A Smaller Steam Engine For A Smaller Boat

Cogsy · Jun 10, 2017

When you said 'deck' I thought 'no' straight away but looking at your paper mock-up it does look good. I don't think you can go wrong really (I do like the idea of the electronics being somewhat hidden).

apointofview · Jun 10, 2017

I think it will be ok and I had the same thought about the radio gear. I also may hide a large whistle under there. There is also the added protection from a wave and it will stiffen up the hull. The all up weight is around 20lbs now so it flexes a bit when picking it up.
Pete

apointofview · Jun 12, 2017

I think the major wood work is done and here is the result. Sure there is a lot of sanding to do, but that falls under finishing. I will add a few things like a seat or bench for the captain and maybe something to hide the 2+lbs of lead it will need but all in all I like how my first ( most likely last ) clinker hull came out.
Pete
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Cogsy · Jun 12, 2017

That looks fantastic! When I bought my house I discovered a set of plans for a planked rowboat tucked away in the shed. They're for a full sized boat but I've always thought about scaling them down and having a go. Of course I've thought just as much about having a go at full-size too...

Blogwitch · Jun 12, 2017

You've made a really nice job of that Pete, it reminds me of a model by Krick, called the Borkum, which was all the rage many years ago.

Maybe you could use some of the fitting ideas to make your model a little less bare.
Again, really nice work.

John

apointofview · Jun 14, 2017

Cogsy, I can't imagine pulling a full size hull off. The level of precision that those planks would need to be water tight would be tough. I watched a lot of YouTube videos showing guys building those hulls and they are serious craftsman.
Thanks John, you right that hull is a lot like mine. I will add the little details once all the required items are finished. Right now I am working on the getting the radio gear hooked up, adding ballast and looking for a captain figure to skipper the boat and that's proving hard to do.

Blogwitch · Jun 14, 2017

Hi Pete,
Do you have any dolls house shops nearby? A friend of mine contacted one near his home and they made him a few very lifelike figures for him.

This is a Victorian steam engineer working on one of the commercial engines I used to make.

They really do make a model boat come to life.

John

apointofview · Jun 20, 2017

John, no doll house places nearby, I'll figure out something, it has to have a captain. The one you have in the picture is great.

The boat needs a whistle and this time I kept it simple. What I like about this one is that it is not sensitive to air pressure. It sounds fine through the useable pressure of my boiler. My bigger boat's whistle only likes higher pressures so this should sound more consistent. I got it to behave accidentally when I was testing the whistle. I let the inlet slip back and discovered that it helped the tone stay consistent, not sure why but it works. Everything I have read says the opening of the jet of air should line up with the cutout in the body. When I did that it only sounded good at a specific pressure. Just a pic of the finished part and a video of it singing.
Pete
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https://youtu.be/7ajYMiPWAyA

a41capt · Jun 21, 2017

Pete, why not Captain the ship yourself, in miniature of course! There is a company on the internet that does 3D prints of you in whatever scale you choose!

With all this great craftsmanship, I think a smiling miniature of yourself would be only fitting in the stern of your steam launch! &#55357;&#56832;

apointofview · Jun 21, 2017

Really ? I had no idea that could be done. That gives me something to think about, I wonder if they could give me a mini beard that my wife would never approve of in full scale !!!

apointofview · Jun 21, 2017

Well while I'm pondering the crew of my boat some more work has gotten done. The throttle linkage has been figured out and most of it is done. All that is left is to mount a servo and a rod from it to the bellcrank that is mounted on the water tank. I have to wait on the captain to see what room I have. I want to have his hand on the throttle so his arm moves with power changes. The other arm will be on the tiller. At least that's the plan.
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Pete

apointofview · Jun 23, 2017

apointofview · Jun 23, 2017

Oops forgot the video of the whistle on steam -
https://youtu.be/Zo_uhxKZ0cw

apointofview · Jul 1, 2017

The boat is getting closer to being done. I took care of the ballast by melting down a bunch of tire weights and forming ( beating ) the lead into a few thin pieces to fill the space between the formers and on either side of the boiler. It needed the weight to get the hull low enough to cover the prop and to reduce the top heavy effect the boiler has on the boat. Without the lead it rocks side to side a little too much. It came to about 2lbs total.
I also got to work on a place for the captain to sit. The bench and floor also cover up the radio gear that is mounted in the stern. There are three servos back there. One for throttle, one for the rudder and one for the whistle. Magnets will hold down the bench and floor. The only item left to be made is a goodall valve for filling the boiler so it looks like it's time for sanding and prepping for epoxy and paint. The little wooden doll is going to be the captain but I have to give him a better head and get him dressed.
Pete
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apointofview · Jul 8, 2017

kno3 · Jul 9, 2017

The boiler looks great all painted and shiny. How are you going to paint the hull?

apointofview · Jul 9, 2017

I'm just going to rattle can it with an automotive enamel paint.

apointofview · Jul 11, 2017

A bit of progress on the hull. It's now white and curing. I am paranoid now about adding the blue to the hull that I planned. I had trouble with the paint lifting/wrinkling on the water tanks and did a little internet research. Lots of guys have trouble getting the rustoleum enamel to dry good enough to add another layer without a disaster.
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I also finished the caps for the tanks finally by adding the stainless bars. I did one but didn't ever get around to the other two. Really these other pics are just to show off the new tooling my lovely wife bought me. This is the square collet holder, there is also a hex holder and 16 5c collets !! She must not mind me messing around in the garage if she is getting me more stuff !!!
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Pete

Herbiev · Jul 11, 2017

Great job. Great wife too

apointofview · Jul 12, 2017

Thanks and your right I got a good one !

A Smaller Steam Engine For A Smaller Boat

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