New Plywood Sidewheeler Building

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fredrosse
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Re: New Plywood Sidewheeler Building

Post by fredrosse » Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:27 am

I am leaving much final fitting out work for the winter months, where the heated boatbuilding workshop will be a nice place to work at a more leisurely pace. Many details will be left undone for the initial trial, and initial running next month will hopefully give a better perspective on where to place seating, auxiliary machinery, fuel bunkers etc.

For initial running only the boiler, engine (with driven feed pump), and hand feed pump will be fitted, condensing equipment and tanks are not built yet.

Everything up to this point has been done to good strong standards, and will continue. I'm on the third 3 gallon batch of epoxy, 9 gallons total purchase, and that should be enough!
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fredrosse
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Re: New Plywood Sidewheeler Building

Post by fredrosse » Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:46 am

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Re: New Plywood Sidewheeler Building

Post by Narwhale » Wed Sep 22, 2010 7:13 pm

fredrosse,
The sidewheeler is looking great.
When I first saw it of the boat forum, wondered why a sidewheeler and not a sternwheeler.
Stumbled on the paddleduck website in the large building section and the real wheel boats there are wonderfull.
http://www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?board=30.0
The most wheel boat info in one place probably.
Hope you enjoy the paddleduck site and please keep your picturea and info coming.
Rich S.
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fredrosse
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Re: New Plywood Sidewheeler Building

Post by fredrosse » Thu Sep 23, 2010 5:28 pm

I thought about building a sternwheeler, which would have made many things easier, such as building the boat, docking the boat, better interior space, etc. The main reason for a sidewheeler, I love the walking beam engine type. My last steamer had an enclosed crankcase, so all i got to see was the flywheel turning around, and the valve mechanism. The walking beam engine will provide lots of eye candy.

The sidewheelers were used in ocean service, sternwheelers generally were not. This implied, to me, that the sidewheelers were more suited to rough seas. Rough seas is a relative term, but for a 20 ft boat, which can sometimes operate on fairly large lakes and rivers, I thought the traditional sternwheeler would be less seaworthy.
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Re: New Plywood Sidewheeler Building

Post by fredrosse » Mon Oct 04, 2010 5:01 am

5 days left before the last steamboat meet.

Hull is virtually completed, boiler installed today. I will be taking a few days off from my day job to hopefully meet the 09 Oct trials date.
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BoilerInstall02S.jpg
4 inch diameter burner inlet hole, 16 inch stainless steel furnace, not yet insulated.
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PaddleshaftHoleS.jpg
1.312 inch diameter paddleshaft will be fitted here.
PaddleshaftHoleS.jpg (84.52 KiB) Viewed 20034 times
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Inwales epoxied in place, Hull Structure Complete
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Re: New Plywood Sidewheeler Building

Post by mcandrew1894 » Wed Oct 06, 2010 1:25 am

It's coming along great Fred!.....I really know how much work and planning goes into all that.....you can spend a day just planning the next step, getting parts cut, getting supplies ready, making sure you have screws and clamps, and then all of a sudden....4 hours planning and effort becomes 20 minutes of assembly...and then you can't do a damn thing until the epoxy cures! :shock: :lol:

Stick with it buddy....you'll get there...I know it!

Dave
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Re: New Plywood Sidewheeler Building

Post by fredrosse » Thu Oct 07, 2010 5:02 am

Built the manual feed pump yesterday, welded up a new axle for the trailer today, and mounted the engine this evening. My son is putting in some crude plywood seats and floors, all temporary until the best seating arrnagement is figured out. Shafts and paddlewheels go in tomorrow.
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Re: New Plywood Sidewheeler Building

Post by farmerden » Fri Oct 08, 2010 4:23 am

Keep up the good work Fred! I was snooping in the photos in the background and it appears there is a place for everything and everything in its place! How does one do that? :?: I've tried my whole life to be neat and tidy -to no avail! Nice boat nice shop-you've got it all! Den
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Re: New Plywood Sidewheeler Building

Post by fredrosse » Mon Oct 11, 2010 5:22 am

Worked like a dog for the last few days, and we got into the water Sunday ( 10-10-10 ), made it to the last steamboat meet of this year. Boat and steam plant worked very well, the engine met with steam for the first time, we could not run the engine until the paddlewheels were fitted, as there is no flywheel without the paddlewheels. The main connecting rod bearing got hot and seized, but that was the only problem. Losening the bearing cap screws, and applying some steam cylinder oil solved the problem.

We were able to make good speed, limited only by the splashing of water, as the paddle boxes are not yet fitted. I could run at full cutoff with about 45 PSIG steam pressure, this was a wet ride, but acceptable. Design nominal steam pressure is 75 PSIG, with 100 PSIG maximum allowable working pressure for the boiler (MAWP). A short run at 80 PSIG steam pressure and full gear gave 80 RPM, and performance was in excess of expectations. This speed quickly brough several gallons of lake water into the boat (and I was soaked), so the paddle boxes need to be built before any further running.

I will post pictures as soon as my wife forwards them to me from her cell phone, what a world of electronic technology we now live in.
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Re: New Plywood Sidewheeler Building

Post by DetroiTug » Mon Oct 11, 2010 2:40 pm

Sounds like everything went well, that's great Fred!

Huge payoff for all the hard work - success.

-Ron
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