A short video explaining some of the basics of owning a steam boat. The video was filmed on Windermere 2012 on the annual steamboat rally. Also see Part 1. www.thesteamboatingforum.net/
I've never seen a steam engine that has to be oiled in so many (hundreds ?) places, nooks, and crannies. But looking at the running engine-the labourous effort is forgotten.
It is coal burning but we start it with wood. An engineering company could build you an engine, probably would cost $30,000.Alternatively keep looking on Ebay or the steamboat forums/clubs in the states.
Fantastic looking job. I notice your feed water is open to the elements. Does this cause much contamination? Also do you use distillate for feed or just tap water?
We feed direct out the lake. The only issue is the oxygen content, but boiler water treatment takes care of it. If you was on a canal, you also have a lot of mud in the water. This is why you have mud drums on boats and ships. These need to be cleaned out by blowing down the boiler water. Windermere however is so clean it is rare you get anything more than a tiny film of mud.
That's interesting, thanks for the reply. I'm a marine engineer but my steam experience is only on big water tube plant. Even on Auxy boilers on motor ships we are obsessive about boiler water purity. We only ever top up with distillate and treat with chemicals for O2 etc, and test the chemical levels on a daily basis. Whilst we do blow down and scum the boilers this is more for adjusting chemical treatment levels than actually scumming debris out the boiler.
Chris Ryan On a big ship there is a slightly larger value attached, both to the boiler and to the time it is out of action. Also on a big ship they are rarely on a salt-free lake. Saying that, the PS Waverley doesn't take any water from the sea, it carries all the spare water.
Hi, the boat has no gearbox, the propeller is always attached to the engine. The two gears you can see are there to drive the air and feed pump. The prop shaft and propeller can't be disconnected from the engine.
