DetroiTug's Tug is going together

[mcandrew1894]

Gongrats Ron!

Looking forward to the pictures/video!

Dave

[DetroiTug]

Here is a little four minute video. Have a few clicks to fix. Next is sea trials.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVh99XPqYkw

-Ron

[PeteThePen1]

Dear Ron and Steamboat Colleagues

On the topic of coating steel, but slightly off the issue of the hull, you may be interested in a product called Apexior No 1. The supplier in the UK is HCC Protective Coatings, but I would not be at all surprised if there are suppliers on the other continents. The UK website is http://www.hccprotectivecoatings.com and you can download a datasheet.

The application for this product is the inside of steel boilers. A Scottish member of SBA (whose name I forget and am too lazy to look up) reported using it in his boiler and finding zero corrosion after four years use, albeit with boiler water treatment.

The cost is horrific being 103.15GBP for 1 x 5 ltr can excluding delivery and sales tax. However, the cost of boilers is also horrific...

Hope this may help somebody. I think I might try it if I can find anybody to share the cost of a can.

Regards


Pete

[farmerden]

So Ron The video shows a large black boat,a black night,a quiet engine,no lights-What's yer cargo matey?? US -Canada smuggling? It's been fun to watch-seems like just yesterday you were rolling the hull over! Good work! Den

[Johnlanark]

Great stuff Ron, thanks for posting. I'm amazed to check back to the start of this thread and be reminded that you've built the hull since March.
John

[DetroiTug]

Den, Ha, It does sort of look like that.. There sure is a rich history of that around here, they literally fought sea battles in the Detroit river during prohibition. All sorts of folklore surrounding it People had armor clad boats and all out there, must have been quite an era.

A more mundane scenario, the video was taken out in the parking lot on a Sunday night with no one around. Oddly, none of my friends seem to be interested in attending the first firing of the boiler My brother did stay in continual contact via his cell phone (wuss ). It was only 45 degrees outside and I never noticed it, I was too busy listening to the engine run, and watching the huge plume of steam out the stack when I raced the engine. I wish i would have gotten that on video.

-Ron

[DetroiTug]

This has little to do with the Tug project, rather flipping a boat hull. This is what can happen if it is not rigged properly. The guy's new mahogany speeder narrowly avoids being severely damaged or destroyed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weOnIxkH ... r_embedded#!

I hope he didn't get any ideas from my tugflip video.

-Ron

[farmerden]

So Ron -was it good luck or good management with your boat? It looked like you were in your right mind so it must have been good management! Den

[DetroiTug]

Den, It was a little of both.

He claims an arrestor line to control the flip, failed to do it's job. I considered rolling the slings over an axle above and decided against it, because I would have had to rig a line to my truck hitch to control it. Holding the slings from rotating, making the hull slide in the slings seemed the most logical, and it worked.

I would flip another one today just like that, with even more confidence now. As long as it is suspended high enough, the slings are way stronger than needed, they are protected and everyone is out of harms way.

The folks in the video, made another mistake by trying to catch it, they are really lucky someone didn't get badly injured. I learned a long time ago (i.e. moving heavy machines, pulling engines, cutting down trees), if something goes wrong, get away from it.

-Ron

[DetroiTug]

haven't updated in a while. More progress. Just a little more welding to do, and it's ready to sandblast and paint.

Here shows framing up the pilot house, and the push-pull steering system which is under the floor. It will be controlled via a roller chain from the steering wheel.







Those old Chris Craft parts coming in handy.



This pic shows the stairwell going up in to the pilot house from the engine room:



Foredeck detail:



Showing most of the deck and catwalk bracing installed:



-Ron