Sailboat to Sidewheeler Conversion?

[Brenton Baker]

I move on the 6th of December. As the move (and therefore my opportunity to work) nears, I realize that there are practical steps I must take before attempting a 22'x5' Indian Paddle boat. I think the most sensible route, given my almost complete lack of experience, would be to do a sailboat conversion, with a converted compressor/etc. for an engine, and perhaps a propane-fired porcupine boiler with ample eocomizer coils (as shown in SB&MSL). I have not settled on a good idea for a safe but small and relatively inexpensive boiler (safety being, of course, the most important of the three - I have operated locomotive-style boilers on steam traction engines, and I have a decent understanding of safe boiler practices [namely, keeping plenty of clean, soft, high PH water in the boiler]); I am not a certified welder, so welding one myself is out of the question.

My main question is - has anyone tried to convert an old sailboat hull to a side- or stern-wheeler? Would this be at all practical? My intention is to have a small boat on which I can gain experience before I attempt a larger project (and have some fun in the interim).

[guyvapeur]

I can not say how a sailboat hull would work with paddle wheels but I can say that I had 12 great years with a 20 foot sailboat converted to steam using a propeller. It was not perfect but it was a great platform to work on and get to know the inner workings of steam in a boat. I now have another boat in the water but the initial hull conversion allowed me to enjoy the hobby while I gathered up all the parts I would need for the second boat.
Good Luck.

[DCSmith]

A centerboard sailboat should work well. I don't know how deep your water is, but boats like sharpies can be pretty shallow.

[fredrosse]

The trouble with sailboat hulls for a sidewheeler is width. Most of these hulls are fairly beamy to start with, and adding sidewheels can get into trailer trouble. I would have used a sailboat hull for the Margaret S, but none were skinny enough to allow reasonable trailering. I think you can find examples of sternwheeler conversions of sailboat hulls at Radow's website, as well as the British SBA website.

In terms of practical boating, converting a centerboard sailboat to a conventional propeller driven steamer is the best choice for a tight budget, unless of course you just have to have paddle wheels.

[Brenton Baker]

Thank you all for the responses.

The reason I am trying for sidewheels is that the Indian paddle mechanism for which I am eventually shooting is similar in many ways to sidewheel propulsion. But in the end, of course, the most important thing is getting out and steaming, so we will see what I can find.

[Brenton Baker]

One additional possibility:

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/boa/4123547326.html

Research shows that model has a length of 17' and a beam of 3'.

Would something like this be at all practical, with proper ballasting, or are canoes in general not stable enough? (I have canoed extensively in the BSA, but only ever in the aluminum canoes owned by my troop - all the same model)

[Lopez Mike]

I have given a little thought to the best way to convert a sailing hull to steam service. As Fred says, sailing hulls have to be rather beamy to work well in their original application. There is a sailboat wrecking yard near me and I was looking at hulls a few months ago with this in mind. These old boats go for almost nothing when they are all trashed out and abandoned. This guy strips them out and they go into a grinder to be made into lawn furniture!

There was a Cal 34 that I, at first, walked right past. Way too big. And then I had a second look. This is what I would do if I went this route.

First, cut off the entire deck and throw it away. Lay out and cut a new sheer line. Now comes the good part. Make two lengthwise cuts such that you are throwing away the center section of the hull. This brings the beam down to a reasonable number and, in the process, shortens the hull. You are throwing away the raked bow and a good three feet of length. And discarding the keel at the same time. The stock hull is 33' long with a beam of 10'. I didn't make any measurements but I would guess that by narrowing the hull to 7', you might well shorten it to around 28'. Not an unreasonable hull. 4 to 1. Also, it's not cast in stone to make the cuts parallel to each other as long as they are fair curves. There hulls are fairly flexible when the deck and original bulkheads are removed.

If you have made plywood forms to match the hull profile before you start with the Sawsall. you can narrow the forms to hold your new hull halves while you glass them back together.

Now build and glass in your deck beams and deck it with a couple of layers of plywood and start with longitudinal power plant bearers and bulkheads as needed.

Given the cost of good plywood for hulls and the startling cost of resin and cloth, this might be a route to an easily driven, seaworthy, and stout hull.

There are problems with this. I'll go put on my hard hat and body armor!

Mike

[DetroiTug]

There was a Cal 34 that I, at first, walked right past. Way too big. And then I had a second look. This is what I would do if I went this route.

First, cut off the entire deck and throw it away. Lay out and cut a new sheer line. Now comes the good part. Make two lengthwise cuts such that you are throwing away the center section of the hull.

That would take a BIG surface plate and height gage to lay that out

-Ron

[Lopez Mike]

Yeah!!

Thinking about it, you could use a laser level to strike a straight sheer line and then take vertical offsets from that. For sure you could lay out a water line that way.

I've also thought about hanging a slack line to strike a sheer and then stand back and look at it. From what I've seen over the years a nice sheer is the hardest line to lay out and the one that is wrong the most.

Barbara is an architect and she has drawn some nice superstructures in case I decide to put any serious effort into this sorry scow. A tug boat sort of a cabin back to the boiler and then a canopy from the boiler aft with the canopy stepped up from the top of the cabin. The idea being to be able to spend a night or two in the cabin.

Mike

[barts]

I've seen a couple of nice steamers made from sailboat hulls - one quite small, and the other is a bit under 30'. A 30' steamboat needs a good size prop, so some of the keel will come in handy. Sailboats come in a wide variety of displacements, of course; some hulls will be more suitable than others.

- Bart