New smokestack installed in iconic Okanagan sternwheeler S.S. Sicamous

Months after having the old one removed, the S.S. Sicamous is complete again after having a new smokestack installed.

The new smokestack was installed Wednesday morning.

The S.S. Sicamous Society says the ship’s original smokestack was removed in March due to rust issues, and that the new smokestack had to wait before being installed.

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The society said the rust issues were noticed a while ago, with the City of Penticton footing the bill for the new smokestack.

Matt Verboeket, vice president of the S.S. Sicamous Society, said a volunteer noticed that the old smokestack was rusting through where the metal sheets (lap joints) joined.

Verboeket said the volunteer poked a pencil through the rusted metal, showing how weakened it had become. Verboeket noted, though, that there’s still plenty of good steel in the smokestack.

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A local company, Waycon Manufacturing, created the reproduction, but that the coronavirus and rising lake levels prevented the smokestack from being installed earlier in the year.

Now, said Verboeket, “it looks fantastic. It looks complete again.”

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The society said it’s unfortunate the ship isn’t open to the public, noting coronavirus health measures – specifically alcohol-based sanitizers – don’t mix well with artifacts.

However, the society says it’s working on a grand reopening for next spring.

During its heydays, the S.S. Sicamous, launched in 1914, travelled from Penticton to Okanagan Landing in Vernon, with 14 scheduled stops. It is now a museum, preserved onshore beside Okanagan Lake at Penticton.

For more about the S.S. Sicamous, click here.