Bama Belle returns to Black Warrior River in West Alabama

photo from the Bama Belle Facebook page

The Bama Belle has returned to cruising the Alabama’s Black Warrior River.

The Tuscaloosa News reports (http://bit.ly/2moh56y ) that the popular paddle-boat has been out of commission for about four years.

Its new owner, Jasper-area businessman Craig Dodson, made the necessary repairs and has begun offering weekend cruises.

The Bama Belle has been part of Tuscaloosa’s river scene since 2001, but it stopped offering cruises in June 2012 after holes developed in the engine cooling systems’ coolers on the bottom of the boat, causing an engine to fail.

The Bama Belle was built in 1969 in the Mississippi River town of Dubuque, Iowa.

It was christened the Captain Ann, but later renamed Emerald Queen and was based in Destin, Florida.

In 2001, the boat was renamed the Bama Belle and brought to Tuscaloosa.

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Information from: The Tuscaloosa News,  http://www.tuscaloosanews.com

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