On the Blackstaffe boiler I built for my launch Reciproca, the grate area is 6.5" x 15.5". The distance from the bottom of the steam dome to the grate is 6.1". She would always smoke a little, so combustion wasn't entirely complete, but was always a good steamer.

Since you have a modern boiler, I see no need to go to a specialist boiler maker. A quick search found Mid South Boiler in Van Buren, AR. https://www.midsouthboiler.com/services/ They advertise tube replacement, etc., and if their advertising is honest, should be able to perform any repairs needed.

My 1960s vintage Blackstaff steeple compound engine is condensate lubed, and I've never heard it groan. Max operating pressure is close to 100 psi. Looks like your engine is using saturated steam? That and the low pressure could be the reason she doesn't groan. Raise the pressure and add some super...

You will know it when you hear it.

Compared to the quiet yickity yick of a good running engine, when it starts to groan, it hits you like fingernails on a chalkboard.

I expect that the 100 degrees mentioned is the amount the the author assumed would be lost in heating the cylinder block, but every engine is going to be different. Without oil, the engine relies on liquid water for lubrication, and any time the engine becomes dry, it's going to groan. So, with supe...

All I have to offer are my anecdotal observations, and one weed beating hack. On my first boat Reciproca , the propellor swung in open water behind the rudders, and without any structures nearby to offer resistance, her prop was a magnet for every weed in the neighborhood. I was impressed to learn t...

That's an excellent video, and thanks for the link. The scenery looks a lot like Raquette Lake and its adjoining rivers in the Adirondacks. Fleet trip up the South Inlet river.JPG Like the people in the video, I too am very concerned about the future of the hobby. I've been an active steamboater sin...

Vividus came with a stainless steel 11 gallon tank which I still use, though it has been moved as far aft as possible to counteract the boiler which is a little too far forward. She has a compound, 2-5/8" & 4-15/16" x 3-1/2", and normally needs one or two gallons of makeup per day of steaming. small...

I forgot about discoverlivesteam.com, it is very good and handy. I sold an unneeded boiler there, which went completely satisfactorily.

marinesteam wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 12, 2023 3:08 pm

It's a bit far from your home port!

That's true, roughly $750 just in gasoline for the round trip (plus some side trips), it made for an expensive vacation, but it was a very good time. The people there, and the chain of lakes itself are both first rate!