Antidote to Cabin Fever?

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Oilking
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Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Post by Oilking » Fri May 08, 2020 3:48 pm

75 Years go the world saw the first step in the end of a war that ravaged the world. Today we face a war of a different kind with an enemy that we can't easily see.
We can win again with the same resolve and sacrifice as our parents had during those hard years.

Happy VE-Day

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PeteThePen1
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Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Post by PeteThePen1 » Tue May 12, 2020 6:49 pm

Various discussions with Mike Rometer about the Fairlight 13 have raised a small problem - basically its a small, if pretty, canoe. Having space for friends and grandchildren is not really possible given that steam plant would be equivalent to a person leaving space for perhaps one small other. However, keeping the boat small enough to fit in the typical UK garage was a red line not to be crossed. So where should one go next?

Tipped off about boat kits by Dietrich I have been doing some browsing and have come up with another suggestion for consideration. Below is a quick sketch and some photos:
Fyne Four Minimal.jpg
Fyne Four Minimal.jpg (104.7 KiB) Viewed 6456 times
This is a design from Selway Fischer who sell it as the Stornaway 12. It can also be had from Fyne Boats as a kit of parts under the name the Fyne Four. What appeals is the way the side benches and the forward 'tank' can provide storage/tankage and buoyancy. With the centre board and centre thwart removed (and replaced by a frame cut from the building mould) there is reasonable space in the centre for some steam plant. The front tank could be turned into a rear facing seat by the addition of a backrest and cushion. The side benches at the rear would accommodate the skipper and one other thus meeting the "and the grandkids too" criterion.

A couple of 'stolen' photos follow:
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PeteThePen1
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Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Post by PeteThePen1 » Tue May 12, 2020 6:53 pm

These photos give a feel for the boat under construction:
Fyne Four Overall.png
Fyne Four Overall.png (359.16 KiB) Viewed 6455 times



What we probably need now is some input from Russ to explain how his Thistle hull had the propeller, etc added.

Regards

Pete
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Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Post by PeteThePen1 » Tue May 12, 2020 6:56 pm

Here is another photo:
Fyne Four Part assembled hull.png
Fyne Four Part assembled hull.png (404.54 KiB) Viewed 6452 times

Lovely lines!
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PeteThePen1
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Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Post by PeteThePen1 » Tue May 12, 2020 6:57 pm

Now some detail:
Fyne Four Foreward Tank.png

Oh, to have that many cramps to hand!
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Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Post by RNoe » Wed May 13, 2020 12:52 am

OK, Pete. I'll bite.

My Steam Thistle has a traditional (for early Thistles) mahogany plywood cold-molded hull, that is quite stiff when finished with gunwales and lateral gratings and seats installed. It retains some flexibility, but holds up to surprising abuse for decades.
My 1960-built early fiberglass Thistle hull ( Registration # 1419) required added stiffeners along the broad flat aft portion to prevent odd vibrations from occurring at planing speeds!
Yes, people have even water-skied behind Thistles in insane wind conditions!! (Maybe I need to upgrade my steam plant to 20+ H.P. high rpm...)

The unidentified person who originally turned it into a steamer used a fiberglass (?) tube, glassed into a slot cut in the hull bottom. That aft section of the Thistle hull is quite flat since it is a planing hull. So additional wood was bonded parallel to the tube to provide addition fore/aft stiffness. I know this because of photos taken pre-restoration by Bill Paulsoulich before he stripped the hull for a complete restoration.

While restoring the hull, Bill acquired a new cast bronze shaft tunnel and properly mounted it to the hull in place of the original tube. He of course performed his research and evaluation and acquired a shaft tunnel of the correct angle to the hull. He did all his work with extreme care and skill.
In the attached picture of the bare hull, you can see the new bronze tunnel, mounted to a fore/aft stiffener joining plank, which actually might have been original to the wood hull when built in the mid-1960s. I don't know, and may never know.
Bare cleaned hull 1 small.jpg
So that's the solution produced by Bill P. and I am grateful for his care and skill in performing the hull restoration/improvements.
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Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Post by PeteThePen1 » Wed May 13, 2020 10:04 am

Hi Russ

Many thanks for 'picking up the bait' and explaining what was done. That looks a wonderfully roomy hull from your photo, but coming from Small Garage Land we need to think rather less expansively. To further satisfy my curiosity, how is the drive and propeller dealt with under the hull? Looking back at you posts for your restoration, I found this:


ST prop installed 2 sml.jpg
ST prop installed 2 sml.jpg (151.81 KiB) Viewed 6408 times

I suppose my real question is whether that was the final implementation or did you add a skeg or other paraphernalia?


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Pete
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Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Post by RNoe » Wed May 13, 2020 4:10 pm

No skeg has been added. The visible stainless steel aft support for the cutlass bearing has two bars extending down to provide some impact protection for the prop. The welded parallel bars make a very stiff structure. This is actually a Bill Paulsoulich improvement over the original support which was V-shaped with no extensions below the bearing, leaving the prop blades exposed.

I expect the boat to exhibit sliding in turns due to the lack of any keel or skeg. 'Should be fun. The relatively sharp bow shape does provide some pivot area for turning, based on my experiences with Thistle sailboats.

Thistle sailboats have a retractable center board with 80 lbs of lead on the bottom to neutralize buoyancy of the wood. The center board pivots at the front, allowing complete retraction to leave the hull bottom smooth. Adjusting the tilt of the center board also changes the hydraulic balance of the boat allowing careful adjustment of sails and thrust lines to provide a neutral rudder, which decreases drag. Racing stuff, for sure.

Anyway, this Steam Thistle operated successfully for decades with no skeg so I expect I can learn its handling requirements too.
We'll see. And I'm looking forward to that opportunity.
RussN
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Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Post by fredrosse » Fri May 15, 2020 1:31 pm

An O'Day Javelin fiberglass hull, similar to the Thistle hull (small planing sailboat hull), converted to electric motor drive, in the process of conversion to a steamer. Centerboard well is cut out, and a 1-1/2 inch PVC pipe is fiberglassed into the hull.
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Mike Rometer
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Re: Antidote to Cabin Fever?

Post by Mike Rometer » Fri May 15, 2020 1:36 pm

I'd like to ask what dia. and length of shaft is envisaged?
Retirement is about doing what floats your boat!

A BODGE : - A Bit Of Damn Good Engineering.
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