The Steamboating Forum

Will there be any steamboat rallys or meets in the Midwest this coming year? Mid-Michigan?

Lopez Mike wrote:But your engine didn't have a load on it, did it?

Nope... and I wasn't running any feed water in when watching the level in the glass go down. I read the FAQ on testing boiler output here and will do more testing. Thanks for the input.

"My heated surface area is only 6.5 sq. ft. But at 100 psi and an evap. rate approaching 40 cubic inches per minute, the engine ticks along nicely." That evaporation rate (87 pounds per hour) from a 6.5 square foot boiler seems way too high. My 20 square foot boiler (vertical fire tube) g...

Thanks for the info. It will be interesting to see how well that small of a boiler keeps up with the engine under load. I've told him he needs about 20 sq. ft. Agreed. 20 sq ft seems enough for his 14-footer, but that's just my gut feel. We know that his 14' l.w.l. hull speed is about 5 knots (5.7 ...

="Lopez Mike"]I have a friend who is collecting the bits for a small launch. He has a Stuart 5A and a 14 foot hull intended for electrical power with a 12" x 15" three blade prop... Any thoughts from the group about heating area? Interestingly, I'm also working on a launch adapt...

I realize this is an old thread, but thought some might be interested in mahogany lagging. My slats are 1/2 inch thick by 1 inch wide and shaped to the boiler o.d. Made three 120-degree sections, each with the slats held together with hi temp epoxy. Three brass bands to hold the 3 sections to the bo...

Thanks for the advice, Ron.

The gears are for forward and reverse. Used this arrangement once on a Tom Thumb locomotive and it worked well there. So, used it for this engine rather than a typical Stephenson system. Hoped to end up with a simpler design, but in hind sight, I should have gone for the Stephenson. I also started o...

My lift table legs were uneven, causing a bit of a wobble. But, for the first test run, I was pleased nothing serious popped up.

Closer look from side: