The J. D. Ayers is a steel hull, sternwheel towboat. She was built by the Midland Barge Company in 1929 at Midland, Pennsylvania. Her dimensions are: 151 x 34.7 x 6 feet. She has 4 boilers of the return flue type. The condensing engines are 15's - 30's with a seven foot stroke; 750 horsepower. The paddle wheel is ... - 4\" in diameter by 23 feet long working 13 buckets with a ... -inch dip. The Ayers is owned and operated by the Union Barge Line Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.