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Anne from Little Britan
Anne from Little Britan
Posts: 232
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:17 pm
Boat Name: No Boat Yet
Location: Roseville, MN
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Otter's website

Post by csonics » Wed Nov 18, 2009 8:28 pm

Posted on behalf of barts:

barts
Lighting the Boiler


Joined: 02 May 2009
Posts: 32
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 8:21 pm Post subject: Otter's website

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Bart Smaalders
S.L Otter
Menlo Park, CA
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87gn@tahoe
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Joined: 23 Feb 2009
Posts: 148
Location: South Lake Tahoe, CA
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 11:36 pm Post subject:
looks great Bart!... need to update the engine info now... meant to ask, did you see the same performance with the new engine as you did with the old?

wes

P.S. I think we should do another Donner Lake Meet this coming year.. Waddya think? Blains, Vennerbek, and Parola seem interested.....
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Wesley Harcourt
-S.L. Wayward Belle (Mr. Grosjean was/is a genius.)
-S.L. George H. Sandin (Father's boat. Cut my teeth on that one.)
-'64 Buick Riviera
-'65 Buick Special WAGON
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barts
Lighting the Boiler


Joined: 02 May 2009
Posts: 32
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 1:22 am Post subject:
87gn@tahoe wrote:
looks great Bart!... need to update the engine info now... meant to ask, did you see the same performance with the new engine as you did with the old?

wes

P.S. I think we should do another Donner Lake Meet this coming year.. Waddya think? Blains, Vennerbek, and Parola seem interested.....


Actually, the new engine is clearly more powerful than the old one, but it shakes harder at high rpm so I need more pitch. I have a 13"x17" on there right now; I'd like a 14"x21" or so. The new engine is 40% greater displacement than the old one.

I'm up for a Donner meet as well - I love it up there. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, Donner Lake is just below the Sierra Nevada summit on I-80; this is the area where the ill-fated Donner Party spent the winter. The lake is surrounded by granite mountains ; the sound of s brief blast on a steam whistle can heard echoing around the mountains.

I've got a list of things to do on the boat, engine and boiler over the winter, so I'm starting this weekend so I don't get so behind before spring... I've got some repairs to do as well; the deck area supporting the front right canopy stanchion took a beating from the heavy lifeboat we towed into the dock friday night at the B & W meet.
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Bart Smaalders
S.L Otter
Menlo Park, CA
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mcandrew1894
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Joined: 11 Oct 2007
Posts: 149

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 8:01 pm Post subject:
Hi Bart,

I know you had a converted engine in before. What are you running now?

Dave
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barts
Lighting the Boiler


Joined: 02 May 2009
Posts: 32
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 8:42 pm Post subject:
Quote:
I know you had a converted engine in before. What are you running now?


The converted refrigeration compressor's bearings are shot (after 20 years of running on water & cylinder oil blend...); I considered rebuilding it but the basic problem of water + oil in the crankcase, and the limitations of the slide valve led me the try a different engine...

I've got a Bowdish & Son Mfg. (circa 1895) 2.5"x2.5" piston valve single... classic little A-frame engine w/ a Stephenson link, babbitt bearings, etc. It was missing several bits and pieces when I got it as bunch of parts in a box; careful measurement showed that I needed a lot of refurbishment(piston, piston rod, valve rod, ....). That was last winter's & spring's project... Yes, I do need to get some pictures up!

I just got it in the boat and running in time for last month's meet, but I'm still debugging the knock that appears while running hard. I should have the engine out tomorrow, so I'll know more then.

- Bart
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Bart Smaalders
S.L Otter
Menlo Park, CA
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mcandrew1894
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Joined: 11 Oct 2007
Posts: 149

Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:27 am Post subject:
Good Luck!

Image

I used a shovel handle rod with 2 Timken stamped outer race needle bearings. One either side of the crosshead. The cross head pin is cross drilled and then case hardened. This year I added LP mounted pumps, so now I have a hardened 5/16 dowel pin in instead on the LP. It works fine with the slushed grease I put in at assembly.


Dave
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barts
Lighting the Boiler


Joined: 02 May 2009
Posts: 32
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 6:58 pm Post subject:
The engine is out of the boat again...

The crosshead bearing adjustment was apparently at the end of its travel; after everything settled in it just wasn't tight enough and thus the knock. I find the whole assembly rather small and fiddly; I'm very much inclined to replace it w/ the needle bearing. With the design of the crosshead, I'll need to use a single needle bearing in the rod rather than two in the crosshead.

The mains needed their slack taken up as well; I'd not replaced the babbitt on the main bearings and what w/ my straightening the crank, it took a little while to run in. There's very little shim left there now, so while I have the engine out I'll redo them as well. The engine has clearly had rather inexpert (more than I, even) repair over the years, but piece by piece I'm getting it set right.

The new piston & rings & rods worked very well, no signs of any distress.

- Bart
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Bart Smaalders
S.L Otter
Menlo Park, CA
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87gn@tahoe
Full Ahead


Joined: 23 Feb 2009
Posts: 148
Location: South Lake Tahoe, CA
Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 7:29 pm Post subject:
you really get stuff done... all i've succeded in doing is winterizing the boat
_________________
Wesley Harcourt
-S.L. Wayward Belle (Mr. Grosjean was/is a genius.)
-S.L. George H. Sandin (Father's boat. Cut my teeth on that one.)
-'64 Buick Riviera
-'65 Buick Special WAGON
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