Forum Home
PC World Chat
Thread ID: 139281	2015-04-06 03:15:00	Steam Engines	pctek (84)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1398095	2015-04-06 20:10:00	Leave it and look at it??!! This is the family boat.... My granddad started to make it in around 1934 for my dad. He made and sailed many model boats but this one somehow never got finished. Became a bit of a joke in the family for years. Dad grew up, had me. It was to become my boat. I grew up and had my son, it was left to him. I guess now it should be his daughters boat.... He did eventually finish it around 1990, in fact we supplied him with some imperial parts (Out of Wellesley St telephone exchange) cause he couldn't get them anymore. He sailed it to, there is a Certificate of Merit from Wellington boat club dated 1991 for "scale power". He died not long after. My dad kept it, after all he waited all his life for that boat. He never took it out anywhere, it was in a wooden box along with some bits and pieces. And of course I have no manual....LOL. I cannot just leave it like my dad it, even if I don't sail it, I would at least like to fire it up and ensure it is in working condition.	pctek (84)
1398096	2015-04-06 20:21:00	Wow. Nice bit of kit. I'm even more impressed by those chairs around the table. Real craftmanship is sadly very rare these days.	Paul.Cov (425)
1398097	2015-04-06 22:11:00	Wow, the Real McCoy. Any chance of a photo from the stern looking towards the Boiler? :)	B.M. (505)
1398098	2015-04-06 22:34:00	I can't see a piston or flywheel, it is possible that it is a steam pulse jet. Simple ones were very easy to make, just a tube heated to produce steam, and they went pop pop pop. There were more sophisticated ones too, but very easy to make, had great fun with them : www.youtube.com We had pop pop boats when we were kids. I think they cost about 9d each. They were lots of fun, once we learned the potential danger of methylated spirits. I hadn't seen one for years, but they have them for sale again at the maritime Museum in Auckland. They no longer cost 9d.	Richard (739)
1398099	2015-04-06 22:53:00	You need to find some model steam boat enthusiasts, there must be some model engineering clubs around. The engine looks to be a vertical 2 cylinder, like the one on this site: http://mainsteam.co.uk/ The tank with the cycle valve may well be a pressurised fuel tank, maybe it used diesel fuel.	Terry Porritt (14)
1398100	2015-04-06 23:45:00	I'm even more impressed by those chairs around the table. Real craftmanship is sadly very rare these days. Hmm, I got that suite off Trademe (George Walkers) ages ago. I had seen it new in a shop in Albany about 8 yrs ago. It is oak with burr walnut inlay on the table. Chairs are innersprung. And I suspect it was made in china. My dad thought so too. So...yeah there is craftsmanship around still, not an antique. I got it cheap(er) because it has a couple of water spots on the table part.	pctek (84)
1398101	2015-04-06 23:49:00	You need to find some model steam boat enthusiasts, there must be some model engineering clubs around. . The Akld Engineers club guys didn't get back to me. They are more into trains. The RC boat club did, but while I might wander over if can't do anything else, it's a bit old for them I think.	pctek (84)
1398102	2015-04-06 23:55:00	Pics helpful? That gearbox?? to connect to the rudder isn't attaching properly .	pctek (84)
1398103	2015-04-07 01:54:00	Pics helpful? That gearbox?? to connect to the rudder isn't attaching properly . That's very good PCT . Track down R2x1 he's your man on this . ;) And you will share a photo of you water skiing behind it won't you . :D	B.M. (505)
1398104	2015-04-07 02:00:00	That burner uses the hot bit from what appears to be a Colman blowlamp. The drive coupler between the gearbox and the motor appears to have partially disengaged, no big problem with any luck. The oil reservoir is at the right rear of the motor, beside the back cylinder. All told, a pretty nice bit of work apparently designed to be built from purchased castings using pretty basic tools. The hardest bit is probably the fact it likely uses BA nuts and bolts / screws. This was a peculiar fastener style common (never popular) for a surprisingly long time. It requires weird spanners that are made of an early grade of unobtanium. Still, they can be tightened or loosened with pliers without serious risk of harm to the pliers. ;) It may well have been a modelling magazine project in many episodes and would be one of the very few ever completed out of thousands that were started. (/guess)	R2x1 (4628)
1 2 3