The Kapa Ann

An excursion boat designed to sail on the Cedar River should be made of cedar, and the Kapa Ann was.

Hawkeye Lumber used cedar to build the superstructure, and its steel hull was crafted by George Coleman on the west bank of the Cedar River at the foot of Penn Avenue NW at owner Paul Miller's boat facility.

The boat measured 24 feet wide and 46 feet long with seven feet of head room. It was designed to hold up to 150 people and draw only 22 inches of water.

According to a May 3, 1953, story in The Gazette: “The Kapa Ann is all boat and no barge. She is powered by two six-cylinder, 100-horsepower Criss Craft marine engines worth more than $1,000 a piece ....The boat has its own 5,000-watt, 110-volt electrical plant to provide current for lights and electrical motors aboard. All shifting and throttle controls on the boat's engine will be powered by electric, push-button controls. Current also will be used for the water heater, coffee makers, ice cream cabinet and pop coolers which will be aboard.”

The pilot house at the top of the boat, while not completed in May 1953, was designed to hold all the boat's controls without allowing public access.

The main cabin held 112 guests, while the enclosed forward and aft decks held about 20 more. Booths and tables surrounded a 32-by-16-foot maple dance floor, and decorations were nautical motifs in shades of blue.

As a safety feature, the windows of the Kapa Ann didn't open, but there were vents above each one for air flow. A few feet longer than one that sailed the river in Waterloo, the new Kapa Ann was the largest boat plying Iowa's inland waters.

Takes to water in '53

The Kapa Ann's unusual name came from Paul's family - Ka from daughter Kathy, Pa from Paul and Ann from wife Anne. It was skippered by Dennis Murphy from its first day.

Cruises began in early July 1953. The public could sail for two hours at a time at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Fare was 60 cents a person. Special hourlong Sunday cruises geared toward families started at 2 p.m.

The Kapa Ann barely got its hull wet before the City Council began debating how and where it would be stored for the winter. Miller had planned to beach the boat on a sloping ramp he had built on his property, but neighbors objected. It eventually was assigned a spot farther down river at 1927 Ellis Blvd. NW.

A sad moment in the Kapa Ann's history occurred when Paul Miller was found dead in his car March 2, 1954, about five miles north of Cedar Rapids. His wife reported him missing about noon the day before, telling police that he had been despondent and under a doctor's care. He was buried in Cedar Memorial Cemetery.

The Kapa Ann still sailed the following summer, booking cruises for youth groups, anniversaries, business and social groups, and family gatherings. By 1956, Thursdays were taken off the public cruise schedule and added for private bookings. Rates per person were up from 60 cents to 75 cents, while the cost for Sunday hourly cruises was 35 cents.

At the end of the summer, Anne Miller dry-docked the Kapa Ann and sought permission from the Iowa Highway Commission to move the boat over Highway 30 to Clinton, where it would be offered for sale. The asking price was $22,500.

For whatever reason, Miller changed her mind, because the Kapa Ann returned to the Cedar River the following summer.

The Cedar River hit a record flood stage in April 1961. When Miller and Skipper Murphy heard that floodwaters were rushing down the Cedar River toward Cedar Rapids, they cabled the Kapa Ann to large trees in Ellis Park. The Kapa Ann rode out the flood more than 16 feet above its usual mooring spot.

There has often been some confusion as to the spelling of Kapa Ann. It often appeared in print with two p's. That mistake could be attributed to a lifesaver aboard the boat with the misspelled version printed on it.

Under new ownership

The Kapa Ann was used primarily as a charter boat for a few years before Miller was ready to let go of it. She enlisted Bickel & Byers Realtors to help her sell the excursion boat in January 1967, and in April, the 75-member Youth Council Inc. purchased the 14-year-old boat for $4,500.

Plans were made to use it as a floating coffee house and teen clubhouse. The purchase price was raised by the council through activities that included a Saturday morning radio show on KCRG called “Young Ideas,” as well as city dances and a teen appreciation day.

Teen interest in the Kapa Ann was short-lived, however. By December 1968, they were interested in a new youth center.

Several people owned the craft before Arnold McDowell purchased it in 1974 and began remodeling it with the intent of turning it into a floating restaurant on the Cedar River. The Riverfront Commission turned down that proposal and ordered the Kapa Ann removed from its dry dock. McDowell pulled it to Clinton via county roads and then had it towed to Dubuque.

“We hate to take it out of Cedar Rapids, but the boat belongs in the water,” McDowell said. “We can't fight City Hall. We hope to give it a good home in Dubuque.”

In 1983, the Kapa Ann was listed in a tour of houseboats in Dubuque's harbors.