Museum Seeks Boat Simulator Funding

The River Discovery Center in Paducah, Ky., is asking for industry and community support to upgrade its boat simulator, which the director described as a cornerstone exhibit.

The nine computers required to run the simulator are more than 15 years old and are increasingly unreliable, River Discovery Center Executive Director Lindsey Launius said. Updated software requires using the Windows 11 Pro operating system, which the computers are too old to run.

After experiencing a record number of field trips while housing a traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibit last fall, the simulator was used more frequently and began experiencing more issues, Launius said.

“We got a lot of wear and tear during the Smithsonian exhibit,” she said.

That has led to the system frequently crashing. The museum spent roughly $800 in repairs from August to October, she said.

An anonymous donor has agreed to cover the $100,000 cost of upgraded software and installation, if replacement computers can be obtained to run it.

Those experiencing the simulator step into what appears to be the wheelhouse of a vessel, complete with controls and screens that show the river in Paducah and the surrounding landscape.

“You drive under the bridges you’re familiar with,” Launius said. “You can see the buildings of downtown Paducah. You can even see the museum.”

The boat simulator allows visitors to experience navigating a towboat, Coast Guard vessel or speedboat under a bridge, alongside another vessel or up and down the region’s rivers.

“They love that simulator,” Launius said of young visitors, especially. It is a favorite of field trips of up to 100 students at a time who rotate through the museum, learning about the river, available careers and the surrounding environment. One reason the simulator is so popular is that it allows visitors to get “hands on” with an exhibit, she said.

The simulator also fills a unique role in the region, Launius said. While the neighboring Seamen’s Church Institute’s Center for Maritime Education has a professional simulator for mariner training, it is not available to the general public. The River Discovery Center’s simulator is the only place in the Paducah area where families, students and visitors can experience this type of immersive river education.

“This simulator is part of who we are as a museum,” Launius said. “People remember the feeling of stepping into the wheelhouse and seeing the river in a new way. Our goal is to keep that same magic, just supported by technology that meets today’s standards. We’ve secured the software investment, and now we’re asking for help to make sure this experience continues for future visitors.”

Launius has obtained quotes from three different companies to purchase computers capable of running the software, all of which are very comparable at roughly $30,000. That is more than three times the amount the museum is able to devote to exhibit maintenance annually in its budget.

“We use that money pretty carefully for ongoing needs like general wear and tear on touchscreens, audio and video elements throughout the museum and occasional simulator repairs,” Launius said. “It keeps things running, but it doesn’t give us the ability to make the kind of meaningful updates the simulator now requires.”

Launius remains open to monetary donations or donations of slightly used, high-end gaming computers. Minimum specifications needed to run the software include Intel i7 or i9 processor (12th generation or newer), 16-32 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card or better, 1 TB solid state drive (SSD) and Windows 11 Pro.

Since taking over as director a few months ago, Launius has focused on revitalizing the museum, which opened in 2003 in the oldest standing building in Paducah, built in 1843. The River Discovery Center recently received its first major new exhibit since 2008, an interactive digital sand table. Launius is also working with the Paducah Innovation Hub, which teaches construction and other applied technology skills to high school students, to build a playhouse shaped like a towboat in an area for young children. The U.S. Forest Service and University of Illinois are involved in helping to correctly label mussel shells to update another display.

Launius also has plans to revamp the center’s popular children’s summer camps, bringing in teachers to lead classes aligned with state education standards as part of a curriculum realignment and an effort to increase partnerships with area educators.

She is also working closely with the board to raise funds for museum upkeep. A unique fundraiser coming up soon is offering 15-minute “speed weddings” or vow renewals with a $200 donation, complete with a ceremony in the Founders Room overlooking the Ohio River, professional photography, champagne toast and cupcakes.

Museum admissions and memberships are both up, Launius said, but added that it is important that exhibits remain fresh so that guests find value in continuing to visit.

For more information or to make a donation, visit the museum’s webpage at www.riverdiscoverycenter.org/donate, contact the River Discovery Center at 270-575-9958 or mail a donation or visit in person at 117 S. Water St., Paducah, Ky. Donors may specify if they want their contributions directed specifically toward the boat simulator upgrade.

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Featured photo caption: Lindsey Launius, executive director of the River Discovery Center in Paducah, Ky., pilots the center’s boat simulator. The museum is seeking donations of $30,000 or nine slightly-used, high-end gaming computers capable of running $100,000 in donated modern software. (Photo by Shelley Byrne)