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Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 11:51 am
by PeteThePen1
Dear Steamboating Friends

Members in the UK are currently 'housebound' due to the Covid 19 outbreak and the attempts to restrict its spread. I notice from the news bulletins that the same is true in many other countries and, since this is an International Forum, it struck me that people everywhere might be looking for some intellectual stimulation.

I have found this rather nice design:
Fairlight 13 Canoe.jpg
Fairlight 13 Canoe.jpg (49.74 KiB) Viewed 7538 times
This is the Fairlight 13 sailing canoe which the vendors say has been developed to meet a family need for a paddling, rowing, motoring and sailing car top boat. The first thing that struck me was that it looked like a nice little steam launch, but obviously of diminutive dimensions. Could this become a two person car top steam launch?

I look forward to your suggestions on how that might be achieved.

I will add another post with photo of the boat pinched from the vendor's website [https://www.stanleysmallcraft.co/produc ... or-or-sail]

Regards

Pete

Re: Antidote to Caabin Fever?

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 11:55 am
by PeteThePen1
Here is a photo of the boat:

Fairlight 13 Canoe 2.jpg
Fairlight 13 Canoe 2.jpg (97.99 KiB) Viewed 7537 times

It is also featured on eBay at [https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DIY-Boat-Bui ... 2734580331} Anybody tempted to buy might wish to go to the vendor's own website where the price is less than eBay, naturally, and half that on etsy.

Pete

Re: Antidote to Caabin Fever?

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 3:03 pm
by Mike Rometer
Appreciating that it has been built down to a weight, steam equipment is heavy, so it may not be suitable for 'car top' unless such plant is easily removable? I believe some steam canoes already do this, so perhaps not too great a problem. It is rather attractive, but I see a couple of places where I think it could be improved a little for little or no extra weight.

Pity I sold that little single!

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 3:50 pm
by PeteThePen1
Sorry - double post.

Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 3:52 pm
by PeteThePen1
Hi Mike and friends

Yes, I agree that the steam plant is heavy, but it has been done successfully before. Looking at Taniwha built by Mike Robinson (SBA) [https://www.steamboatassociation.co.uk/page-1117882} he reports a boiler set up of 12kg. That is about the weight of a light bicycle. Unfortunately he does not report the weight of the engine.

My understanding is that the plant removes as two bits to put in the car while the canoe can be lifted up onto a roof rack. I am sure I have spotted a video of Mike doing that (on the SBA website I suspect).

What would our engineering folk suggest as a suitable achievable weight? The Fairlight 13 is a two person canoe, so perhaps the weight of a person - 120 - 140lbs, 54kg - 63kg. The trouble with that figure is that it implies making the boat a single person boat. Perhaps one could use Mike's achieved boiler weight of 12kg and make an allowance of the same for the engine and plumbing. Is that realistic? I would assume that the plant would use filtered lake feed and not bother with the weight of a condenser, or would a condenser be worthwhile?

So what do you feel needs to be done to the boat?

Pete

Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 4:36 pm
by fredrosse
I made a car-top steamer several years ago, able to be setup with only one person. The boat was a 15 foot Coleman plastic square stern canoe, which fit on the roof rack of an automobile, no more than 50 pounds to be lifted by the person at any time during unloading, setup and launching. The steam plant was mounted on a 2 ft x 4 ft plywood base, which had a total weight of less than 100 pounds, but the unloading/installation in the hull required only 50 pounds lifting by the operator.

Complete description here:

https://steamboating.de/steamboat/steam ... propulsion

Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 4:40 pm
by fredrosse
Car Top Steamer
ScanoeCruise.jpg
ScanoeCruise.jpg (76.66 KiB) Viewed 7340 times

Nominal 150 PSI steam, 600 RPM, 4.7 CID single acting engine, about 1/4 horsepower.
Flash Boiler, 5 square feet surface area, from 1/4 inch OD tubing. Propane fired

Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 4:47 pm
by fredrosse
Scanoe steamer underwayImage

Please pardon my ignorance, how to post a picture on the forum?

Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 7:16 pm
by PeteThePen1
Hi Fred

Thanks for posting the link to your canoe steam boat. That is fabulous and I was impressed by the steam plant as it looks to have everything of a full size plant.

Regards

Pete

PS Attaching one photo is possible in a post by scrolling down to the two tabs marked Options and Attachments. Click on Attachments and look for the button marked Add Files. Click on that and a normal file finder window will open. Select your file then click Open. Another line will open at the bottom of the screen will open showing the name of your file. Place your cursor in your post where you want the picture to start, probably leaving two lines below the text above. Next click on the button marked Place inline. This will add a line of code 'attachment=0 Your filname / attachment. Make sure that if you want more text to follow the picture you start again two lines below. And that is all there is to it. The system will allow you upload wo pictures but it just will not show them so if you want multiple pictures use more posts.

Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 7:25 pm
by Mike Rometer
I suppose, as usual, the place to start is to determine what output would be required to push it along a reasonable pace. Then find a suitable engine and work out the boiler heating area etc..

Of the hull, I would I think prefer to see a little camber on the foredeck, and perhaps fatten the gunbels a little, but minor visual enhancements.