The Vim was originally built as the Hattie Brown, a single deck sternwheeler at Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania in 1895. Her dimensions were:- 125 x 22.6 x 4.3 feet. She was built for J. W. Rice of Zanesville, Ohio and her engines came from the Lizzie Cassel. They were 12's with a 4-foot stroke. She ran various short trades on the Ohio River. The Hattie Brown was rebuilt at Jeffersonville, Indiana in