navigable inland waterways, according to the boat's Savannah-based designer. Rusty Fleetwood, hired to design the modernized replica of the Petersburg boats that once hauled cargo along the canal, told canal...

...area plantations to train full time for races against rival crews, according to Tidecraft, a book by boat historian Rusty Fleetwood. By the late 1830s, newspaper accounts report the sport drew the attention of "respectable gentlemen of the city...

...the Savannah-based builder hired for the project. "There are lots of obstructions, to say the least," said Rusty Fleetwood, architect of the Augusta Canal Authority's proposed 65-foot, 22,000-pound tour vessel that would transport...

...Fox. "Initially, we want one. Down the road, we'd be looking at more than one." The Canal Authority hired Rusty Fleetwood of Savannah to design the boat and authorized design expenses of $2,500 for the project, he said. Mr. Fleetwood...

...waterway as a means for Augusta to compete in a changing industrial world. The almost identical boats, built by Rusty Fleetwood, are modeled after the cigar-shaped Petersburg boats that once hauled freight along the canal and nearby Savannah...

...the 1800s, were a challenge to build because of their unique propulsion system and adaptation to the narrow canal. Rusty Fleetwood, who designed and later was hired to build the boats, fabricated the 65-foot hulls in his warehouse on Tybee Island...

...Ga. - The 65-foot hull is almost too big for Rusty Fleetwood's warehouse. "If it were a few feet longer, we'd...a church, but it will be ponderous and slow." - Rusty Fleetwood, on the Petersburg boat replicas his company is building...

...navigate the canal, which is shallow, narrow, has lots of overpasses and underpasses and a strong current," said Rusty Fleetwood, a Savannah boat builder who helped design the 65-foot vessels. The boats - for which the Augusta Canal Authority...