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[Bunkerbarge]

Very interesting build thread Greg and particularly useful when you are adapting a readily available kit that every one knows.

I'm enjoying watching this, thanks.

[gondolier88]

Hi Bunkerbarge,

Very kind of you, I'm glad so many people are enjoying my build.

Greg

[gondolier88]

Hi guys- past couple of days progress-

No1- Stern seating plus the bulkhead planking finished now.
No2- Looking aft from the bulkhead.
No3- First section of gun'l on the port side.
No4- Gun'l on the stern planking
No5- As above
No6- Looking forward from the transome.
No7- As above
No8- Looking aft down the coaming- nice sheer I think.
No9- Stern secton of seating removed to show new power switch.
No10- Water tanks completed- feed pipe slung underneath.

Enjoy.

Greg

[Bernhard]

Just...Geting better and better

Bernhard

[boatmadman]

Really nice work Greg.

Tell us something.....what do you do in your spare time?

Ian

[Bunkerbarge]

I thought you had some sort of massive flywheel on the engine for a moment before I realised it is some sort of press on the work bench behind the boat!!

[gondolier88]

Thanks Bernhard.
I've forgotten what spare time is Ian!!! Baby due in 6 weeks, and i'm overdue on completion of the boat already you see- i'm not normally this motivated!
  I wish it were the engine flywheel- its a pretty wheel. It's on my bargain antique drillpress- I bought it from Pickering traction engine rally last year from a family of (lets be PC here) travellers- he wanted £80 in the morning for a rusty, seized but complete manual drillpress- I said far too much and waited till evening- I noticed it still hadn't gone so I asked him again what he wanted- this time he said £40, I said still too high- he looked at me insulted- and said what did I want it for- so I told him to drill things! Then old father 'traveller' pipes up and says "£20 quid lad, and it's yours!" Funnily enough I had £20 quid in my pocket...!  All cleaned up and greased up and works perfectly

Greg

[Bunkerbarge]

I last went to Pickering traction Engine rally about 20 years ago.  Great day out though with all the steam boats and steam organs going full belt and the smell of coal and steam drifting across the show.  Brilliant.  By the way it's a great drill press!

[gondolier88]

Hi everyone,

Some more pics for you- this time of the engine bearing/ propshaft oiler i've made from bits of scrap, gas fittings and an old water gauge that I don't trust under pressure anymore...

Tell me what you think...?

No1- The first soldering job- the oiler body to a 'cap' of blank round brass of the same diameter- easy to acquire in my line of business as everything is either 1/4'', 1/2'' or 3/4'' BSP- to the nut of the water gauge fitting so the oiler can be unscrewed and will also provide a mounting for the bulkhead bracket...

No2- The finished soldered oiler with the first fitting on. Note use of commercially available 1/4'' BSP gas cap.

No3- Gauge fittings arranged in correct order.

No4- The oiler mounted on the forward side of the bulkhead- not bracket held between the fittings and the oiler and use of scale bore pipe to the bearings- this is used as remote pressure gauge piping in gas boilers and is 1/16'' OD.

Also you can just see poking it's head out from behind the engine the Mainsteam Models hand feed pump- really tidy piece of engineering- fully recommend it to anyone.

I've also painted all the plant's pipework in high gloss black but I havn't done any pics as yet.

Hope your all keeping up

Greg

[MONAHAN STEAM MODELS]

Fantastic work Greg!

She's really coming together now. Please keep the progress updates coming.

Nick

[SteamboatPhil]

I am constantly amazed by what people can produce starting of with a GRP hull and a little Patience

Congratulations a great job 

[gondolier88]

Hi,

Thanks Nick, will do- hoping to get plenty done on her today- set the 26th of June as deadline...!

Thanks Phil- I don't know about the patience though

Greg

[gondolier88]

Hi everyone,

Been so busy recently i've been meaning to show you progress since last update.

1st pic- Is the bow- now with planking, those little running strips that I really should know the name of (anybody)- to which i've added some brass fairleads- looks quite classy there I think, even if I do say so myself , also added a block of teak to look like the top of the stem coming up and also the name scroll- what do you think (not the name by the way- thats the owners choice)? Does it look right to you?

2nd pic- Taken tonight looking from amidships upto the new bow section, planking is now complete but needs fairing, the gun'l  on this side is now finished- that was fun to bend round the bow I can tell you- anyone else like straining tiny bits of wood to within an inch of it's life? (Keep it clean! ). Also in the pic are the boiler and engine bearers- just K and N brass square bonded into the floors, and also to be seen is the little tank I made to emty the condenser into while in the boat- I arranged the pipe so that you can tip the tank up but none of the oily dregs come out of the pipe.

3rd pic- A bit more in the stern section- I've been neglecting this end for a few days- and this bits easy so it's a nice break from twisting planks of wood covered in superglue around everything but the thing it should be on! Started doing the cabin (yes there is a cabin- under construction) planking on the inside of the cockpit.

4th pic- A good pic- don't think i've shown this view yet, looking aft to the midships bulkhead- leading away are the aforementioned bearers, the propshaft is in the centre, engine and shaft oiler on the bulkhead, the feed to the freshwater tanks is on the right and the outlet from the tanks to the feed pump inlet can be seen snaking it's way out of the bottom.

5th pic- the finished engine casing- lacquered and looks just right I think- looks great with the flaps up and the engine going underneath.

Hope you like these pics- could have done a couple more but the batteries ran out and i'm tired!

Greg

[Patternmaker]

Great stuff Greg, looking good

Mick

[Bernhard]

TIP-Top----------

[gondolier88]

Hi guys,

Launch Day has arrived, well it was yesterday actually. Windermere was our boating pond and a classic Healey Boat was our slipway for the day and it was sunny with a slight easterly breeze.

Problems with the micro servo in the engine casing so I had to dismantle the servo assy and leave the casing off, a jury assy was put in place for the innagural voyage- about 2hrs steaming was had altogether, however when we got round to Bowness bay the Piezo ignition stopped working so i stripped it down on the lake, however I couldn't find any faults, a continuity test on the HT leads back on land proved the wires were fine, so I suspect the piezo unit has given up the ghost!!

Also on the way back I took a roll of lead from the boat owner to use as ballast when I got home, this rolled onto the cabin though and has done quite a bit of damage!!!!!

Enjoy the pics.

Greg

[emarald]

HI I AM A NEW MEMBER ALSO JUST JOINED TODAY... WHILE LOOKING OVER THE SITE I CAME ACROSS YOUR BOAT AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY AS A BIG COLLECTOR OF STEAM ENGINES I TRULY ADMIRE YOUR BOAT IT LOOKS STUNNING
    NICE TO SEE THE PICTURES  THANKS GLEN                                                                 

[boatmadman]

Greg,

Nice to see it on the water, well done.

Was the Healey speedboat local to Winderemere? I found one for sale needing renovation not far away last year, but by the time I had found it the owners had changed their minds and decided not to sell.

Ian

[gondolier88]

Hi,

Glen, glad to have you join the ranks here, the more steam men the merrier! Thanks for your comments- what engines do you have?

Ian, yes the Healey boat is local, although owned by a guy in Chorley- it is in a boathouse that is curently up for sale between the marina and Storrs.
The guy I have built the boat for is helping him get it back to running order- the engine wouldn't even turn over the week before I came over! It's not the best runner- but hideously underpowered anyway- the utility boats hardly ever got up onto the plane- the one we were in needed the gearbox sorting out- it had no neutral! I couldn't tell you were he got it from- although he hasn't had it long.

Interestingly the guy I'm building the boat for is also a member of the classic motorboat society and owns two Albatrosses- one of which was Donald Campbells! Beautiful boat- and in Bluebird's colours too! Along with a McGregor sailboat, two Range Rovers, a Series One Landy and an Astin Martin DB7!- Many an interesting conversation we've had I can tell you!

Greg