Mike’s Inc. Shipyard Moves, Repowers Mv. Paul B

It’s been a busy summer for Mike’s Inc. After several decades of calling Upper Mississippi River Mile 198.8 home, the East Alton, Ill. shipyard has officially moved.

The Mike’s Inc. team is known for its determination to do a job well, an attitude that founder Mike Marko is famous for. No matter the project, Mike’s will find a way to make it happen.

The business first began in 1965 as a father-and-son endeavor working out of a two-car garage. As a port engineer and a welder, Jim and Mike Marko took on every job that came their way, from engine repairs to welding and fabrication. Their confidence and determination in a job well done made business boom, and the pair soon expanded the business to Roxana, Ill. In 1988, the business moved to a larger site in South Roxana, where the company’s main facility is still located.

The Move

The shipyard now calls Mile 199.6 home. Though just a mile upriver from the previous location, the change has already been felt in major ways. At its old home, the shipyard routinely struggled with river levels.

“All of our plant barges were sitting aground for nearly two years,” said Amy Jo Marko, president of Mike’s Inc.

The new shipyard is right next door to Mel Price Lock and Dam 26, where it’s easy to get caught up watching vessels passing through. Marko described how, at the old location, boats would gather speed after locking, making the old spot at the river bend precarious at times.

“You can’t exactly pull the brakes quickly on a 15-barge tow,” she said.

The moving process began on May 15 while the shipyard remained afloat, and on June 23 the Mike’s Inc. team was able to drydock the first vessel at the new location. That first vessel served was the mv. Emily Davis, owned by Magnolia Marine, which was having new propellers installed.

Moving was a laborious process. The shipyard was taken apart and moved piece by piece in only two days, but putting it back together took several weeks. Marko pointed out even small details like ramps and railings that all had to be constructed new. The layout for the shipyard is also different from the original.

“Because all of the plant barges are now in a different configuration, plus we added a couple new ones, all of the plant electrical wiring, oxygen, propane, water and air line piping had to be redone,” Marko said. “I think our crew and Bickle Electric did a pretty amazing job of getting us operational and running again in that amount of time.”

Despite the challenges, optimism is high. Mike’s Inc. now pays a mortgage on the new location rather than renting. Marko mentioned that the opportunity for expansion is now on the horizon as well.

“We’re very excited about the new location,” she said. “I imagine it will take some time to get used to after being at the old site since the mid 90s, but it’s kind of nice having a different view now and getting the chance to make so many beneficial improvements at one time.”

The mv. Paul B

The Mike’s crew is currently installing new propellers on the mv. Charlotte, also owned by Magnolia Marine Transport, as well as replacing steel and framing on Holliday Sand & Gravel’s mv. Janet Elaine. Mike’s Inc. Is also repowering the mv. Paul B for Calhoun Ferry Company.

The Paul B was stripped of its gears, generator and two 200 hp. Cummins 855 engines before arriving at Mike’s Inc. The grant process for the new repower began in December 2023, and the vessel arrived at Mike’s Inc. for work on the drydock in October 2024.

The 55-year-old towboat is now being outfitted with two John Deere 6090 AFM85 engines that will produce a total of 570 hp., as well as a John Deere 30 kw. generator. It’s also receiving Twin Disc MG5091 SC gears with a 2.95:1 ratio.

To cool the new engines, Mike’s Inc. Is also installing larger grid coolers, cooler boxes and guards in the hull beneath the engine room. Internal framing and bedrails were also reconfigured, and modifications were made to all fuel and coolant pipelines.

Main engines, gears and the generator for the Paul B have all been installed. Palmer Johnson Power Systems will install EC600 electronic controls for engine throttle and shifting. Marko is hopeful sea trials for the vessel will begin in early September.

Featured image caption: The mv. Paul B, pictured at Mike’s Inc., will be repowered with John Deere 6090 AFM85 engines. (Photo by Amelia Kingman)