ThenextinventorwasJonathanHulls，ofCampden，inGloucestershire。Hepatentedasteamboatin1736，andworkedthepaddle-wheelplacedatthesternofthevesselbymeansofaNewcomenengine。HetriedhisboatontheRiverAvon，atEvesham，butitdidnotsucceed，andtheenginewastakenonshoreagain。Alocalpoetcommemoratedhisfailureinthefollowinglines，whichwererememberedlongafterhissteamboatexperimenthadbeenforgotten:——
“JonathanHull，Withhispaperskull，TriedhardtomakeamachineThatshouldgoagainstwindandtide；
Buthe，likeanass，Couldn’tbringittopass，Soatlastwasashamedtobeseen。“
Nothingofimportancewasdoneinthedirectionofasteam-engineabletodrivepaddles，untiltheinventionbyJamesWatt，in1769，ofhisdouble-actingengine——thefirststepbywhichsteamwasrenderedcapableofbeingsuccessfullyusedtoimpelavessel。ButWattwasindifferenttotakingupthesubjectofsteamnavigation，aswellasofsteamlocomotion。Herefusedmanyinvitationstomakesteam-enginesforthepropulsionofships，preferringtoconfinehimselftohis“regularestablishedtradeandmanufacture，“thatofmakingcondensingsteam-engines，whichhadbecomeofgreatimportancetowardsthecloseofhislife。
Tworecordsexistofpaddle-wheelsteamboatshavingbeenearlytriedinFrance——onebytheComted’AuxironandM。Perrierin1774，theotherbytheComtedeJouffroyin1783——butthenoticesoftheirexperimentsareveryvague，andrestonsomewhatdoubtfulauthority。