The Steamboating Forum

Hi All!

Haven't posted in a while, but that's only because I haven't had much to say! I've still been lurking around.

Anyways, I went digging around for the rules on operating a steam powered ship in Canada, and as best as I can determine, since it's a boat, it doesn't fall under the boiler legislation, and because it's a non-commercial craft, there are no real requirements for operating it, or getting the boiler inspected / licensed or anything.

I even contacted a class 2 marine engineer, who claimed that as long as the craft was under ... i think it was 30 meters, and wasn't taking passengers for hire, I didn't need an engineers ticket.

But this doesn't seem to gel with what I've read of Amercian regulations.

Thoughts?

Steve I had the opportunity to talk to a BC steam inspector over a 15" ga. Crown locomotive my son wanted to import in from the states. He indicated it depended on grate size [like 20 sq ft or so] My memory is a bit dim of the whole event but I do recall it was huge compared to my boat boiler! They are only concerned with Laundermat boilers and up.UNLESS it's for hire ,then it's a new game. That doesn't give us a free ride tho' If we are to keep this freedom we had better be spotless in our safety checks. I maintain a log and hydro-test every spring so if I am ever asked I can produce my records.Also to attend a NWSS event I now have to produce this anyway.This is the club's way of protecting steamers in Wash state. Last thing we need is a guy inforcing a law he knows nothing about!! So that's the way it is over here in BC! Den

The late Don Thompson had been into hobby steamboating since the mid 1960s. He had also worked in engine rooms beginning with his service in the RCNR in WWII. He was very active in the retired Naval Reserve. In the late 1990s/early 2000s he asked the Canadian Coast Guard in BC what their position was regarding hobby steamboats. They told him as long as no one blew anything up, there were no problems. And I believe that's still the case.