English Steamboating...

[fredrosse]

Thanks for the info, I will be buying this book today if it is available.

I have a design for a 15 HP oil fired steam plant that I intended to use for this project. It is very interesting to see what 15 REAL horsepower can do, when turning a proper size propeller at the proper RPM. Conventional IC engined boats usually, with planing hulls, have very small propellers that show very low efficiency at these power levels.

One of the best examples showing a rather large propeller, the English Steam Umpire Launch, Consuta.



Quite a big prop!!!

[gondolier88]

Thanks for the info, I will be buying this book today if it is available.

I have a design for a 15 HP oil fired steam plant that I intended to use for this project. It is very interesting to see what 15 REAL horsepower can do, when turning a proper size propeller at the proper RPM. Conventional IC engined boats usually, with planing hulls, have very small propellers that show very low efficiency at these power levels.

One of the best examples showing a rather large propeller, the English Steam Umpire Launch, Consuta.



Quite a big prop!!!

You're quite right- low speed, high pitch prop's with large thrust areas at the blade tips are a steam speed nut's best friend. In an attempt to add surface area to a propeller with a given diameter, the builders of 'Otto' (now in the Windermere Steamboat Museum) made the blades corrugated! It was later proved that the increased blade thickness and rotating weight precluded any advantage of blade area, but a fantastic sculpture in bronze at any rate.

The 15hp LIFU engine (a Rolls Royce among small engines) drawings are available from Reeves 2000 model engineering supplies. To see the engine in action search videos on YouTube from user 'arlette31'.

The catalogue of the LIFU co. (c1910) is also available from the shop here; http://www.steamboattrust.org.uk/

Greg

[fredrosse]

I figure the Oberon turns around 750 RPM at maximum speed (17 MPH), not too far from the 1000 RPM I plan. I have already gotten the prop, 18 x 21, two blade, for a 19 foot fast steamer.

While the engine and boiler I plan are different from traditional types, there is no reason why the boat itself could not imitate the classic fast launches such as Oberon.

[Dhutch]

One of the best examples showing a rather large propeller, the English Steam Umpire Launch, Consuta.



Quite a big prop!!!

Very definitely, im yet to get to Windermere for some steamboating but when they moored along side use at Beale Park and offered to take us out for a spin, it would have been rude to have declined! Very nice bit of boat with a very suitable engine in fine shape.


Daniel