Steam Launch parts acquired

[Ned L]

Beautiful work!
(I forget whether I mentioned to you the idea of big zippers in the canopy top for safety.)

 

[seikeinlemming]

Ned L - Yep! They are in the current plan.

 

[seikeinlemming]

Here is some canopy progression and propulsion completion:

Photos 1 and 2 show the canopy being assembled. As mentioned before, we are building it right on top of the cabin area so that the curvature (in all directions) matches the coaming. The six stanchions are the actual posts in their actual location. They will be shortened a little bit and sit about 3 inches lower overall. Today I got the blocks that receive the stanchions installed on the starboard side and port was done yesterday. Once epoxy has cured I will be laminating wood to build out the thickness of the canopy frame. We have fancy deck hardware that the poles will slide into at the coaming so once everything is in place, those will go on very rapidly. The light colored wood up top is simply spacers to hold everything in alignment to make it as square as possible.

It was neat to see these poles go up as the boat became very big, very fast. Suddenly the sheer height of the canopy became apparent within a few short minutes.

Photos 3 and 4 show the engine attached to the driveshaft. The commercial parts in this are the shaft itself, the universals, and 2 sets of bearings that are embedded in the contraption pictured in photo 4. The aforementioned 'contraption' is a combination of two parts: one is the joint that connects the shaft to the engine, and the non-painted piece that is attached to the baseplate is actually to protect the engine. If something strikes the propellor and for some reason there is kickback through the shaft, this takes the force and distributes it to the base rather than potentially screwing up all the intricate mechanical inner-workings of the engine.

We are still waiting on the trailer, it should be here around the end of August. Now attention will be turning to fabricating the rudder. This still puts us on track to be able to splash the boat this fall.

 

[Scott Danforth]

great work as always

use aquamet 17 or 22 for the rudder shaft. if you need sources, call any large propeller house that deals with shafting and buy the drop.

I would put a bellows over the u-joints just to keep things from catching and getting tangled.

 

[seikeinlemming]

Scott Danforth - Thanks for the pointers! In the case of the rudder, the materials were provided by the hull manufacturer who has it all set up to (mostly) fit in place. A quick question on the bellows though as I like your thought there: The floor will cover the shaft in its entirety so that will all be tucked away and not accessible during normal usage. Is it still advisable to cover the u-joints in that case where nothing really can fall in? Thanks in advance!

 

[Scott Danforth]

In that case, not needed unless you want tp pack in a bit of grease to prevent rust

 

[archbuilder]

Very nice work as usual, coming along nicely!

 

[seikeinlemming]

Update here on the canopy: Today it was removed from its initial construction location and mounted on its supports so that I can finish building everything out. This also eases access to the inside of the boat where we are currently finishing up the mounting brackets for the boiler.

Photo 1 shows the canopy closer to its final look on the 6 pipes that will hold it up. Around the outside you are looking at the basic form with spacer blocks attached down the sides. I will be adding a layer of mahogany to the outermost part of this ring to give it stability. The wood on the floor is simply to align the poles so we don't hit it and rip something apart.

In Photo 2 you can see the forward portion of the canopy spaced approximately how it finally will sit. We will cut the slight upwards curve into this single piece so that there is maximum strength. Throughout the next week I hope to get the entire outside ring of the canopy complete so that the canopy can be placed back on the hull.

 

[Scott Danforth]

looking good as always.

 

[sphelps]

You have lot of thought going into this boat ! It will really be something special when your finished ..
‘Or do we really ever finish our boats .. LOL !

 

[GA_Boater]

She is going to look so nice putting on the river. Putting is the wrong word, chuffing maybe?

 

[seikeinlemming]

One more step closer! Today we rolled the hull with boiler and engine outside to play with it. Knowing that the engine and boiler works, this was to verify that all the shafts connecting to the propellor turned freely. I'll let the video below show the result.

It was very cool to see the boat out in the sunlight with the machinery in. (Photos below)

Here is the video: https://youtu.be/6Y1ivVPm2hU

We await the trailer and finishing the rudder until we can splash it!

 

[sphelps]

Woohoo ! Things are moving, turning ,steaming , and whistles blowing !!!!
Looking great out in the sun !

 

[GA_Boater]

Oh, she looks good. And sounds great! The shaft looks nice and straight with no wobbles, you can check that off. :smile:

Gonna wear a costume for the splash? Steamboat Willie or Mark Twain?

 

[seikeinlemming]

GA_Boater my appreciation for Disney makes that a no-brainer. Realistically, I will probably just dress up in tan and have my own personal Jungle Cruise ride.


We realized there are a few things that we could still tighten up, and the u-joints were new/never lubricated, meaning that much of the current noise will dissipate once we get those fixed. Additionally, in the end it will be condensing so you won’t hear the chuffing of the exhaust as it will be a closed loop. The water will also absorb a considerable amount of noise.

 

[archbuilder]

Thank you again for sharing this! I really appreciate that craftsmanship, it is on the highest order. And as an architect, I don't say that very often! Truly impressive, you would get along well with a friend of mine....he builds a lot of early cars and has tinkered with the steam ones. He has pretty much an old school machine shop for his hobby.....everyone needs 3 phase power for their hobby shop right? lol! Keep up the good work, looking forward to seeing her in the water!

 

[Ned L]

As always, beautiful work!

I do have a question about the prop shaft . I am curious about the Spicer type universal joints without a thrust bearing before them. It had been my understanding that they don’t particularly like thrust, and if there is much angle changing going on there could be significant side loading of the before & after bearings.. Just curious.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

What a fantastic build. This is really a unique project from what is normally built on this forum. I really enjoyed reading through this thread and learning about compound steam engines, and especially watching the videos. What a great project.

Also, I saw mention you’re close to the Susquehanna? Close to Harrisburg, or further south? Perhaps I’ll see her on the water someday.

 

[seikeinlemming]

Ned L - Thanks for your questions. I realize that you have quite a bit of launch building experience so I will give you our thoughts on the universals and of course am open to any sage advice that you can offer.

You are correct that there is no thrust bearing protecting the universals from any thrust coming from the propeller. There is the thrust bearing on the engine which protects the engine (and the vast amount of work that we have in it) from thrust. Any thrust from the propeller would indeed be transmitted through the universals. While a universal's job is in fact to allow angularity, the front universal is only subject to about three degrees of difference in the line of motion. The rear universal basically is subject to almost no angularity. As for torque, McMaster Carr rates these universals as good for 11,000 in-lbs of torque. The inner bearing set of the universal is available as replacement assembly for $35 plus change. In reality, with the limited amount of hours that will be put on the boat, we expect it to be a long time until replacement would be necessary. The bearings through the hull are also not a big problem nor expense to replace. If we ever DO take all year and cruise the Rivers of America, we can easily repair/replace those parts that may wear while limiting wear on the engine. Your boatbuilding experience most likely has acquainted you to the design of the actual launches from the 1890's - they did not use universals but relied on having the engine as perfectly as possible lined up with the propeller shaft. Inevitably the engine could eventually shift causing wear on the engine bearings. Modern day use of the universals helps to limit that expense. In the finished boat they will be suitably covered so that they will not give away the non-1890 heritage.

Thanks again and both dad and myself look forward to any additional thoughts you have!


Baylinerchuck - The Susquehanna will not be our river of choice as last I checked there were too many crocodiles. Seriously though, the continuous current of the river is not ideal if something bad happens on board. We will - however - post on here when we will be at area lakes with it so if anyone is close by and wants to see the boat in person, they are more than welcome to come look at it on the water.

 

[archbuilder]

Enjoyed reading the info, I know 0 about these, but what you said makes since to me. I have a friend who tinkers with steam and early gasoline cars. I always enjoy learning about the mechanics of older vehicles.