former steam yacht for sale

[87gn@tahoe]

This former yacht/naval vessel (WWI & WWII)/fishing vessel/sightseer is for sale. She is owned by the uncle of a friend of a friend (funny but true). He bought her in the '80's, brought her up the creek on his property on the Ohio River to where she sits now.

They're tired of people trespassing (like in the videos) and are worried about liability.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhHmjrfH ... ure=fvwrel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0CxUmFK ... re=related

I'm dead serious

If anyone is truly interested, I can get a price.

Probably better suited for the millionaires lurking among us...

[S. Weaver]

Incredible ... The as-built photos of this yacht are stunning:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/1425.htm

If I bought her, she would look the same; just in another creek.

[87gn@tahoe]

Nice find on the link.

I fear she would suffer the same fate in my hands as well... Only if I had won the megamillions....

[dhic001]

What an incredible thing to find up a river, wish there were such things to find here. Would be an incredible vessel to rebuild, but an absolutely mammoth job, and based on the rebuild done on Cangarda, which is the same yard and vintage, I doubt much of the original would survive.

Even moving it would be quite a mission. My first move would be to get a big trash pump on deck and pump all the compartments out to see if it was still watertight. If watertight, then some work with a digger on a barge and good tug and she might be got out of there. If she's taking water in through the hull, I would expect she will die where she is.

I've crawled over a number of wrecks over the years, but all in salt water and all had been sitting much longer than her. The result was they are all in much worse condition, and non are rebuildable. The most interesting one I've been on is the remains of the Te Anau, a passenger and later crago steamship scuttled in 1924. http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/v ... p?id=10504
She doesn't look anywhere near as good now:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/pho ... lid=347854 but still has a number of interesting features, and there is still teak planking on parts of her decks, despite years of being awash at high tide. We haven't determined yet whether the main engine is still in the engine room, but the big single scotch boiler is still in place, complete with smokebox damper.

Daniel

[87gn@tahoe]

When the uncle brought her there he opened her sea cocks so she would stay put through floods and what not (you can see the differing water levels in the different youtube videos). Being at least partially full of water for nearly 28 years is surely not going to help any restoration effort.

Supposedly a local museum is trying to acquire funds to recover and possibly restore her.

She may be in better shape than the Cangarda, which the only part re-used from her original hull was a piece of the keel near the stern. Perhaps her current owner would be interested in another project...

[gondolier88]

looking at the quality of the water in that creek it would be fair to assume that it is pretty low oxygen content, and with that amount of silt it is likely that after 28 years, and with flood levels etc., the inside of the hull has a nice thick coating of muddy silt, as well as the only water inlet being through the seacocks, so water change time through the hull is a matter of weeks, keeping local oxygen levels fairly low too.

It may just surprise you...

As long as the keel and frames are ok, it's a simple, but costly plating job- the fitting out would be the real work- as far as I can see there is nothing of use anywhere- the engines have been left uncapped, and after 28 years it's unlikely they could be reworked as they will be full of rainwater, there is no useful decking, the companionways are shot, the bridge, below decks, bronze/brass fittings/steering gear/auxiliaries will all more than likely need replacing- if they are even still there! That's what's stopping me offering my millions...!!

Greg

[Chris W]

At least Cangarda had her machinery, deck houses and a lot of hardware and fittings. If this hull could be made watertight she might float off with the next high water. Now where can one find a 1200 hp triple? Of course we could cheat and just fix up the old Murry and Tregurtha Harbormaster sitting on the fantail!

[S. Weaver]

Greg is correct. Brackish freshwater is no enemy of a sound hull. One of the reasons the US Navy liked to store vessels at the PNSY was that the ships would shed their "beards" - barnacles would just fall off - and the Delaware was kind to the hulls.

Prestons might have an adequate triple expansion engine. This would be the kind of project that would require a community of like-minded souls with loads of time, a chandler down the street and generous deep pockets. Uncle Jack could boss the engine gang; Fred and Ranier could draw for us; Ron could head up the wood-working; I'll help erect the Scotch and Mike could boss the whole thing! One can always dream ...

[87gn@tahoe]

With enough money, one could design and have a brand new triple built, with classic styling on the outside, and modern materials (i.e. needle/roller bearings, nickle aluminum bronze wear parts, etc) on the inside. I think a nice watertube similar to a Mosher design, or monotube(s) in a classic-appearing case would make it a bit more easy on the wallet come fill up time....

The new 60163 Tornado cost about 3mil to build from scratch right? So a new 1200hp triple probably would "only" be 1/4 of that right?

Off to purchase another lotto ticket

[Aheadslow]

If I were trying to find a 1200 ihp triple I would probably check the breaking yards in India. Many an old coastal cargo boat met her final demise in those yards. And you could probably get it for a little more that scrap value Such a place would really be your best chance for such an engine.