Lots of folks have seen their investments go under water.
Bill Barker has, too. Literally.
He's the owner of a storied, three-deck paddlewheeler that starred in a 1956 John Wayne movie, later carried tourists along the Delta - and now sits three-quarters submerged on the Yolo side of the Sacramento River.
Barker, a Long Beach charter boat operator, bought it from Sacramentan Brian Gerhart 12 years ago with plans to make it a floating restaurant.
He repaired the hull and fixed some fire damage that had taken it out of service as a tourist boat. But Barker ran out of money and for the last decade has left the boat moored in the river.
Two years ago, it took on water and nearly sank before Barker arrived with pumps to raise it to the surface.
It started sinking again in April and now sits on the river bottom - its top deck emerging from the water at a 45-degree angle - just south of the Sutterville Road exit along I-5.
Barker tells us he's planning to get the vessel afloat - again - this week. But he doesn't have any immediate plans to fix up the one-time beauty.
"I don't have the money ... right now," he says. And, given the economy, Barker adds: "I probably wouldn't spend it (on the boat) if I did."
Where does that leave the 67-year-old sternwheeler that's been known over the years as the Putah, the Mansion Belle, the Spirit of Sacramento and - most recently - the Grand Romance?
Dead in the water.
For the rest of Bob Shallit's column, see Tuesday's "Our Region" section. Reach Shallit at (916) 321-1049. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/shallit.
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