The Steamboating Forum

Not sure if it's the exact way to bend pipe, but it is a difficult way to bend it, I've already went through all my helpers on that task. Spinning that wheel is hard work for the upper body. If I had any more to do, that thing would be getting an electric motor and gear box to drive it. It does work really well though, small increments can be bent with fine adjustment. The units they sell with a hydraulic jack would not work near as well.

More damage to the dock? yeah you aren't kidding, this thing is built like a battleship. It is amazing how strong even relatively light steel components are when welded up in an assembly. The front stem is 3/8" X 4" plate, standing edge-wise and braced. My buddy was standing on the trailer tire the other day and said it looked like a big log-splitter.

If I stand beside it at the stern and grab the rub rail and try to shake it, the whole hull moves together, no twisting action. Not sure if it can be seen in the pics, but the hull is only supported on the trailer at two points midship, near the first chine on the trailer bunks. The keel is not even touching the trailer at all. Nothing is flexing.

Still have to do some work on the trailer, I've been using all the available time to work on the hull.

-Ron

The rub rail around the stern.






-Ron

Very nice work, congratulations!

Well done! That is really excellent work and an example to us all. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Going back to the issue of rust, I came across this site today with some rather nice little "Rustworm" cartoons. I hope they will amuse some of you. I gather the chap is first class at his rust proofing work, but I fear that he needs a little help with his website...

http://www.before-n-after.co.uk/

Regards

Pete

Pete, Thanks for the compliment. It is really shaping up now.

Here is the rest of the rubrail installed. The outside of the hull is basically finished, just have to weld up the rails.





And the Thrust block is mounted.



Now I'm off to make the engine mounts. I may be able to spin the prop with air pressure tomorrow. Once that is done, the boiler goes in for a test run.

-Ron

And the engine mount is made..





-Ron

Looks damn good from here!

I take it your going to disassemble and paint? What kind of paint????

Dave

Hi Dave,

The plan, (which seems to change almost daily) Is to install the boiler now, and then take it out for a test run. I have of "list" of folks that want to be there lol. After that is out of the way, I'll pull the engine and boiler, finish up the deck framing which will be steel, then have it sand blasted. Then I'm going to prime it with a high zinc primer. Then paint it with a flat black outside and bilge gray inside.

I wanted to get it galvanized, but the neighbor that owns the steel company stopped by and I told him my plan, and he warned me they would damage the hull at the galvanizers. He uses them and sends I-beams over and they some times come back bent. I can only imagine what they'd do to this.

Anyways after the hull is painted, I'll use just regular exterior plywood for the floors and decks. The cabin and pilot house will be built from pine, beveled, tongue and groove planks. I believe thats how most of the cabins on utility boats were built. The cabin and lower part of the pilot house will be barn red and then trimmed out in white. Inside will be stained, maybe some paint too. When I lag the boiler, it will just be pine as well, stained and varnished.

-Ron

Here is a video of the first spin of the prop. Had a balance issue, the propshaft which is just temporary is made of cold drawn and it's obviously not straight. I just used it as a pattern. Figured it would be cheaper than experimenting with Monel, as it is seven feet long. Also fixed the trailer yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyu8zIzAFLU

Have to finish up the engine mounting.

Then comes the fun of installing the boiler and piping it up.

-Ron

Have the boiler members in and have it set in place for mock up.








-Ron