What was one advantage of using steam boats in the 1800s

Float boats could only go down stream with the flow of the river however steam boats had a steam engine which allowed them to be faster and in addition go upstream

One of the main advantages of using steamboats in the 1800s was that "Steamboats could travel against the wind and currents", since before the steamboat, almost all river travel and transportation had to be done "with the current".