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[rhavrane]

Bonjour,
A recent discussion between several members and I suggests me to create a dedicated subject.

Which would be, for you the "mandatory", "useful", "comfortale" , "unnecessary" accessories on your steam plant ?

Let us share our answers wiith an assumption, we do not take in account the money side of the accessory, either you build and can realize the accessory or you pay a lot for a manufactured steam plant and the difference is not significant.

Let me begin :

After a stay in the hospital following a barefoot recovery of a boat blocked by a leaf I consider as "mandatory" a RC safety gas valve.

Because I participate to several steam friendly contests, I have to wait for between two tests and I wish leaving my boat on the water as long as possible, and often immobile, at a moderate steam pressure level for safety and autonomy reasons, I consider that the gas regulator is very not mandatory but very useful.

The gas pressure regulator ("détendeur" in French) is very uncommon, i have one or two and think they are comfortable when the gas pressure of the tank is not controlled. Besides this, as most of mt tanks are not heated, they tend to cool, so...

I have not any liquid phase tank and think it is very comfortableto use one to avoid heating it and guarantee a constant gas pressure, but it need a dedicated installation a little bit more complex, especially to start the heat.

And about the whistle, as people do not believe that my babies are real steamboats, it is my "brand" 

what is your opinion ? Which other accessoiries would you have in mind ? Thank you in advance to share 

[rhavrane]

Bonjour,

I have forgotten the boiler feed pump ! To my opinion, it is a useful accessory as soon as the boiler is a little bit small for the boiler and if you are looking for autonomy. But it is not obvious to find the appropriate one if you do not build and to insall if not previously planned.

[Bernhard]

 I do not need it, I just want it    NO,,it's not all that's extra is  necessary in a steamboat but I want it just because it being doable and makes the hobby more exciting and fun, I have gas regulator in all my boats (water pump to)  I have ,and have had .if you want it is quite simple and light boat , then a pop-pop boat is an option,,,


Regards
Bernhard

[derekwarner]

Bonjour Raphael...... ....as you know I am very interested in this subject.....however in a few hours I fly 1200 km from Sydney to Adelaide........so, could I please come back and offer comment later tomorrow evening?

Derek

PS...I don't really think there is a ground swell against technology, ...however possibly just a small sample of members who appear to be still living and thinking in the 1940's or 1950's and some who unfortunately think and print comments that are not really appropriate for our forum

I do have a reference to 'five [5] robustly negative quotations from a member distractor that or who's' comments I consider to be absolutely obnoxious in intent' that.....being aside to such technology, however I am tempered in my comments with the direction from our Martin
 

[rhavrane]

Bonjour,


Derek, how lucky you are to live and travel in such a huge country, sorry, continent ! We are not in a hurry, take all the time you wish to share at your rythm.
I am curious to see how many people will share their opinion, as my purpose is to share as I always say, not to Impose a point of view.

[ooyah/2]

Bonjour,
A recent discussion between several members and I suggests me to create a dedicated subject.

Which would be, for you the "mandatory", "useful", "comfortale" , "unnecessary" accessories on your steam plant ?

Let us share our answers wiith an assumption, we do not take in account the money side of the accessory, either you build and can realize the accessory or you pay a lot for a manufactured steam plant and the difference is not significant.

Let me begin :

After a stay in the hospital following a barefoot recovery of a boat blocked by a leaf I consider as "mandatory" a RC safety gas valve.

Because I participate to several steam friendly contests, I have to wait for between two tests and I wish leaving my boat on the water as long as possible, and often immobile, at a moderate steam pressure level for safety and autonomy reasons, I consider that the gas regulator is very not mandatory but very useful.

The gas pressure regulator ("détendeur" in French) is very uncommon, i have one or two and think they are comfortable when the gas pressure of the tank is not controlled. Besides this, as most of mt tanks are not heated, they tend to cool, so...

I have not any liquid phase tank and think it is very comfortableto use one to avoid heating it and guarantee a constant gas pressure, but it need a dedicated installation a little bit more complex, especially to start the heat.

And about the whistle, as people do not believe that my babies are real steamboats, it is my "brand" 

what is your opinion ? Which other accessoiries would you have in mind ? Thank you in advance to share 

[quote author

Hi Raphael.


I shall take you up on the request for alternative views.


If you had named your thread "USEFUL ACCESSORIES " instead of " REQUIRED ACCESSORIES " I would be quite in agreement with you.


Firstly I am sorry to hear of your accident while retrieving a stranded boat, maybe the cost of an Attenuator would have been better spent on a pair of Chest  High Waders, at my club we have  a set of waders for the very purpose of rescuing stranded models of all kinds.
( www.glasgowrichmondmbc.co.uk ) you can get me on the picture gallery under OOYAH


Secondly while awaiting your turn to enter a competition it is only a matter of turning down the gas valve to keep the burner very low  and the boiler about 5-10 p.s.i.and then before your competition starts just turn the burner back up, a gas regulator will be useful but not necessary.


Thirdly you comment that in France gas regulators are " very uncommon " so it's not every body that uses them, they are no doubt very useful but not necessary.


Fourthly, It's quite simple to have a piece of thin copper strip to transfer the heat from the boiler to the gas tank.


About a whistle, I find it very strange to hear the "PeeP Peep " of a whistle on a big industrial Steam Tug, having spent my lifetime near to the River Clyde , 5- years as an apprentice engineer, at which time the river was very busy with Tugs bringing large freight boats upriver, the Tugs had a very loud Bull Frog type Steam  Horn I would never fit a whistle to my steam Tug Cervia, but then again it's a matter of choice.


I have an engine driven boiler feed pump fitted to the D10 in my Tug and as I draw water directly from the pond via a filter and  I can sail all afternoon as long as I have gas in the tank and keep the boiler topped up.


Over the years I have never found the need for Gas regulators, boiler level indicators or whistles as I have come to know the running of my model and what the boiler requires.


I only commented on your posts as I felt that you were saying that these fittings were a requirement to running a steam plant and feel that new comers to the hobby would be put off at the extra cost


However it's up to the individual as to what they fit into a steam plant or do not, I must say that I like to keep things simple, plus the fact that the boiler and engine when fitted into the boat there is no more room to fit extras.


George.

[Baldrick]

My boat can think itself lucky it's got an engine and boiler.  Wether it acquires any frippery at a later date is in the lap of the gods.

[Mark T]

Ok here goes so please forgive me 


As someone who is new to small boilers and scale steam with very limited experience I would agree that certain accessories would make things easier.  Anything which controls the gas flow and steam pressure is great for someone like me.  I have such limited experience with small scale steam that these accessories make entering this field more possible.


Honestly I do not think that I would know how to throttle back the gas safely when idling but give me some time and I'm sure that I will learn.  I do know that both are dangerous when a little knowledge is applied.


I think that yes these accessories are very good for people like me but maybe not so good for others that really understand steam and have a feeling for their builds.


As for the whistle - Yep I will have one on my next build but that is simply because I'm a kid at heart - sorry George but its simply that I'm new to this and no other reason.  I have so much to learn and love these discussions

[ooyah/2]

Ok here goes so please forgive me 


As someone who is new to small boilers and scale steam with very limited experience I would agree that certain accessories would make things easier.  Anything which controls the gas flow and steam pressure is great for someone like me.  I have such limited experience with small scale steam that these accessories make entering this field more possible.


Honestly I do not think that I would know how to throttle back the gas safely when idling but give me some time and I'm sure that I will learn.  I do know that both are dangerous when a little knowledge is applied.


I think that yes these accessories are very good for people like me but maybe not so good for others that really understand steam and have a feeling for their builds.


As for the whistle - Yep I will have one on my next build but that is simply because I'm a kid at heart - sorry George but its simply that I'm new to this and no other reason.  I have so much to learn and love these discussions

Hi Mark,
There is no need to apologise, you can add on any accessory that you wish as long as you are comfortable with it that's O.K.and if you want a "PeeP Peep" whistle that's your prerogative, it may be O.K. on an open launch but in my opinion not on a Steam powered Tug.


It's good to hear that a Newcomer to steam is for these add ons and if this is the answer to get more people interested in steam the more the better, but not for me and hopefully at the end of this discussion it will not turn out that those that disagree are not bad people.


George.

[steamboatmodel]

I think the only requirement is a safety valve.
All else is nice to have if you want it, and as someone who likes to fiddle with things I do.
As for whistles like George I feel that they should be deep and throaty, but will settle for pep-pep if I have too.
About the Pop pops would be interesting to try one with a Kitchen Rudder.
Regards,
Gerald.

[rhavrane]

Bonjour,
George, I agree with you,my idea is to open a discussion without prejudice this is why the title of my subject is "Required accessories... or not !"

And i would have liked so much to have these whistles on my babies : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPEzNUbeS68 which will pehaps remind you memory or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRKC7JUuyGk

Mark gives us another angle of point of view, the knowledge of the steam practitioner. As a beginner, I had no idea that a  little leaf could block a large propeller or what could happen by going bare feet in a pond   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNk5eM_dHI8 Just NOT do it !

[ooyah/2]

Bonjour,
George, I agree with you,my idea is to open a discussion without prejudice this is why the title of my subject is "Required accessories... or not !"

And i would have liked so much to have these whistles on my babies : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPEzNUbeS68 which will pehaps remind you memory or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRKC7JUuyGk

Mark gives us another angle of point of view, the knowledge of the steam practitioner. As a beginner, I had no idea that a  little leaf could block a large propeller or what could happen by going bare feet in a pond   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNk5eM_dHI8 Just NOT do it !

Raphael,
Thanks for the links to the steam whistles, the second video of the deeper tone whistle is near to the ones on the River Tugs that I remember although they were much louder, the second whistle video must have created a very great drop in boiler pressure.
The large freighters were brought up to the King George V and the Princes Docks to unload and load new cargos, the docks were about 5 miles from where I lived but alas no longer.
At midnight on New Years eve at 12 o'clock they would all sound  their horns and they could be heard all over the city to celebrate the New Year.


Regarding necessary fittings I would not be without a Safety valve or boiler sight glass.


It would be interesting if the Newer Members to steam could enlarge their comments as to why they would or wouldn't fit the Gas control and boiler level extras.


How is your foot, I wager that you will not go back into the water bare footed again.


George.

[rhavrane]

Bonjour George,
I would have liked to live close to docks, even if the noise seemed to be impressive !
About my adventure, the point I feared the most has not been the seam, but the anti-tetanus stitch, I hate the stitches 
And now, I have bought an appropriate equipment : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-R29YkaoWI
I made a mistake of beginner by turning too quickly while I was pulling a 450 kilos launch, I forgot its inertia...No damage on the steam plant or the boat, I have just been obliged to change the servos (rust), little price for this lesson 

[Mark T]

As a complete newcomer to steam I guess that I'm taking the route that I see as the easiest for me.  I'm fitting a steam safety valve, boiler level indicator, gas safety valve, gas pressure regulator and boiler feed pump.  Now I know that this system will require setting up with some trial and error it will hopefully run without huge amounts of fettling once set.  This will then hopefully allow me to get used to working with model steam and build up my confidence to try other things.  I have worked with full size steam on generators which I always saw as a living thing.  The more I worked with them they more they seemed to make sense and I see my venture into model steam as the same.

[steamboatmodel]

Bonjour George,
I would have liked to live close to docks, even if the noise seemed to be impressive !
About my adventure, the point I feared the most has not been the seam, but the anti-tetanus stitch, I hate the stitches 
And now, I have bought an appropriate equipment : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-R29YkaoWI
I made a mistake of beginner by turning too quickly while I was pulling a 450 kilos launch, I forgot its inertia...No damage on the steam plant or the boat, I have just been obliged to change the servos (rust), little price for this lesson 

A very good video.
A question about full size boat regulations, The launch that you were pulling looked to be a rental by the hour type. In Canada Boating Regulations require that life (floatation) jackets be provided for all persons aboard, is it not the same in France? I figure that the pond is not that deep as you were wading in it, but I was disturbed to see small children in the launch without Life Jackets.
Regards,
Gerald.

[rhavrane]

Bonjour Gérald,
We have so many laws in France... And paradoxically, there is no one about life jackets on rental boats on ponds, perhaps because it would not be good for the business
Besides this, you are right it is not deep, about 1,60 m at his maximum, with about 40 cm of mud which have already "eaten" two of  our offshore boats, we take gererally about half to three hours to find them when stuck in, but for two of them... even after an afternoon, nothing !
And the rental oatsowner lost his 9,9 CV outboard engine in the middle of the pond and never found it either !
Imagine an arrow running at 90/100 km/h, where can it go when it dives ? Before https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thx4LHy0BqI  After  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI3p4-zcHVc (happy end)

[steamboatmodel]

As I said they are required to be in the boat over here, It is a fight to get people to wear them. When I was younger I worked as a Private Investigator, and one of the cases involved a young family that was drowned. Mother Father and three young Girls. I had to obtain the autopsy shots and reports, they had drowned in seven feet of water. Something like that sticks in your mind and makes you paranoid about life jackets.
Regards,
Gerald. 

[KNO3]

The single most useful accessory on a steam boat is a whistle  : it is a crowd pleaser and could even attract new people to our hobby. As s Raphael says, it serves to show the boat really works on steam, since electric boats sometimes have smoke generators.
Joke aside, a whistle can also be useful to check boiler pressure, since the whistle pitch will change a little with pressure. 

[steamboatmodel]

I usually try to install a whistle on my models and it is a good check on boiler pressure, it usually means you have a couple of minutes to wait for the pressure to build up again before you do anything.
Regards,
Gerald.