The light is pretty good so it can't be that deep. Amazing to see it so free of growth. I live in a salt water area and something like that would have been eaten and covered up long ago.
Re: Steamboat with a mysterious story
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 5:21 pm
by cyberbadger
Maybe the owner felt there was a danger issue with the boiler and didn't want anyone to use it again.
I have a non code boiler, my first boiler from Ross Bendixen/union steam. I don't really want to sell it to anyone because he won't even divulge the mild steel heritage/alloy of it. I wouldn't really want anyone else to fire it under pressure given it's unknowns.
-CB
Re: Steamboat with a mysterious story
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 5:42 pm
by Lopez Mike
These days with more sophisticated examinations possible we can fire some fairly dubious looking boilers. Here in the Northwest there is a gang of lunatics who resurrect old donkey boilers that were abandoned in the woods a lifetime ago. After replacing all the piping, a thorough visual added to a ultrasonic examination and a high end hydro, they fire them up with the blessings of our state inspector.
These are fire tube boilers. I don't know enough about water tube units to say anything knowledgable.
When I got mine, the first thing I did was put it against my forehead. It was calibrated for steel and said that my skull was an inch thick. My wife was not surprised.
Re: Steamboat with a mysterious story
Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 5:10 pm
by Kelly Anderson
cyberbadger wrote:Maybe the owner felt there was a danger issue with the boiler and didn't want anyone to use it again.
In 1914, the boiler was a highly replaceable item. Sinking the boat because of that would by like sinking your motorboat because the outboard motor was bad.
Per Dick Mitchell's book, by 1914, steam lauches had zero value. Perhaps he scuttled it because he was done with it, couldn't find a buyer, and had to clear the slip. Never the less, if someone were to raise that boat today, I'll bet that she could be put back into service with minimal repairs beyond repairing the hole in the hull and inspecting the boiler. They've done just that to boats in cold, fresh water lakes in the UK.
Re: Steamboat with a mysterious story
Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2016 12:24 pm
by fredrosse
"I have a non code boiler, my first boiler from Ross Bendixen/union steam. I don't really want to sell it to anyone because he won't even divulge the mild steel heritage/alloy of it. I wouldn't really want anyone else to fire it under pressure given it's unknowns."
I have seen his boilers on eBay, and they are indeed in violation of several boiler code rules, in my view a dangerous design cooked up by an mechanic with no idea what he is doing. That is beyond his lack of knowledge of the steel he uses for their construction. I have written to him about the technical shortcomings of his boilers, and have gotten no reply. He is still selling these poorly designed boilers. When someone is injured (or killed) by one of his boilers failing, he would have no defence, having been warned about his deficiencies.
Re: Steamboat with a mysterious story
Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2016 4:24 pm
by cyberbadger
fredrosse wrote:I have written to him about the technical shortcomings of his boilers, and have gotten no reply. He is still selling these poorly designed boilers.
You are definitely not the only one, there have been folks trying to get him shut down, but he's in a legal grey area. Ross does shut down if you ask too many questions or make suggestions.
I found it crazy that I, as a customer and new to steam 6 years ago was the one to tell him that the trycocks on my first boiler were not even aligned with the sight glass.
That's because he thought they were just there for show, I had to explain their use to him.