Wilson Locks and Dam

Comment by: Tom Taylor on May 16, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 4.5'

They have no lock wall upstream for the big locks. Nothing to tie barges to. Therefore, they keep a couple of harbor tugs around to help move barges through.

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Comment by: Tom Taylor on May 16, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 4.5'

VHF 13 or 14

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Comment by: Roger Taylor on Aug 27, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 36'
Draft: 3.0'

Big lock that told us to be there before seven we got there about 6:20 had to wait about an hour and a half to lock through a couple barges were there we lock through with the barge.

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Comment by: Rex Wallis, Rex Wallis, on Mar 29, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 31'
Draft: 2.5'

Went through on 3/27/22. Main lock closed. Backup lock was the original two stage lock. 60 barges waiting when we arrived. Radioed and was told we could lock through with a tug. They could only lock through one barge at a time. Had to tie up on the port side. After getting in first stage and on the way down were told we would have to go back up and then back down due to two things. One they only had one pin to tie up on, which turned out to be on the starboard side, two the tow Captain opted to not let us tie up on them. That turned out to be a blessing. In the second stage there was a drain, about a six inch pipe that was releasing water about 15 feet in front of the pin. Locking lesson learned: be able to back down on a tie up. The bow of the boat was swamped and we took on a large quantity of water before being able to release enough slack on the line and backing up, but not to far as the lock door behind us was a mini Niagara Falls and would have flooded the rear cockpit area. Needless to say it was a spooky locking lesson learned. They said there may be more pins available after repairs. Pumped, shop vac, 50 gallons of water out of center compartment that had no bilges.

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Comment by: DAVID BARNUM on Sep 1, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.0'

Closed to navigation as of August 31 2021 because floating wall that guides boats into the lock sank. Hopefully repairs will be rapid.

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