BUYER NEEDED: Officially named the Pride of Newport but better known as the Reuben E. Lee, the non-seaworthy riverboat houses the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, which will be moving. (Mark Boster / LAT)
LOCAL FIXTURE: Newport Harbor traffic passes the vessels paddlewheel. The riverboat would have to be towed by whoever buys it, and the top-heavy craft would require stabilizing. (Mark Boster / LAT)
“Blackie.” a 450lb Black Sea Bass and mascot, hangs inside the front door at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum. The museum is housed inside the Pride Of Newport previously known as the Reuben E. Lee. (Mark Boster / LAT)
Aging and rusting, the Pride of Newport previously known as the Reuben E. Lee is up for sale. The landmark river boat has been anchored in Newport Beach off Pacific Coast Highway for over 40 years. (Mark Boster / LAT)
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A model of the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan sits in the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum. (Robert Lachman / LAT)
ALL ABOARD: The museum’s exterior, which began life as the restaurant Reuben E. Lee. The structure never was a boat; it was built atop a steel barge. (Robert Lachman / LAT)
