I'm pleased to see that Roast Beef a la Inglesa was on the menu.

From looking at various videos of the Kitchen rudder in operation it does seem like a marvellous device. Perhaps if he'd marketed it as a vector thrust steering device he'd have had more success. The partial shrouding of the propeller that it offers should mean it is more efficient too. The other da...

That's their older design. The newer ones are enclosed, use a piston valve and have no reversing gear and the enclosed design makes it difficult to incorporate one, hence the interest in the kitchen rudder. They're principally sold into Africa and forested parts of Asia where the wood as a fuel is r...

http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p406/random149/tinytech2_zpsfr0x5pys.jpg http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p406/random149/tinytech1_zpshyrekg9s.jpg These are the only people in the world mass-producing steam engines, Tinytech Plants in India. They're cheap, redesigned and much better made than ...

Thanks for that. That's just what I was hoping. I think we're both paid up members of the keep it simple brigade
Further to which I'm fascinated by the discussion re Mr Kitchen's rudder. Looks like you could junk all the reversing gear too and just run a single with a water pump. Mmmmm....

I have read on here that it is possible to run a keel condenser without a pump, relying on exhaust pressure to return the condensate to the hotwell. How well does this work in practise? It seems like a reasonable approach if running a single, say a 3 x 4, where vacuum isn't as important as on a comp...

Thanks for that link CB, a fascinating discussion and photos.
(note to self - use the search function first, it's probably all been said before)

Some online links to useful reading material http://www.kimmelsteam.com/steamlibrary.html http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/index.html These are my favourites weighty Victorian tomes (they are sizable downloads). https://ia800306.us.archive.org/29/items/steamboilers00newyrich/steamboilers00newyrich....

Steam Engine Principles (Their Application on a Small Scale) by N G Calvert Propeller Handbook (The Complete Reference for Choosing, Installing and Understanding Boat Propellers) by Dave Gerr Boatbuilding with Steel (including Boatbuilding with Aluminium by Thomas Colvin) by Gilbert C. Klingel From ...

Nice drawing, Fred. I would build it with a water leg. Except for the firebox penetration there are no drawbacks that come to mind and the steam producing area of the boiler are so much improved. just two rings and the firebox hole and you easily double the area that receives radiant heat from the ...