The Steamboating Forum

thanks Barts, interesting stuff

If that is just a typical automobile alternator you indeed will not get much power from that configuration, you need much a higher rpm to get into the range for automobile alternators to start producing current. I note the video showing the engine running on compressed air doesn't show the electric...

On Befur, (27ft steam yacht) we use a diesel fired Yarrow Boiler. We have been developing this over some years, and now think we know how to build these sytems to work... so I wrote a "complete" review of the subject in our Blog - you might be interested https://sy-befur.co.uk/2024/10/11/a...

take a look at these castings - I made one for Befur (with o-rings not stuffing box).
https://www.steamboatassociation.co.uk/ ... eamboaters

Automotive alternators work fine, you just need to spin them fast enough - ours produces 20 -30 amps at normal running speed..... we gear it up by about 13:1 from the crank... (2-stage, ,chain then belt)... the following table gives charging current v engine and alternator RPM...from my spreadsheet ...

Our steam yacht project (SY Befur) seems to be finished, and here is a record of her first sailing/steaming day on Windermere. (With lots of pictures and another lesson learnt for Leak Compound builders)

https://sy-befur.co.uk/2020/07/23/is-th ... bably-not/

I see that I should have replied earlier... Mr Webster was good enough to donate the aforementioned wooden pattern, and I had this cast in SGI by a fine foundry in Huddersfield (and later cast a 2nd for an SBA member in Holland). I machined this on my old Harrison L5 and Rambaudi turret mill and the...

New/updated link for the SBA...
https://www.steamboatassociation.co.uk/

Thank you Wesley, we have come to realise that the farther away you are, the better she looks!!!!

M

On our journey to building a steam yacht we raised Befur's mast today for the first time (with pictures)...

Here's the blog post:
https://sy-befur.co.uk/2020/01/21/raising-the-mast/