My 24' Launch

[S. Weaver]

A warmer day Saturday, so another coat of epoxy base ...

[87gn@tahoe]

That's a good looking engine. What is the make and what are the dimensions?

[S. Weaver]

Wesley:

Mills-Beaumaris, 2.5 x 4.875 x 4.0

[S. Weaver]

Bottom paint is on. I'm still fooling with the topsides prior to painting.

[S. Weaver]

So here's a funny thing: As I continue to dismantle the engine while things are drying on the hull, I "discover" that the front main bearing is a roller bearing and the main rear are tapered Timkens in indirect opposition. I was a little crest-fallen ...

There's a story here. I've spent part of my adult life in attempting to perfect an expertise in the obsolete art of the care and feeding of plain bearings. There's a certain joy in taking a scraper to a problematic bearing that tends to run hot and turning it into a contented member of the team. Most of this has been in rail preservation, so when it came time to shovel over the carefully hoarded dollars for my very own marine compound, part of the dream was having plain main bearings. Bearings I could caress into cooperation. Well, there's plenty else to caress into cooperation on this engine, and some of you are probably forming the opinion that I'm a little daft, but so what? I'll leave the bearings be and won't convert them or their housings to plain.

[fredrosse]

Is it that the rear bearing, being a tapered roller bearing, has the duty of thrust bearing for the propeller forward thrust? If so, then what would take the thrust in reverse? I am assuming the tapered roller bearing is similar to those found in typical automotive practice, but two opposing ones are provided on an automotive axel to take thrust in two directions.

Tapered roller bearings are well evolved machines, and take thrust far beyond anything envisioned for a small launch thrust bearing. I like sleeve bearings, they will outlast any type of roller/ball bearings if properly designed, and maintained, but the rolling element bearings can take so much more load than sleeve bearings. A typical automotive tapered roller bearing should also last indefinately in the service of main crank/propeller thrust bearing for a steam launch.

[S. Weaver]

Fred:

There are two in indirect opposition, like a wheel axle. I'll still have a separate thrust bearing on the prop shaft, to keep the wear and tear off the engine.

Yes, they should be very durable and will last indefinitely in this app.

[DetroiTug]

Steve,

Your hull is looking great!

Really like the lines.

-Ron

[S. Weaver]

Ron, thanks for the encouragement. Little by little ...

[S. Weaver]

Found a build date the other night while scraping red lead out of the forward main bearing location on the bed plate. So now some questions are answered and there's enough information for an engraved engine badge plate:

Beaumaris Instrument Co. Ltd.
Engine No. 5
February 1973

I would be grateful for any other history anyone might have on this engine.