The Steamboating Forum

Most recent test results:

Tested anthracite (stove size) coal today with surprising results again. Travelled 6.5 miles. Subtracting out coal used to build steam initially, I was using about 4 lbs of coal per mile. See this as compared to earlier tests.

Hardwood ~ 6.0 lbs per mile
Bituminous (Pocahontas?) ~ 3.1 lbs per mile
Anthracite (Stove) ~ 4.0 lbs per mile

Today was the first time burning anthracite so perhaps, due to the perceived difficulty with anthracite, I overdid the use of the stack blower to get it and keep it lit. I don't know how much performance is lost using the stack blower. I didn't need the blower for the hardwood or bituminous. Maybe that's why the anthracite performance suffered compared to the bituminous.

BUT,,,, the anthracite was much easier to use. It keep its fire without continuous feeding for a much longer period of time than the bituminous. I could go 15 - 20 minutes on one feed before having to add more coal. This would result in a much more relaxed long distance trip than the excessive coal raking and feeding of the bituminous fire. Also, as mentioned in a previous post, I had excessive clinker and ash buildup with the bituminous which would require at least three grate and ash pit cleanings during a 6 hr steaming day on the Erie Canal.

I'll let you know how much ash and clinkers resulted from today's anthracite test when I clean out the boiler tomorrow.

NEXT TEST - is going to be nut sized anthracite rather than the stove sized used today. I'll let you know but it appears that anthracite is going to be the fuel to use for the Erie Canal trip. I still want to find some verified Pocahontas coal to test just to make sure I had the real stuff in my earlier test.

15 - 20 mins is quite a long time. I think I would try firing twice as often, with half as much. Little and often is always the rule. The fire won't have died as far and won't be cooled as much or take so long to ignite the new coal, as there is less of it. This should also provide a small saving in fuel used.

Sounds like you're having fun anyway.

With regard to what Kelly wrote,
Just a little update on Catawissa and the "Cruise and Scrounge" method. I agree that there are places where a conventional chain saw may be looked down upon. We have discovered the stealth chainsaw, no noise, no fumes and true whisper mode. It is a battery powered Ryobi 10" chainsaw. We have the battery it came with that on test would make about fifty cuts in dry oak branches that averaged 3" in diameter. We have acquired a fleet of two of the largest batteries that Ryobi offers that have probably triple the capacity and are sufficient for about a week of cruising. The saw is slow compared to a gas model, you just have to adjust your thinking to a bow saw that does not trash your shoulder. The gas model is useful for larger wood which can be cut into wafers one to three inches thick that burn nicely with a blend of smaller stuff and make splitting unnecessary.
With current bug control restrictions that severely limit the movement of wood from one area to another the live off the land approach has a lot going for it. Trying to guess wood consumption and place wood accordingly usually ends with feast or famine. If you find that you are using less than placed, it is very painful to leave wood behind. It also means that you have driven the entire route and that there are fewer surprises, good and bad. I like the adventure of seeing the trip from the steamboat point of view first. There is something intriguing about not knowing what's around the next bend, as long as it is not a waterfall or rocky rapids, that is.
We beach the boat for lunch and almost without exception can find all the wood we need within25 feet either side of the centerline of the bow. We only take dead, downed wood, you would not want green wood anyway. We have never had a complaint about taking wood from the high waterline and sawing up on the bank. One time we were low on wood and found a Walmart with a dumpster and several pallets. We asked the manager for permission to saw, he gave it and offered us the use of a shopping cart to haul our bounty to the dock. Another time we watched arborists working on a dead tree. We asked what they did with the wood, their reply was "how long do want the pieces?" A few minutes later a man with a wheelbarrow was dumping short wood on the bank for us.
Coal is very difficult to get, if you spill it in the water it sinks, never to be seen again, if you spill it in the boat the dust gets everywhere. Wood floats when spilled, sawdust doesn't seem to be as bad to clean up, and wood is everywhere and is ever so much easier to fire and control.
To paraphrase the disclaimer on stock offerings, "This is neither an offer to buy nor to sell wood burning equipment, that offer is made only by the prospectus" A lot of the fun of steam boating is exploring options and finding what works for you. Your mileage and methods will definitely vary.
Happy steam boating, best regards, Steamboat Mike and the Catawissa.
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