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Because they wereso expensive, his steamboats wereunsuccessfu l. The first successfu l steamboatwas the Clermont, which was built byAmerican inventor Robert Fulton in 1807.The Clermont was the combinedeffort of Fulton and Robert Livingston.Fulton was born in Lancaster County,Pennsylvania. By the age of 17, he wasworking as a painter in Philadelphia.
Steamboat History. The steamboat represented an important phase in the development of shipping. Before the steamboat was invented, boats were powered by sail power. From the mid-19th to the mid-20th century, steamboats were the most important type of boats for transportation, trading and warfare.o start the process, water is fed to a boiler that heats it up until it produces steam. The steam is then fed into a piston cylinder. It pushes the piston up to the top of its stroke. When it reaches the top, a valve is opened in the side of the cylinder to vent out the steam.