The Steamboating Forum

Ok, Thanks for all the advice and information. I think I'll go for the standard bronze skin fitting, with a ptfe disk inside the hull, Ball vv and NRV at the hull end. Half inch blowdown valve on the boiler, (Ofeldt type) with a copper blowdown line and a good sized expansion loop. I'm not a fan of ...

Hey Friends, Thanks for the advice and tips. I'm sorry I can't deal fully with it at the moment - the family insists I take part in Christmas and New Year stuff - Bah Humbug - steamers are much more fun than reindeer, sleighs, eggnog and moose's milk - maybe not the latter. I'm planning to sneak off...

I'm seeking advice on what to use as a blowdown skin fitting for my boat. Hull is glassed ply, max boiler pressure is 125 psi, so max temp in the blowdown line could be up to 350 F/177 C, so I think I need to somehow insulate the line from the hull. Any guidance or good designs out there?

Well,I've bought the plans, now to get it built! I will make a few changes, to better match my boilermaker's production capabilities, and to align with a design standard used locally, (eg not having nozzles penetrating through a circumferential weld). The plans seem relatively simple and the design ...

Hey thanks for the comments and advice people, I really appreciate it. Manufacture of an Ofeldt design is significantly cheaper for me, since I am not a "code" welder (my welding looks like seagull poop), and I want the boiler to be as near to a local code as I can get it while still using...

Thanks for the comments, gentlemen. I was figuring on using the copper coils brazed into welded-on nipples. I can only envisage a 5" diam coil of 3/4 bore steel tube being successfully wound hot, and equipment/facilities for that aren't available to me. I initially considered using Cunifer10 tu...

This might be a contentious question - I am considering purchasing plans from Reliable Steam Engine Co, for one of their Ofeldt design boilers. Can anyone comment on the standard of their design and the quality of the plans package they provide? I have read nothing adverse on these matters, but hav...