Looking for a new project i decided to try to make an outboard steam launch. The engine and drive took a while to work out but in the end it all came together well. The boat travels at a nice speed fueled by tablets for lightness as the boiler and engine are quite heavy for the boat size which is about 22"long. There is a brief glimpse of my paddle steamer that i also made. Pictures taken at TILFORD rural life museum Farnham. Next show is Easter Saturday Les Breame
The tablets are the same ones used in all MAMOD toys after they stopped using meths.Get them from DREAM STEAM under name MSS Mamod Solid Fuel Tablets. They are not liked by many as they are quite toxic in confined spaces so dont use them indoors!!! For small boats they are great as they weigh nothing and give good heat. Les Breame
Coal fired Clyde Puffer project. GRP hull with vertical boiler and oscillating engine both of which i made from scratch. Goes very nicely . pictures taken at ilfracombe boating pond. Les Breame
Hull is about 36" long and from ORION Mouldings[i think !!] its quite nice and shows all the rivets in good detail. We are at present making a Puffer 54" long and i am going to make the hull from soldered tinplate[ i hope !!! ] Les Breame
Hull is from boot sale. Turbine is 3" dia and is driven by twin boilers. I made them both. Speed is not blistering but it goes !!! Boiler pressure is 100lb/sq in. Les Breame
I built this vessel from scratch using a pre made clinker fibreglass hull purchased from Mini Steam Australia. The engine is an oscillating twin cylinder and the boiler is a 3" Centre Flue Gas Fired Vertical Boiler from "Miniature Steam". The gas tank is a 1-1/2" vertical refillable GasTank also from Miniature Steam Pty. Australia. The vessel is radio controlled with the skipper appearing to control the rudder. it has a smoke generator and a rc controlled steam whistle.
Finished my first boiler with home made engine and reversing valve small leak on main steam valve still to cure but other than that all is well. Am I a happy bunny!
just got to fit it in boat and its off to the pond
Roger
Built from a plan in 'Model Boats' in the 80's with a balsa hull and ply decking. Powered by a single cylinder 'Unit Steam Engine' from the same era, and a meths fired boiler. Only recently has radio control been added.
Hi Laurie, since my last post I have filled a short length of 15mm copper pipe with lead and tied it under the keel. What a difference, now sits in water better and very stable Cant believe the difference moving the weight under the keel makes. Thonk I will bolt it through the keel so I can remove it for display, thanks for your help good sailing
Roger
Built from kit . it has full lighting and smoke from the shrimp boiler (the lid is off my wife's coat )and working trawler nets ,( causes a right drag when deployed)
This is Victoria, she was built from a Krick kit about 4 years ago, steam powered with a Maccsteam boiler and an SVS 10mm bore x 11mm stroke oscillator. She is currently taking a well earned rest after 3 years hard work, out 3 days a week, weather permitting. Undergoing boiler cleaning, engine overhaul and a bit of patching up of the woodwork.
Completed (nearly, still a few more crates needed) in July after a 2 year build on a Kingston Moldings hull. Not a scrap of plywood has been used, all made from Oak, Mahogany, Beech and brass. All fittings scratch built, boiler from Maccsteam in Macclesfield, engine TVR 1 A BB from Macclesfield model engineering supplies. Runs on 60/40 butane propane mix. Radio 3 channels used on Futaba 6EX 2.4 ghz set, 1 fo1 for fwd/reverse, I for steering.
This is a fun boat!
With a steam engine that really runs, it is quite a crowd pleaser.
The tank and parts are brass, and silver soldered together. The heat source is sterno, placed in the tray and Ignited. This boils distilled water in the boiler, which is vented to the piston. The hole in the freeboard is the "exaust".
I'll have to post a video of it operating.
Howdy,
It runs pretty good. The 3 blade screw pushes it right along.
Have you had your engine running since you put it together? I've been experimenting with different types of fuel, one that would be more controlable with temperature to try and limit output. Right now its all or nothing.
I'll post a video soon.
Yes I did run it with the solid fuel but that is what has put me off. I have thought about building a small gas fired boiler- I built a 3''dia vertical boiler for another boat- just wondered if it was worth it. I have a two foot hull which might suit it- or it might be too heavy -what sort ofweight is your fantail all up? I know that was designed for the plant.
What other fuels have you tried? it would be nice to see a video when you get round to it- always interesting
This boat was scratch built from Harold Underhill plans, available still from Brown,Son and Ferguson. The hull was mahogany on 6mm ply frames. The engine was a Caton from Maxwell Hemmens supplied bya gas-fired Cheddar Puffin boiler. The propeller was a two inch four bladed brass job from Rivabo I think. The displacement of the boat is 25lb- a bit of a lump to carry to the water but it does work well once in the water. She has now been converted to electric using a MFA geared 540 type motor witha 7.5ah lead acid gel cell. Looking again at this video I begin to wish I had left it as steam but there is something to be said for 'switch on and go'.
I started building the boat in the mid nineties and it has now had a repaint- it always been a favourite. This video was taken in the early noughties at Crealy in Exeter.
Steam launch designed and built by me. I used a computer program called Plyboats to design it and it is a double chine ply hull. The power plant is a twin cylinder Cheddar engine, the Pelican I believe, which was a vee twin. The boiler was designed and built by me being a 3'' dia vertical firetube, gas fired.
This video was taken at Crealy in Exeter one summer evening in 2003 as a fairly new boat. She is now in need of a little TLC.
