Riverboat may be dismantled next week

Whether you call it the Pride of Newport or the Reuben E. Lee, get ready to say goodbye to the old riverboat that housed the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum for 10 years.

Dismantling of the boat could begin as soon as next week, officials said Wednesday.

After a decade on the boat, the museum was relocated to the Balboa Fun Zone earlier this year. Officials tried for a year to sell the Pride of Newport — “we had a hundred interested parties,” museum Executive Director David Muller said — but it wasn’t seaworthy, and moving it entailed enough issues that prospective buyers dropped out. He said he’s working out some details with the city to get a demolition permit. A log boom will soon be placed around the boat to keep any debris out of the bay, and no heavy equipment will be used to take the boat apart, he said.

“The No. 1 issue that we’re focused on is how can this happen to mitigate any issues to protect the bay,” he said.

— Alicia Robinson