What happens when it breaks!

[malcolmd]

I am in the process of deciding what to build (hull, engine, boiler) and another thought just occurred to me, which will influence the decision....

My objective is to build something I can use in tidal/coastal waters, and so the question is what do you do when the power plant quits - (lack of coal/water/matches/luck etc.)...

The options (and issues) seem to be:
1 - Good Anchor and Radio (effective but embarassing)
2 - Oars - (probably optimistic for a 25ft boat in the Solent powered by a 50+ captain!)
3 - Outboard Motor - (not sure if the Steamboat Association would renew my membership!)
4 - Sails - (yes, but is it realistic?)

What approaches have you all taken? Does anyone have pictures/proposals?

Mal

[gondolier88]

Hi Mal,

A very sensible question, in answer;

You could do with changing your attitude on a couple of things-

1- A well designed and maintained plant won't quit on you- that said you may quit on it- not paying attention etc etc. But if you are saying that is a WHEN rather than an IF, then I would recommend you get a few miles inland steaming under your belt before attempting to run tides- trusting your ability and having confidence in how your boat works is a major part of being a safe sailor

2- If things do go wrong at sea don't assume you are on your own and start pannicking- this not only endangers yourself and any passengers you have, but could potentially threaten the safety of other vessels.

Now, addressing your questions directly;

Option 1- an anchor and a handheld VHF radio should be items you NEVER go without when on the sea.
In this scenario you would throw the anchor, get your radio and say on Ch16

"pan pan, pan pan, pan pan.
This is; Steam Launch [---?---]. Steam Launch [---?---]. Steam Launch [---?---].
We are [---?---] miles [---(eg.Southwest)---] of [---(eg.Southampton)---]
We have [---?---] people on board.
We are having mechanical difficulties.
We have put the anchor out.
We are rectifying the problems.
Steam Launch [---?---]. Steam Launch [---?---]. Steam Launch [---?---]
OVER"

This is not an embarrassing or stupid thing to do, this is exactly what any master of any vessel should do in that situation. This ALERTS the coastguard to any POSSIBLE emergency, and just importantly notifies other vessels in the area that there is a boat in difficulties, though safe, and is an obstacle to avoid- very handy if there happens to be a fast ferry heading towards you at 20 Knots, if he ignores the notification of your plight it is HIS fault, if he didn't know and you are in his way he WILL keep going because as far as he is concerned you have no reason to be stopped in his way, and YOU would be at fault.

If it is a problem you can rectify with matches and firelighters, then quickly get steam up again (not hard in an already hot plant), make safe, weigh anchor, notify the coastguard that you are no longer an obstacle to shipping

2- Oars are very much a possibility on a 25ft launch- there are 30ft launches in the SBA that use oars, ok they aren't a quick means of proplulsion, but they do work, and a 25ft launch would have considerably less displacement.

3- Outboards require a horrible bracket on the transom as I imagine you will have an aft deck, and are really a petrol tank with a propellor attached- would you want a small fuel leak to accumulate in the bottom of your boat prior to lighting up???

4- If you can sail then a permanently rigged mast (which also looks very classy) could easily take a small lugsail or similar in an emergency- a mirror dinghy rig would easily stow and provide enough power to propel you at around around 2 Knots.

My advice- get plenty of miles experience inland before you start shooting tides and avoiding shipping, choose a method of secondary propulsion that YOU are comfortable with, listening to others of course, but it's you that will be using it in an emregency, not them.

Greg

[malcolmd]

that HAS to count as sound advice - thanks Greg...

I will certainly take your advice, while polishing up my seamanship - I am off to spend a week with Sourthern Sailing School to this end (rereshing what I learnt many years ago with them doing competent crew and day skipper courses in the 80s)!

Mal

[farmerden]

Mal I pack spare everything and tools.I have check valves ,packing,spare atomizer,spare super heater,spare glasses for the water level,spare gaskets for same,spare brass ,hose clamps -you get my drift? I used to pack a gas kicker but was embarassed to have it on board and by the time I could get the bracket bolted on the side[boat's a fantail] and get the engine hung on I can fix whats ailing her. Toss the anchor out and fix it. And yes I have a radio [it's never on] Last year I replaced the hose from the boiler feed pump to the preheater and about 1/2 mile from shore I realized the boiler wasn't getting water.That hose makes a loop under the floorboards and the new one kinked. So I used a piece of copper pipe bent into a "U" and four hoseclamps ,put it all back together and carried on! And yes I fixed that hose properly when I got home. My biggest problem is remembering what I have and where it is! I should make a list! Oh yeah did I mention ,two extra bilge pumps? It's no good having it if it's at home.And--- touch wood- I've never been towed! Den

[dhic001]

If your plant is set up correctly, robustly built and operated correctly you'll be fine. I've been towed once, and even then I could have made port under my own steam had the tow not been available. That situation was caused by very poor coal badly sooting the boiler tubes and almost preventing steam production from occuring. However, I was able to steam home slowly using decent coal by running for a period, stopping and anchoring while raising more steam.
I don't know what your boat or plant is, but it would be worth reading up the old engineers training books, they list the various ways to repair and engine at sea to bring the ship home. Maybe we need more details of what things you feel might cause a major breakdown, so we can advise how to rectify such issues before you put to sea?

Daniel

[malcolmd]

sorry for slow response - crafted an answer then forgot to post it... old age creeping up fast!

I am certainly a died-in-the-wool "take every part you can think of " man, in the style of Farmerden... and having been nursing aging motorcycles and cars home now for just short of 40 years, I am a dab-hand at bodging any recalcitrant machinery into life....and Dainel's confidence is encouraging...

However, as Greg pointed out in his answer tidal waters are not the place to run out of luck or discover that you only packed the spare left-hand widdgy-thingy-prop and it's the right-hand one you dropped over the side.....and being a naturally conservative person.... and being at the design stage .... I thought I should think about the options...

The small gaff/lug/mirror-ish sails seem like a nice idea, but I was not sure if the deadwood/skeg etc. would make a sufficiently effective keel, or if I needed to install a galley table that could be swiftly deployed as a leeboard?

Again any thoughts from those with more experience would be appreciated...


Malcolm

[farmerden]

Another mention Mal-When you wash up that hot,dirty part ,do it in a bucket inside the boat!! I was cleaning my burner over the side one time and no I didn't drop it [I was lucky!] And that was the last time I tried a stunt like that! And carry spare nuts and bolts-especially the brass stuff,cause when you drop one and it slides into the murky depths of your bilge,you will never find it again.And no one has been able to sell me a magnet that picks up brass! Den

[gondolier88]

Hi Mal,

Re. small sail; the rig of a mirror dinghy is in the region of 60-65sq.ft.- this would give a lightweight 10ft dinghy a fair bit to think about, but a 25ft SL with boiler and engine on the centreline should cope with nothing but a little bit of an attractive lean to leeward.

You could always fit bilge keels if it didn't have enough side-on grip- although if your wanting a launch you can beach easily or leave on tidal mud berths to sleep onboard then I would seriously consider adding bilge keels anyway.

Have you got anything down on paper yet Mal, or is it still grey matter material?

Greg

[Johnlanark]

Building a 25 ft seagoing boat would be a huge undertaking that would take several years - I would suggest hunting down a suitable vintage hull while you build the plant. John

[malcolmd]

Hi Mal,

Re. small sail; the rig of a mirror dinghy is in the region of 60-65sq.ft.- this would give a lightweight 10ft dinghy a fair bit to think about, but a 25ft SL with boiler and engine on the centreline should cope with nothing but a little bit of an attractive lean to leeward.

You could always fit bilge keels if it didn't have enough side-on grip- although if your wanting a launch you can beach easily or leave on tidal mud berths to sleep onboard then I would seriously consider adding bilge keels anyway.

Have you got anything down on paper yet Mal, or is it still grey matter material?

Greg

- all still thinking at the minute, I have my eye on one of the Selway Fisher designs, either Ijssel or Golden Bay... I am not a designer but a builder - so I am going rely on someone like Paul at SF to help in that area

Mal