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Here is Steamy

Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:09 pm
by SidWell
This is my new 3 year project. Steamy is a former 26' US Navy whaleboat. The plan is to remove the rear cabin and restore the back half to an open deck, the main cabin needs to be raised by about 4" for more head room, the diesel engine will be removed and a boiler and steam engine will be installed, and the entire interior will need to be redone.

Image

more pics at

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/S ... ard/Steamy

Re: Here is Steamy

Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:04 pm
by artemis
An excellent example of what can be done with the 26' Navy motor whaleboat is Crest by the late Al Giles. It is written up in some detail in a number of articles in Steamboats and Modern Steam Lauches available from Elliott Bay Steam Launch http://www.steamlaunch.com. Another example is John Campbell's Rainbow, lost in a fire several years ago, but now built anew with the engine and boiler almost in place. He and his wife live on Orcas Island in Washington State. The late Capt. John McCready's Little Effie was put together in 1953-1954 and also appears in Steamboats and... noted above. Artemis which was built in 1965 by Elmer Brooks of Anacortes, WA was restored and owned by me from 1995 to 2003.

Both Artemis and Crest had two cylinder compounds of about 10HP and made 6 knots but all these boats really are to heavy to be frequently trailed and should be kept in the water.

Re: Here is Steamy

Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 7:06 pm
by SidWell
all these boats really are to heavy to be frequently trailed and should be kept in the water.
How upsetting to hear that. I live about 70 miles from any navigable body of water. I had hoped to use the boat to explore the many beautiful lakes, reservoirs and the Colombia River here in the state of Washington. If I cannot get a way to safely trailer and launch this boat, I may have to rethink this project.

Re: Here is Steamy

Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 4:18 pm
by artemis
I didn't say you can't, just that their weight makes it difficult. Looking at the photos, it may be that your hull is one of the later fiberglass versions. That may make a considerable difference. Wood 26' "liberty" hulls w/steam plant average between 5000 to 6000 pounds - definitely a three axle trailer. And a Ford F-350. If it's fiberglass that removes a major obstacle as your don't have to worry about the planks shrinking. And the fiberglass hull may drop the weight below the 5000#.

Re: Here is Steamy

Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 5:30 pm
by SidWell
Steamy has a fiberglass hull. Yes, weight is an issue and I will do all I can to keep the weight and center of gravity as low as possible. I do have plans of getting a F250, SuperDuty, PowerStroke to pull her with. The current trailer is a home built and I have plans to get a better one when the time comes to put her back into the water.

Re: Here is Steamy

Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 5:47 pm
by artemis
SidWell wrote:Steamy has a fiberglass hull. Yes, weight is an issue and I will do all I can to keep the weight and center of gravity as low as possible. I do have plans of getting a F250, SuperDuty, PowerStroke to pull her with. The current trailer is a home built and I have plans to get a better one when the time comes to put her back into the water.
:idea: Go to the Northwest Steam Society website: http://www.northweststeamsociety.org and navigate to the "classifieds" page. At the top is an ad for a 3 axle trailer. Jim Gibbons has been in the hobby many years and doesn't sell junk. He lives in Bow, WA. :D

Re: Here is Steamy

Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 4:11 am
by farmerden
Steam Queen tops out at over 10000 lb on the trailer.Now here comes the commercial! My old Ford pulled the local steep hill at 28 km ,my Dodge [Cummins powered] pulls the same hill at 80 Km!! There's no substitute for horsepower! Just make sure the trailer is built for the weight and don't use surge brakes ,use the cab controlled ones. That is the law up here and I'd do it even if it wasn't the law!Image[/img]

Re: Here is Steamy

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 3:06 am
by SL Ethel
I'm with Den on this one - towability is in the eye of the beholder. I have a 1/2 ton truck to tow my little boats, and an International 4700 to tow my big boat (a 27' steel hull that's probably a few pounds heavier than Steamy will be when finished). Nothing like having 600 pound feet of torque when you really need to move something heavy. It also makes life easier when you pick up an old 20" swing lathe as an impulse buy :shock:

Just make sure you DO have a big enough tow vehicle to handle your boat comfortably. In my experience that generally means a vehicle with a towing capacity at least somewhat in excess of the actual weight of your boat and trailer. My one attempt to tow the big boat with a regular pickup truck just barely rated for that load (before I bought my International) very nearly ended in the ditch. And even then I never even approached the speed limit.

Cheers,
Scott

Re: Here is Steamy

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 4:06 am
by DetroiTug
Hi Sid,

Looks like a great hull to start out with. I really like the cabin design, if it is savable in part, that would be a good route. Only making minor modifications. To totally remove it and start over is going to be quite a bit of time and money. Just looking at it, it seems feasible to just add a wheelhouse in the area with lower cabin roof in the front. I wouldn't worry about a large foredeck. The short foredeck gives them a more stocky look.

I wouldn't let the trailering ability deter you from pursuing your dream. To put it in perspective, there are trucks on the road of all types that move bigger and heavier payloads on a routine daily basis. Just select your trailer equipment and towing vehicle wisely.

On selection of towing vehicle: It seems the truck builders for the last ten years have been in an uncharacteristic contest to out build one another, half-ton trucks today are much more truck than they were just ten years ago. For instance, the 2011 half-ton 1500 Silverado has trailer towing capacity of 7600 pounds, and the F150 half ton is around 7800 pounds. They aren't fudging numbers, these trucks are beefier and more powerful than they used to be. My old 99 F150 paled in comparison. The 1500 Silverado has a 330 hp engine with a six speed transmission, plus it's 4 wheel drive to handle steep ramps, plus it has a selectable trailering mode that electronically changes the shift routine of the transmission. The bed loaded with gear, it pulls Iron Chief loaded with firewood, on the big heavy steel trailer at 70 mph on the expressway, no problem at all, although I keep it around 60 mph. As Den says, make sure you use in cab brake controls. This trailer has electric brakes with a Draw-tite III control. They work excellent, and they can be adjusted in the cab for different driving/road conditions.

I just took her over to Saugatuck over on the other side of the state and back, about 400 miles round trip, the truck handled it fine.

One tip on the trailer, make sure it has a long tongue. It has a few advantages: It's easier to get the boat out in to deeper water when launching, makes it trailer easier and more stable on the highway, longer wheelbase makes it easier to back up, and more importantly the long tongue acts as a long lever to the center point of the mass-trailer load. alleviating the forces on the tow vehicle.

-Ron