The Steamboating Forum

Hi all steam heads,

Jürgen here hailing from the West Coast of Canada, BC, about to enter the world of steam.
I have been building small cedar epoxy vessels, kayaks, rowboats and canoes http://www.cedar-strip.com for a few years now.
Now it looks like steam boat building is in my future:
As I am living off-grid in the backwoods and backwaters of BC, I relied only on solar and a micro hydro plant to make power for shop and house. The need for more electricity arose in the times between the winter rain and the disappearance of the sun behind my coastal hills.
Since I am burning wood anyways, and have a battery bank from my existing power system, a boiler and a steam engine would fit the bill. Besides, while I can make DC with steam in my shop, I could do all my learning on dry land...and heat my shop and greenhouse to boot. I have been looking at Mike Brown's 3 hp engine, and so far explored Yarrow water tube boiler as well as the Ofeldt, and off course the VFT.
Since my first project is to only power my shop battery bank, perhaps I am out off line here. However, I am counting on some slack from you, as this is only the first step towards my brilliant career in steam boat building from scratch, I am sure.
I have to start somewhere. I am thankful and all ears to any and all input. Cheers, J

Hello and welcome to the forum. Your beautiful work is most excellent! Hoping to see a beautiful little cedar strip steamer in your future, or something larger as you may wish.

Steam-electric generation, the source of the great majority of the world's power at present, and most of that by burning solid fuels in boilers, running modern steam engines, although of the turbine type in large central stations.

Some time ago I built a domestic heat-power module, an automatic, unattended, coal fired steam-electric plant that made the electricity for the home, with the exhaust steam heating the house. The unit ran 24-7 in the winter, and used a single cylinder reciprocating steam engine. The engine was especially designed for this service, not requiring any manual oiling, no oil injection into the cylinder. During the years using this machine, the engine accumulated thousands of hours running, and never required a rebuild. Many steam engines are capable of very long service life with proper circumstances. There is an ASME Power Generation Conference paper describing this machine and its operation, I will send the file if you wish. Happy to give any advice for your intended efforts, as are many of our fellow steamboat people.

Welcome to the forum Jurgen. Your workmanship is beautiful.

Welcome Jurgen, I'm awed by those canoes.

Welcome. There are a number (six or more I think) active steam powered canoes in the world. A couple are here in the Pacific Northwest. And the Northwest Steam Society http://www.northweststeamsociety.org is about more than steamboats. Check it out.

Welcome Jurgen
I live on the island that blocks you from being a real west-coaster LOL
I can hardly wait to see the Steam boat you create. your work is art! Den