Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Steam => Topic started by: flashtwo on June 09, 2012, 11:42:22 am
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Hi Mayhemers,
Having been more than pleased with the performance of my experimental steam boat “Vital Byte” at Wicksteed last weekend (Martin even gave me a trophy for the most persistent project! I felt most honoured) , I am now planning to build a “proper” boat to put the steam plant in.
Currently the steam plant is a Stuart D10, a 250sq.inch monotube boiler, twin electric feed pumps (with feed from the lake) and an oil separator / feed heater. The D10 powers a 5 inch prop supplied by Propshop for the D10 engines. The whole lot is computer controlled.
I have plans from Selway Fisher (SF) for their Edwardian 30ft steam launch (5 drawings plus their book on strip planking).
I have scaled the boat around the 5 inch prop and the boat length ends up as 6ft 3 inches (1890mm), which will just fit in the car.
The current plan is to build a strip plank hull from cedar, outer veneer in mahogany (sapele?), glass fibre the inner, then fit ash ribs, stringers etc.
The SF plans include the mould board and building jig dimensions as well as cabin details.
I’ve read, with interest, Patternmaker’s Wide-awake and Ted Welding’s Natterer threads and their high standards are bit daunting – anyway it was a challenge to build the steam plant and I will persist with this build.
I’ve just got the wood for the mould boards and building jig.
Any advice will be MOST welcome!
Ian
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Good luck with you're build. The S.F plans are very good to work from just keep an eye on the over all weight
kind regards Frazer
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Good news. However building such a large boat might also have disadvantages, especially when you want to move or just store it. Perhaps your steam plant and prop would also fit a smaller vessel?
How long is the vital Byte?
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Hi Mayhemers,
Just an update with photos. "Vital Byte" is 5 ft and displaces 32kg (72lb) including ballast so any new build that is lighter will be a godsend.
I've spent the last few months building the jig and mould boards and earlier this month started strip planking the hull following the Selway Fisher instructions.
A lot of attention was given to ensuring the mould boards were accurately cut, bevelled (spiled?) and aligned on the building jig, before commencing with the planking.
I've completed the planking and the hull is being scraped (not scrapped!) of the excess epoxy prior the application of the first layer of sapele veneer.
The photos show the completed jig with mould boards, the fan tail stern, the scarfing jigs for the planks and hog, the mould boards with drafting tape fitted to stop the epoxy sticking to the boards, the method of clamping the planks and a shot of the work progressing.
You can gauge the scale of the boat compared with the “Workmate” bench.
Ian
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Ian it looks great so far, but my backpacks at the thought of moving something that size. You must have a lot of good friends when it comes to launching "Vital Byte" at five feet and 32kg (72lb). We had a fellow who had a six foot long tanker model that weighted around that and it was amazing who would stay around to help unload launch and reload it in his station wagon. I have a couple of models around 50" and that is large enough for me unless I am going to ride in it.
Regards,
Gerald.
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Hi Gerald,
Yes, Vital Byte is a bit (actually 8 bits!) of a handful, but I use a small fold-up sack trolley to launch and recover the boat; the photograph shows Alan Rayman is who the co-author of “Experimental Flash Steam” inspecting the boat.
Ian
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Hi Mayhemers,
Still more photos showing the progress of the Edwardian Steam Launch.
The first shows the completed strip plank construction after cleaning off the excess epoxy.
The second is of the fantail stern, which was a difficult area to lay the strips evenly, due, I think, to a misalignment between the last few mould boards and the horse-shoe shaped inwale frame. This area had to filled with thick epoxy and sanded to get the right form.
The third is a shot of the bow, again showing that some filling was required.
The forth is a shot with “Vital Byte” as a comparison – I suspect the elegant launch will glide through the water rather than “bulldoze”!
The remaining shots show that the veneer has been fitted “dry”. The veneer will be removed and refitted with epoxy.
Just over one sheet of sapele veneer ( 113 x 18 inches – 2.8 x 0.46m, 0.6mm thick) has been used at this stage. The veneer is laid at 45deg to the strip plank, although towards the stern, the angle had to be changed, since the 25mm veneer strips were starting to run in line with the cedar planking.
The next layer of veneer is to be horizontal to give a carvel construction appearance.
Ian.
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Looking good, having been on two of the full size 'Edwardian' designs, although both were stretched to 30ft, I'm looking forward to seeing this completed.
SF's designs always have a little too much displacement to my eye, the D10 will have its work cut out, but at least it will be doing some proper work.
Greg
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Thanks Greg,
Yes, this is based on the "stretched" 30ft version plans that SF built for a South African vineyard owner.
The new launch's performance will be interesting compared with the primitive hull of "Vital Byte". What do you mean by "too much displacement" - is it the shape?
I suppose what I'm trying to achieve is not so much speed, rather than an elegent and luxurious application of steam power that you don't get with anyother craft. The Edwardian period of steam pleasure boats seems to encompass that tone. Also, it is a type of craft where the steam plant can be legitimately displayed in all its motion.
I wonder if you can help me on a few points - in the SF manual it describes the launch as having a "deep forefoot" on the bow - what does that mean? And, also, what is the correct description of the bow shape - is it a schooner, Thames launch, Windermere launch, etc?
Ian
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At the risk of going off at a slight tangent, I don't think you can have "too much displacement" in a design - the displacement is what it is, and I am sure Paul Fisher knows what his designs weigh and draws his hull lines accordingly. I suspect what Greg means is that the SF designs tend to be heavily built rather than lightweight and slender. (Having built one of his designs at full scale I'm not sure I agree with that.)
The forefoot is that part of the bow where the stem curves back to become the keel. If this part is designed to be well submerged when the boat is underway it is said to have a deep forefoot. The complete opposite is a hull form like the J class yachts that have a long overhang.
I would call your bow form a clipper bow (think Cutty Sark) but that's just me.
Hope that helps a bit.
Oh, and the build is really great, I am very impressed with your planking - don't worry about the filler, the fastest racing yachts have loads of it to fair the hull! Looking forward to your next instalment.
(A completely different) Greg
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Thanks Greg,
Yes, this is based on the "stretched" 30ft version plans that SF built for a South African vineyard owner.
The new launch's performance will be interesting compared with the primitive hull of "Vital Byte". What do you mean by "too much displacement" - is it the shape?
I suppose what I'm trying to achieve is not so much speed, rather than an elegent and luxurious application of steam power that you don't get with anyother craft. The Edwardian period of steam pleasure boats seems to encompass that tone. Also, it is a type of craft where the steam plant can be legitimately displayed in all its motion.
I wonder if you can help me on a few points - in the SF manual it describes the launch as having a "deep forefoot" on the bow - what does that mean? And, also, what is the correct description of the bow shape - is it a schooner, Thames launch, Windermere launch, etc?
Ian
Hi Ian,
Forgive me, I notice now your first post does indeed say it's the 30ft'er.
Your launch will indeed have elegance, in bucket loads!!
As sailorgreg says, that bow would normally be described as a 'clipper' bow, although in essence they are two completely different constructions of stem, a different name for the general shape your boat's bow hasn't until now been though of. One feature of a clipper bow is a deep forefoot- again, as sailorgreg points out, this is the point where the stem meets the keel, often curved on launches, it provides a wider land for the planks to land on than if you took the planks onto a completely 'plumb' stem- imagine your planks continued onto a stem that was 90deg. to the waterline, how acute the angle would be.
I have to disagree with sailorgreg on the point of displacement- steam launches have a direct correlation between displacement and speed, or more accurately between displacement and power consumption. A case in point- steam launch 'Elfin' on Windermere was 65ft x 6.5ft- a beam to length of nearly 1:10. She had a 250hp compound engine and had a speed of 25mph, in 1895!! She would have had a displacement of around 12-15tons. Compare that to the preserved steam tug 'Kerne', she is 72ft LWL (longer WL means a more efficient entry and exit angle, and usually more speed is resultant). She has a beam of 18ft and a displacement of 63tons. She has a 300hp triple turning prop' of nearly 8ft dia!! Yet, with all that power she can only reach 8knots at full speed. Why, because she has to push 63tons of water out of the way just to float.
Having seen a large number of launches that were designed and built during the Victorian/Edwardian period it is distinctly obvious that SF's designs, although very seaworthy and very pretty, do not in any way copy the launches of the period they are titled after.
I know of two boats that were built in the last 15 years or so, one 30ft, one 31ft. The 31ft launch has a displacement of just 1.2tons, uses a single cylinder Thornycroft engine of just 8hp, and yet will reach and sustain 16mph! The other 30ft launch has a displacement of 1.1tons, a 15hp LIFU compound engine and a top speed of just short of 18mph- very impressive to say the least.
In low powered, highly efficient steam launches, displacement is everything, not that any of that will stop your launch being a very well designed, built and engineered boat, of which that is already evident.
Greg
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Thanks Greg(s) for your comments, encouraging compliments and explaining the “boat” terminology.
I look forward to the change from the “Kerne” performance of “Vital Byte” to an “Elfin” performance for the new launch!
In anticipation of the colder weather to come, I have built an insulation box to cover the hull, which, with the addition of the greenhouse fan heater, will keep it warm to assist the curing of the epoxy. It is constructed from 25mm expanded polystyrene insulation boards.
First photo’ shows the box (also available with brass handles! SWMBO doesn't like the grave humour!)
Second photo’, the pre-cut veneer (120 off) strips, all numbered and ready to be glued back on the hull, hopefully in the right order.
Ian
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No I haven't hung myself (yet) - those are my waders hanging up!
Ian
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No I haven't hung myself (yet) - those are my waders hanging up!
Ian
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Ian my wife was looking over my shoulder when I was looking at your "Coffin" photos and suggested I make some for my models plus one my size so that it will be easier to cart me any my models out when the time comes. Which she said might be soon if I buy any more models.
Regards,
Gerald.
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Glad you appreciate the humour!
Well the first layer of veneer has been epoxied to the hull (see photo') and any lifts have been relaid and the hull sanded down to remove any small ridges. I did use 690 staples to secure the veneer whilst the epoxy cured - easy to staple, but bit of a slog to remove them all!
The 1 inch strips (hanging in the background) are being cut for the final layer from the two remaining veneer sheets.
Since the final layer strips are from two separate sheets, they are being marked as "A" or "B", in case they have a slightly different colour, and are being fitted alternately rather than on one side to prevent the hull having a completely different shade on the port to the starboard.
Ian.
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Yorktown – Isandlwana - Spion Kop – Arnhem – Glass cloth sheathing ….. a long line of defeats!
Having successfully cut and stapled the final veneer sheath onto the hull, I applied the glass cloth and epoxy resin. The hull was then covered and kept warm for the next six hours and left overnight to set – it was looking good.
The next day, I took off the wraps and things didn’t look too bad and all 723 staples were carefully removed. On close inspection, I noticed that where the staples had been on the more horizontal sections of the hull, the staple holes had “sucked” a portion of the resin leaving a series of craters behind about 1cm across in which I could see the cloth weave. On other sections the resin was too thick and on the sides had formed quite thick ripples as the excess resin had flowed. At the fan tail and bow the resin was just at the correct thickness to show the weave.
Although I had practised with a spare pieces of veneered wood, including horizontal and vertical, and with staples holes, I think the first mistake I had made was when I was vacuuming the dust from the work area and hull– the hoover had sucked out the dust from the staple holes, which on the test pieces had been blocked, thus allowing the resin to seep through causing the craters.
The other mistake was changing from using the foam roller to using a stippling brush in applying the resin. I had used the roller at the stern and bow and the correct finish was achieved. The roller had been causing the cloth to rack-up, so I changed to using the brush which caused foaming of the resin.
I did attempt to sand the excess ripples off, but the trapped air bubble craters started filling with white epoxy dust (a mask was worn) encouraging me to sand deeper. All the time I was cautious not to go through the weave, but unfortunately did in places.
Well the big decision was made to remove the lot. Using a delta sander to get through pass the weave, the remaining epoxy was scraped off (not sanded) back to the original veneer; it took eight very dusty hours and the work area looked like a snow storm had hit it.
The staple holes are now at least filled!
I think, in hindsight, that the double veneered hull is quite hard enough without being glass-cloth sheathed and I am now trying to decide whether to just apply a resin or varnish coat(s) to the hull – any advice would be most welcome at this stage.
A couple of other observations:-
From the photographs you may see that I applied vertical strips of drafting tape which had alignment lines for when the veneer strips were to be refitted to the hull with epoxy. On the first layer I pencilled lines directly on the veneer, but they became permanent especially where the epoxy had covered them. I thought that by using drafting tape it would prevent any problems, but surprisingly found that they left a very light area on removal which was difficult to remove by sanding. I had noticed during the application of the veneer that the thickened epoxy tended to squeeze through the pores of the sapele grain and I don’t think this happened where the drafting tape was, perhaps due to trapped air. Obviously some form of alignment marking is required on the veneers, but pencil or drafting tape cause their own problems.
The other observation is that you need to sand paper all the rough skin off your hands before handling the glass cloth otherwise it snags worse than a pair of tights!
In the mean time, I’m going to invert the hull and tackle the inside with a view to installing and aligning the very long prop shaft before tackling the keel and skeg. Since the prop shaft length is in excess of 800mm the slightest misalignment at the prop end will throw its position out at the engine coupling.
Yours (a lot the wiser)
Ian.
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This is proof, should it ever be needed, that no matter how many coats of paint/resin you put on, if you have a pit to start with, you'll have a pit at the end. It's all same "the Princess and the Pea". When I built my clincker hull I put resin(no cloth), on the inside after the floors,ribs and stringers were in. Now resin has a tendency to turn white when wet so I protected it with three coats of varnish. The resin went through the short grain of the mahogany in places and appeared on the out side. The inside of most launches is largely hidden by flooring, steam plant, cabins and decks etc so the imperfections of the resin finish are lost(you'll see them but nobody else will). Most carvel hulls are painted but double diagonal construction can look superb when varnished. If you do plan to varnish then remove all traces of resin and cloth. Fill all holes/pits with colour matched wood filler(don't use plastic wood or the same by any other name as it sets harder than diamonds). Fill grain with proprietary grain filler. Put on two coats of meths based clear sanding sealer, rub down to wood with wire wool. Sanding sealer dries in 10 minutes(it's shellac). Put on two more coats then knock the shine off with finer wire wool. This shellac will save you 8 coats of varnish as it will not suck into the wood. Clean off dust an clean with a tack rag before putting on three THIN coats of best quality, oil based yacht varnish. If you can clean the brush in white spirit it's ok. Thin the varnish with white spirit 10:1. Never use varnish neat. Never use straight from the tin but decant through a pair of tights into a working pot. Allow at least 2 days between coats(now you be glad you used the shellac). Knock the shine off each coat with finest sue wool. After final coat(trust me you'll know when) knock the shine off then polish with beeswax polish until it blinds you. Or you could just paint it!
Jerry.
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Hi Jerry,
Thank you for your reply - your valuable experience is much appreciated.
Although I have removed all of the cloth and scraped off the resin, there is still resin within the grain of the veneer that had oozed through when attaching the veneer - I shall have to do a test area that won't show too much.
A few questions:-
What is "sue wool"?
The thinned varnish - thats 1 part of white spirit to 10 of varnish, or am I being thick?
I have seen on websites that some people use foam brushes and others use good quality bristle - which has been successful for you?
Thanks again
Ian
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Sorry matey, sue wool is iPhone predictive test for wire wool and me rushing my proof reading. Don't worry about remaining resin, just make sure you rub down flat. Sanding sealer will take ok. Mix is correct as you say. I used a good quality 1 1/2" brush but the finish doesn't come from the brush it comes from the rubbing down and cutting back. While varnish dries in 24 hrs it takes at least 48 before I would cut it. When you cut back with wire wool if it doesn't make dust, stop, and give it another day. This is how I do it with varnish as that's the way I did my Redwing sailing dinghy inthold days. If you want you can do it with 2 pack epoxy and spray it on. That way the finish you get is out of the gun and you don't re work it after. I don't know how to do that so if you choose that way then I recommend you ask Stavros cos he's the expert on that system. I saw one from the Colwyn Bay club and it was stumnning. It's very tough but don't know how you repair wear damage. Repairing varnish is easy. Just make sure it's the old fashioned oil based yacht varnish. It's on it's way out due to new emission regs. I have no experience of acrylic water based varnishes except bad ones! I don't know what I'm doing with them. I stick with what I know.
Jerry.
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Sorry to hear you had so much trouble with the sheathing. I know it's too late now, but did you start rolling the resin in from the ends or the middle? From what you say it sounds like you did the ends first, but the best way is to start in the middle and work the resin (and the wrinkles) towards the bow and stern. Anyway, unless you are going to regularly drive your boat up a shingle beach or play dodgems with a concrete wharf you almost certainly won't miss the glass cloth.
As for varnishing, I have had no joy at all with foam "brushes" although I know other people have. As Jerry says, preparation is everything - and so is the number of coats you put on. Don't expect a great finish with two or three coats. You really need at least five or six to get that depth of finish you see on good varnish work. The way I have done it is to get four or five coats on quickly (one coat a day) with a roller, let that cure for a couple of days, cut it back with some 320 wet and dry and put the final coat(s) on with a good brush. The rolled finish isn't great but it does avoid the runs and bare spots that tend to plague my brushed coats - the wet and dry then gives you a nice base for the piece de resistance! The most neglected part of getting a good finish is good lighting - outside on a bright day is best, but given the time of the year, get as many lights as possible on the job, especially for the final coat.
Good luck and I'm sure you'll do a great job :-)) :-))
Greg
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Hi Mayhemers,
Moving on from the “lost battles” to the “how-not-to-do-it” theme……
I’ve finally lifted the hull from the mould boards, mounted it in a cradle frame and continued the work.
As you can see that there was a lot of removal and cleaning up required of the excess epoxy that was originally applied to the cedar planks; in fact 300g (10oz) of epoxy was removed, which took 8 hours of sanding. The cleaned hull weighed in at 3.3kg.
The objective was now to sheath the inside with the glass-fibre cloth with the intention of strengthening the hull and also creating a barrier against all of the steam and oil that might find its way into the bilge.
Before sheathing, I had to even out the planking at the fan-tail, since I had a lot of trouble in that area due to misaligned mould boards with respect to the fan-tail gunnel.
I used a proprietary two-part filler to level the low areas, which didn’t look too bad against the freshly sandpapered cedar. However, when the sealing coat of epoxy was applied, the cedar turned a rich dark colour and the filler turned a horrible yellow – a good job it will eventually be decked over.
To reduce the effects of any moisture in the hull, I warmed the hull in its “coffin” at about 20degC for about 8 hours. I brushed the sealing coat of epoxy into the small remaining gaps between the planks and also into the staple holes, with the intention of avoiding air bubbles, and finished with a roller. I then kept the hull warm for another 3 hours to assist the curing process. On inspection it looked good – so far.
Before applying the glass-cloth, I again warmed up the hull for about 3 hours (the garage is not the ideal place this time of year). I then pre-cut the cloth and located them on the hull with the clamps.
With everything in place I proceeded to epoxy the cloth to the hull using a brush to slightly move the cloth in a slight circular motion to encourage the resin to flow into the weave rather than stippling and causing the foaming I had experienced previously. After spending more than 4 hours doing this operation, I then covered the hull up and warmed it up to 20degC for 3 hours.
On inspection in the cold light of day I was disappointed to say the least when I discovered that air had lifted patches of expoxied cloth up to 12mm across, but strangely only in the last area to be covered. The starboard side was completely free of these patches as were the majority of the port side, but up at the port bow there were about a dozen of these unsightly patches.
It took me a while to understand that the final application of heat had caused the trapped air in some of the staples holes (dammed things!) to expand and separate the cloth from the hull – but only in the areas where the epoxy was still fluid; the rest of the hull had cured just sufficiently to contain the air.
Again, with hindsight, I should have used sanding-sealer (I was told!) that perhaps would have displaced the air in the staple holes and also I should have just let the hull cool down to prevent the air bubbles from expanding.
Anyway, I cut back the patches and gave each offending staple hole (thank god it wasn’t the total of 3000 holes!) some personal attention, one more epoxy coat rollered on and left with no heating – the result, you’ve guessed it, AMINE BLUSH.
I’m now thinking about constructing the frames, stringers and floor prior to test fitting the engine.
I was considering using ash or lime (bass) for the frames etc . Does anyone know a supplier of ash?
Ian
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and the fantail with the filler, least said........
Ian
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...just one bit of good news - the hull fits in the car!
Ian.
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Sorry to hear of your epoxy woes!
If you're after a frame wood that will bend in you need either ash or oak- if you are going to bend them onto the GRP then use oak, and cover with a coat of epoxy. If you are going to GRP over the frames, use ash. Ash will not stand the small amounts of fresh water left in the bottom of model boats, constantly getting damp and drying out, they will go rotten in a couple of years. Using a decent oak will alleviate the problem of rot for far longer, especially if you epoxy coat it, or just varnish it. Oak is also what would have been used on the boat's full size Edwardian ancestors.
Greg
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Bear in mind I can hack some branches of that monster ash at the bottom of the garden!!
There is a smaller oak too if you decide to go that way!
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Due to Christmas and the cold spell, progress slowed on the launch construction. I finally re-arranged my small work shed and abandoned the freezing garage and progress has picked up at last.
I decided to use cedar for the frames and stringers since they should be tolerant of any damp that might seep in – they’re going to be epoxied anyway.
I’m glad I didn’t dispose of the mould boards, because they’ve been so useful for constructing the frames. I made a gluing “station” with the frame shape drawn from the appropriate mould board, waxed the surface and then hammered a series of pins for the frame outline allowing some extra curvature to compensate for the frame springing back on release from the board.
I used four strips of 1/16 x ¼ inch cedar to form a laminate frame of ¼ x ¼ inch. Initially I tried dry bending these to shape, then gluing and clamping. Although the bending was done slowly, I was getting 20% failure as the laminate was bent initially or rebent with the glue.
I didn’t want to steam bend because it was too cold out side and I didn’t want my machine tools getting wet with condensation, also, I didn’t want to wait for the wood to dry before gluing.
I remembered that you can fire-bend bamboo, so, I thought I’ll try “fire-bending” cedar. After a couple of experiments with my brazing torch, I found that by spring clamping one end of the laminate to the pin board and quickly “wiping” it with the narrow flame, the wood would bend like soft plastic to the shape of the pin layout whereby it could be clamped and allowed to cool for 30 seconds.
Removing the laminates, it could be seen that only the outer surface was lightly scorched and between the laminates it was clear. The epoxy was then applied and the laminated frame refitted to the board to cure in front of the radiator. (See photo)
Having developed this method the frames rolled off like a production line – I even ended up with two spare ribs!
Having used the mould boards as reference, I found the frames fitted the hull well and were lightly sprung into position using temporary pins whilst the epoxy cured (See photo). Having closely followed the extremely helpful “Jerry’s S.L. Wear” thread, I was very careful to check that the beam dimensions were not affected by fitting the frames.
I then had to tackle the inwale and bilge stringers. These again were of cedar 3/8 x 1 inch and at over 6 foot had to incorporate scarfed joints.
For the inwale stringers, I placed a board along the hull and traced the line onto it, applied screws every few inches and used it as a flame bending board (see photo) . This time I used a 1600W heat gun which was quite successful. The cedar took up the basic curve, but I didn’t appreciate the complex path that the stringer takes betwixt stern and bow. Still after a lot of twisting with clamps and more heat, the cedar bent to the required shape.
After each heat-bend I would have to allow it 30 seconds to cool down before releasing the bending force. I also found that I had to stop if I heard the wood creaking. I felt that the wood was too dry on one occasion, so I left it in water for a couple of hours to increase it moisture content before further heat bending. It was best to try an achieve the correct bend on the first attempt before the wood and lignum dries out.
The bilge stringers were even more convoluted and they were constructed using two scarf joints each which eased the heat-bending process.
I found that about 0.6mm thickness was lost in the most scorched areas.
The mould boards again came in use for the floor beam construction, which, now fitted (see photo) , are allowing the initial location of the Stuart D10 and prop tube.
Ian
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You've probably noticed how incredibly light and strong the hull is. When the deck, rubbing strands etc are added it becomes even stronger. At the stage you are now was when I set all beam dimentions with temporary cross members over the deck and then epoxied the inner surfaces completely. I was surprised at how much epoxy came right through the grain. (Not the joints). It all paid off as I have no leaks. The only source of water is the steam plant. When I want to give the insides a good clean I just spray everything with flash and hose it out. (After removing the receiver). She's really looking good. It's a (justified) self satisfying experience isn't it? Give yourself a well earned pat on the back.
Jerry.
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Hi Jerry,
You're dead right about how the hull stiffens up, but remains so light - it was a pleasent surprize.
When I did the veneering on the outside, I too was surprised how the epoxy oozed through the grain despite adding lots of filler to the epoxy - it is one of the causes of the current mottled appearance, I think it will clean off though.
I tried "sighting" along the floors to line them up, but most of them were so far away I couldn't focus on them! I used the strip planking as a reference, since they were fairly symetrical about the hog.
Thanks very much for your advice - your S.L. Wear thread has been such a useful guide.
Cheers
Ian
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Hi Mayhemers,
The launch has had its prop tube and laminated keel fitted plus additional laminations on the clipper bow on which to attach some brass banding.
I have followed Alan’s “Alaska” build method of machining the prop tube guide in two halves. I used a 12mm bull-nose cutter on the milling machine and then opened it up slightly using sandpaper wound around a piece of ½ inch brass; this gave the tube a very close fit. I made it so that I could cut it at an angle to supply both the external and internal parts of the guide separated by the hog. The hog had an angled bore cut to take the ½ inch brass prop tube.
I made a full size template of the keel out of 6mm MDF, which made the fitting of the laminated keel and prop guide much easier to cut and sand to shape.
The prop tube had a phosphor-bronze (Colphos 90) bush fitted at each end (thanks to Jerry and his SL Wear build), one end threaded (1/2 inch 32TPI) to take the stuffing gland nut and the other end with a brass plate that screws into the wooden prop guide.
I’m mounting the engine and bearing blocks on one sheet of 2.5mm aluminium with angles fitted along the edges for rigidity and to act as an oil bund.
The 3/8th inch (9.5mm) prop shaft was noticed to have a slight bend in it, so its been on the kitchen work surface and “adjusted” to try and eliminate the problem, though its still not perfect.
With the slight bend in mind, I’ve clocked the shaft in a few locations to quantify the problem and I’ve got a throw of +/- 15um (+/-0.6 thou) at the stuffing gland, +/- 25um (+/- 1.0 thou) between the bearings and +/- 30um (+/- 1.2 thou) at the engine coupling.
The bearing housings have been machined with the bearing land at 3.6deg to the vertical to reflect the prop shaft angle to the mounting plate.
I shall push ahead now with the “dry” mounting of the major mechanical parts, including any associated carpentry, and then give the internal wood a final coat of epoxy.
May I express my appreciation of the Mayhemers’ builds that are such a useful guide.
Ian.
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Ian, I've only just picked up on how BIG your launch is. I read 3/8" shaft in 1/2" tube and I thought wait a minute that's big stuff. My Wear's only 3' long! You won't be needing any r/c gear. A small (well trained) child and a megaphone or walkie talkie will suffice. Lol.
Jerry.
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is this the PROPER Jerry c or Mermod as I am totally confused.com.........flashtwo can wait to see this one at Mayhem
Dave
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A lovely job there Ian. I'm interested to know what the arrangement is for the stern gland, it looks from the picture like the nut is threaded onto the sterntube without a gland as such, but that could be my eyesight?!
Also, I wondered if you had one of the plummer blocks set up with an integral thrust bearing?
Greg
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Hi Greg,
The stern gland is the same successful arrangement that I had on "Vital Byte" (same nut!) and the seal is made by winding graphited yarn around the shaft and tightening the nut. The nut is then backed off until the shaft turns freely. The 26 mm long phosphor-bronze bush is silver soldered into the prop tube and about 12mm of that protruding is threaded. At least on the new boat the gland will be easier to access than on "Vital Byte". The prop tube is designed to be removable, so, if there are any design problems, I can take another stab at it.
One thing not fitted yet is a metal plate that stops the nut from turning once set.
The bearing blocks are also from "Vital Byte". As luck would have it, the shaft angles were within 0.3 of a degree of each other, so very little adjustment was necessary. The two adjustable brass collars are used as thrust blocks on the basis that the ball races can take a bit of axial thrust (been ok so far). A third brass collar will be fitted between the bearings to carry the magnet for engine RPM measurement; this used to be on the engine shaft and was a nuisance when working on the engine.
One thing of concern for such a boat length is hogging and subsequent misalignment of the power train. This happened with "Vital Byte" at the Guildford Steam Rally, but under the extreme condition of the demonstration pond water being at 27degC!
What arrangements do full size launches have for their long prop shafts?
Hi Jerry,
You should see the photos of the "A Team Boatyard" 15 foot model of HMS Daring without the superstructure, but with a couple of kids on board (closely supervised) - it can be done. The reason I ended up with a 75 inch / 18 inch beam hull was because the 5 inch prop I've got with the Stuart D10 dictated the scaling from the drawings.
Ian
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Yes Ian, I saw Daring at Ellesmere Port last year. Very impressive as is your launch. Will she be ready for the Coniston Regatta end of May? It's for 1:1 boats but gondolier 88 has kindly invited some steam launch models to participate.
Jerry.
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Hi Ian,
That's very interesting on the gland, if you did find that there was too much let-by or you had to have it too tight and caused too much friction you might wish to try PTFE tape- it's worked perfectly for me in glands of 'tight' persuasion in the past.
I see the brass collar now you point it out.
Re. the hogging issue- first off, Vital Byte's inherent flaw is that she is flat bottomed, fixing anything to the hull along the centreline simply creates a 'bi-metallic' strip (but one half being of wood!), and the further away from the stress you get along the keel, the more exaggerated the issue becomes at the extremes of the boat- so the prop shaft binds and seizes and cracks can appear at the base of the stem.
Full size boats are, as you assume, no different. And the problem is tenfold as the exaggeration of the curve is across a so much longer length, however, as with your Edwardian hull, the subtle curves of a well designed hull do far more than provide a hole in the water to put a steam plant in (and throw money down, of course). Launches typically have straight keels- this is great for a boat with a straight shaft and reduces deadwood and amount of timber that has to be bored to receive the sterntube. However, this in itself creates problems, as the boat relies on the keel keeping it's line to perform properly. In boats such as this a number of methods are employed to tie the keel in as rigid a position as possible;
Floors; bulkheads that go over the keel- very much in the manner yours do in your model- however they are each one through bolted through the hog and keel. They rise up from the keel, fitted to each plank- with a limber hole either side of the keel- for around 4-5 planks up.
Stringer; self explanatory, much used in both models and full size- however in full size it is important they are tied properly to the grown frames...
Grown frames- these are traditionally sawn from curved grown oak, these span over the keel and up each side to the gunwhales. They are through bolted or rivetted to each plank. The grown frames on a larger launch- say a 35-40ft version of your launch- would have grown frames at every 4ft station along the hull. In modern launches the grown frames are now often laminated. In between the grown frames are...
Steamed frames; the main structural component in any traditional boat from a 10ft pram to a 120ft yacht, and I'm sure you're well aware of their use.
Bearers; over the top, and often let into the floor timbers, are bearers which carry the boiler and engine- these are very important as they cancel the 'bending moment' caused by differential expansion- in boats with a flat run aft these bearers can run all the way to the shaft log.
Shaft log; as in a model really, except in large launches it can be made box section- similar to a hollow box mast construction- this produces a much stronger more rigid frame for the sterntube.
Another point that is overlooked often is the shaft itself, in a solid shaft of, say, 2.5" dia., over a 16-18ft length it will put up with a surprising amount of flexing. A good thrust bearing- either engine mounted or inline is a must.
Greg
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Hi Mayhemers,
I'm afraid the construction of the launch became very disjointed last year due to "more important" jobs on the house (garden fence, new garage roof, new soak-away etc.) and to top it all I had a major system problem on the old computer and replaced it with a Windows 8 losing some picture files on the way.
The steam plant and controls were all successfully transferred from the old Vital Byte into the launch with only new piping and wiring required.
To test the launch at home, I've built a substantial test pond 2.5m long and 1 metre wide containing 0.6 tonne of water. I also had to construct a travelling crane and pulley to lift the 35kg launch from it’s trailer into the pond.
The launch is not 100% complete, since it requires deck fittings and all the minutia that make it a model of the real thing. Fortunately, last Monday at Bewl Water in Kent, there was a Steam Boat Association meeting where I manage to take detailed photos of the marvellous “Sans Son” (a Selway Fisher design and one of the launches that mine is based on). These photos will enable me to complete the finer features of the model.
Well, the good news is that the launch will be appearing at Wicksteed this coming weekend, since yesterday it had a very successful maiden voyage at the Heron's Model Boat Club at Herne Bay (Kent). Having given the engine a good clean, especially removing gunge from the steam chests and resetting the timing, the fuel consumption figures were the best ever at 3.8g/min, which would give a theoretical 120 min endurance with a 460g gas cylinder. The engine was still turning at 140RPM just with the burner pilot light operating!
Looking forward to a great Wicksteed!
Ian.
The new launch is named "Vital Byte 10", since it the second model of that name.
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Hi Mayhemers,
“Vital Byte 10” performed beautifully at Wicksteed 2014 weekend despite the rain, storm, mud, the “2014 event” and the Scottish contingent’s hospitality!
I had one problem with loose connector to the gas control valve servo, which stopped the valve from opening and another problem with the mechanical connection between the same servo and the gas valve itself; both problems possibly caused by juddering whilst transporting the boat across the rough concrete path.
The mechanical connection problem was caused by the clamping collar shifting on the servo splines, causing the gas valve to stay open when required to be closed. It was first noticed during a demonstration in front of a large audience, when a higher than normal gas flow was present and the boiler raised pressure in record time. Vital Byte 10 then shot off at record speed around the pond without me being able to stop her by shutting the valve. What we couldn’t see from the shore was the control system battling to stop the steam temperature going really high; the system must have setting the feed pumps to high flow on occasions whenever the temperature went above 182degC.
I brought her back to shore and managed to use the software settings to close the valve without having to get the tool box out; from then on she again performed beautifully (the onlookers word not mine!).
Many thanks for all those that organised Wicksteed – Martin and family, Steamboatphil, Stavros, Klunk and the always welcome Scots.
In the photographs the bow is riding high because I forgot to put the ballast in!
Next weekend Alford!
Ian
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Hi Mayhemers,
At Wicksteed 2014, SteamboatPhil soundly suggested that I clad the boiler to hide the stainless steel boiler casing (it was originally a toilet brush holder!), and here is the result.
I'm gradually progressing with all the small deck fittings - cleats etc.
The flags have been "made" in Chatham Historic Dockyard's Colour Loft where my daughter has had her art studio for the last two years.
Ian
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Hi,
"Vital Byte 10" will be at the West Sussex Model Show, Sumner Ponds on Sunday 22nd June.
Ian.
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Hi Mayhemers,
Yesterday, Vital Byte 10 had a very successful steam around the Sumner Ponds.
Although the muddy pond edge made the launch and recovery a bit difficult, this was overcome with the much appreciated help from Mac, Sean and fellow club members from the “Warship Squadron Model Club”; I don’t think I could have done it myself.
The Sumner Ponds layout of islands, bends and reeds and other craft (not to mention the hundreds of Canada geese) gave VB10 ample opportunity to practice her navigation skills and made it a pleasant change of just steaming around in circles.
The straighter stretches of water enabled a good head of steam to be built up and a very good speed to be maintained. It was at times a bit of an effort to keep up with her – I think she was easily doing a good 10 knots scale speed, cutting elegantly through the water.
She had three good runs, the last being 51 minutes using 39% of the 460 g of available gas, giving an average consumption (including firing up from cold) of 3.5g/min at average of 360RPM and a maximum of 778RPM.
Photographs show the fairleads being sculptured and VB10 docked (by the dock leaves!) awaiting for the “Battle of the Atlantic” to finish and also avoiding the “SMS Schleswig-Holstein” that was lurking in the reeds (courtesy of the Portsmouth Model Boat Display Team).
Ian
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VB10 looked and sounded the business at Sumners Pond.
Len.
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Thanks Len - hope to see you all down at Dover soon.
I've been reviewing the entries from the last year or so and one of the concerns was about the stuffing gland on the prop shaft. Well, the simple arrangement of an internally threaded collar over the threaded prop tube has worked fine using graphited cotton with barely a weep.
I've noticed that no photos of the steam plant have been posted, here are a few showing the Stuart D10 and monotube boiler. Engine bay_1 photo shows the burner and gas attemporator. The attemporator (copper tube) has the cold feed water drawn through which cools the hot fuel gas as it emerges from the evaporator around the burner and before it goes to the gas control valve. The very cold gas returns (it has been throttled like a fridge) passes back through the attemporator to warm up before going to the burner; this is to avoid butane chrystals forming.
Engine bay_2 photo shows the gas control valve with its servo and pressure transducer (acts like a fuel gauge).
The other photos show the profile of VB10 and a comparison with the veteran "Vital Byte" test boat. The Electrics photo shows the computer data port to which the Display Unit is connected to retrieve running data and to adjust any running parameters like control tuning.
Ian
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VB10 will be at the Guildford Steam Rally tomorrow and Sunday. (5th 6th July).
Ian.
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Hi Mayhemers,
VB10 with her monotube steam plant, was exhibited and demonstrated at the Guildford Steam rally (in their 20ftx20ft pool!) over the 5/6th July weekend, although she couldn't really be put through her paces.
On Sunday 3rd August, she was at the Model Boat Association Dover, Kearsney Abbey Regatta where I managed to take some video for the first time, including mounting the camera on the boat. Excellent clean pond conditions and plenty of wild life. Only one collision (my fault) - 70lb (34kg) of boat makes a load bang when stopped by another boat!
A couple of issues ultimately caused by dropping the boat one its trailer the day before. Issue one was not checking the rudder movement before launch and then finding out I had no starboard directional control - just had to adjust the rudder post lower support bracket to relieve the stiction. Issue 2 stopped the boiler startup and was caused by the main AE-35 computer plug and socket connector not fully home.
Otherwise, the monotube steam plant and engine performed really well and getting good run times of 45mins (the "getting boring" limit) using the 230gm gas cylinders with 10mins to spare.
VB10 was next at the Herne Bay Heron's Regatta on the 24th August, where she operated with her new con-rods for the first time. Again video was made. The only issue was the state of the lake. The lake algae "soup" was causing the boiler feed water filter to work overtime, so I decided to replace it with my spare one. I restarted the pumps and waited for the air to be sucked out of the new filter and waited and waited.... The new filter had a small gap in its casing allowing air to be sucked in! With no choice, I had to shake out the "soup" from the old one and reuse it despite it being in a bad condition. When I got home I had to flush the system out with clean water.
Apart from the filter problem, VB10 performed very well and much quieter with the new con-rods eliminating the big and small end worn-out noise.
When I've had some help with the editing, I shall put a video of VB10 on Youtube (with even more help!).
Ian
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Hi,
Just received in the post, a copy August's (issue 329) of "Marine Modelling International" and VB10 appears on page 35 described as "MAGNIFICENT!".
Can't be bad!
Ian
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Hi Mayhemers,
I've at last managed to get a video of Vital Byte 10 onto YouTube - enjoy.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HV4s9MjfaQ
Ian
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...and another video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az_U-Qeb3fY
Vital Byte 10 at Herne Bay last August.
Ian
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Hi Mayhemers,
I've just started doing those winter jobs on VB10 including the completion of the finer details of the launch, new main bearings for the D10 engine and modifications.
The first mod is the replacement of the cylindrical oil separator with a more compact and better positioned one. This is to enable the planned fitting of an over-deck awning and to give a better clearance of the steam vapour plume. The new location between the engine and boiler also opens up the deck for the "passengers".
I took the opportunity to strip the boiler down and give the monotube a soot blow with the patio jet washer. For those that have missed the boiler development, I photographed the rebuild to show the simple boiler construction.
Ian
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Hi Mayhemers,
The inaugural meeting of the Sevenoaks Scale Model Boat Club is on late Saturday afternoon, so I thought I might add a bit of mood lighting to VB10.
I've fitted some Rainbow cycling LEDs (the type that you get in the solar powered garden lights) and some interior white LEDs. They are very efficient, only taking about 60mA in total at 12v.
Should look good with the steam vapour coming out the top and being illuminated, that's if I can operate in the dark (that's nothing new!).
Ian
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Awesome! Party boat! :}
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:-)) Amazing!congratulations! ok2
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Thanks guys,
I will try and take some pics and video (if it stops raining!).
Ian.
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Hi,
A very successful late afternoon steaming at the inaugural meeting of the Sevenoaks Scale Model Boat Club under the auspices of the Kent Model Boat Display Team.
The Rainbow LEDs certainly did the job, although it was difficult to video as it got darker. The reason there were so few boats on the pond, at the time of the videos, was because the Sevenoaks Council Leader was giving a speech regarding the investment that was, hopefully, to be carried out on the ponds to bring them back to a good state of repair.
This outing, I found it difficult to ignite the boiler. It was very slow to start up and was sluggish around the pond. After a while its speed improved, but still didn't perform as it might.
I took the burner out today and, testing, found the three pilot light flames were tiny. The pilot flames normally impinge on the liquid fuel evaporizer coil to turn the liquid butane/propane into a gas, but because this wasn’t happening, liquid fuel was going to the control valve and not passing as easy as the gas. This resulted in low steam temperature and caused the gas control valve to open to about 70% - normally 15% is adequate. As the burner got hotter, more fuel was evaporated and the gas valve then closed in and the launch speeded up.
In this first YouTube video, slugs of liquid fuel entered the boiler, caused puffs of flame to exit from the stack and extinguished the burner flame and pilot light, viz:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVMLogVHOYs&feature=youtu.be
After things had warmed up, the performance improved - the ability to stop in the middle of the pond and restart is also demonstrated, viz:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyJi6g_qtkk
Anyway, I’ve increased the pilot light flame size and hope to test it this Saturday.
Ian
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Looks great Ian
You've said the pilot flames were tiny but not why they , presumably, have changed since you ran them earlier this season.
Is there a deposit problem with these gas canisters?
You and others seem to be experiencing some sort of gas pipe rubbish..
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Bonjour Ian,
I have greatly appreciated your videos and noticed a great D10 for a small boiler and no feed pump if I am right ==> what is the capacity of your boiler and what autonomy do you expect ?
About gas, I have no problems because I use small gas refills even if they are a little bit more ewpensive, see here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxBGnpX77tA).
A famous English song evokes a drunken sailor, by experience, I could also sing "What shall I do with a drinking D10 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbvYKKf8tJE)...?"
And do you think it would be possible to add a whistle ok2 [size=78%] ?[/size]
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Hi Boneash,
To control the gas flow to the pilot lights, I just crimped the 1/8inch inch (3.2mm) gas pipe until the flames were to the right height. Possibly the pipe got slightly bent and constricted the flow when I reassembled the boiler after it's recent soot blow and reassembly. To increase the gas flow I simply squeezed the pipe across the crimp with pliers to open up the pipe.
I did check for contaminants and found a little bit of fluff which may have come from cleaning the gas union with kitchen towel - there wasn't any wax-like substances. The main burner gas jet was clear.
I've previously opened up an empty gas cylinder and it was clean.
Ian
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Hi Rhavrane,
Thank you for your appreciation.
The steam launch has two electric pumps to feed water to the monotube boiler. Only one pump is needed and the other is a standby pump that the computer commands if the first pump fails.
The boiler's single 15m coil may contain 100g of water, but it is being continuously replenished by the pumps with water from the pond. The run-time (autonomy) can be an hour with a 230g gas cylinder using about 3.5g/min, including warming up from cold, viz:
http://www.halfords.com/car-seats-travel-equipment/camping-caravanning/cooking-dining-equipment/halfords-butane-battery-230g-cartridge
The video of the remorqueur RC Jan is impressive, what is her weight (kg?). I see somebody fired an Excocet at her!
I am thinking of fitting a whistle, but the steam pressure usually only goes to 2 Bar, which is enough to run the D10 at 600RPM with 127mm (5 inch) propeller.
Ian
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Beautiful! I especially liked the reflections when she was at a distance. Well done.
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Thanks Geoff.
A news article has appeared in our local rag about the inaugural meeting of the Sevenoaks Scale Model Boat Club:
Ian
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Hi,
Just a couple of additions to the project.
I’ve made the deck gratings using ¼ inch mahogany strips – I started by hand, but quickly made a milling machine jig to speed up the process.
I thought I could just slice through the mahogany with a 6mm end-mill leaving a clean cut, but I found that the grain caused rather a ragged cut. I had to do initial cuts with the razor saw before milling the lap joint groove and then finishing off with a fine file.
All in all, I had to cut 720 grooves to make the two gratings. The first grating took several days, but the second 4 ½ hours.
I subsequently found out from a friends full size Dutch barge that the gratings are of two thicknesses of wood with a groove cut only in the lower one!
The brass jig was designed with a drop-down gate that located the wood and held it steady for the next cut.
The other new development is the replacement of the cable connected Control and Display Unit , which interfaces with the on-board computer, with a new one that incorporates a two-way 2.4GHz radio link (See thread http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,48575.25.html ).
This will enable me to fill the boiler remotely, supervise the fuel gas supply pressure and even tune the control loops when Vital Byte is in the middle of the pond (and I’ve just started on the MP3 sound system to link in with the anticipated phonograph!)
Last weekend, VB10 was displayed at the Ally Pally Engineering in Miniature exhibition on the Kent Model Boat Display Team stand.
A French couple, Francois and Isabelle, came from Paris especially for the show; they were friends of French Mayhem member “rhavrane” (Raphaël Havranek). There were also three guys that had come all the way from Vienna!
Ian
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Bonjour Ian,
Definetly a great project, mahogny gives the "final touch" ! But what a work to to it :-)) ... Patience is not my word...
My only concern about your baby is that she has a lot of electronic and no whistle <:( [size=78%] [/size]
I am happy to learn that frenchies came to see you wonderful exhibition (more pictures please !) and I also notice again that the steam world is so small. François and Isabelle are so kind, funny and they are the lucky owners of a real launch as you can see it HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQiX-5CiJao) or THERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMmmclgtJ48).
I will send them this post ok2
Ian, you should come with other members of this forum to the famous international "Atlantica steam" meeting organized by Fabrice "Anton" Bretagne close to Saint-Savinien on the fourth week-end of September. Look at "Atlantica steam presentation" on YouTube to have an idea (example 2014 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPmQcPus76A))
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Bonjour Ian,
Definetly a great project, mahogany gives the "final touch" ! But what a work to to it :-)) ... Patience is not my word...
My only concern about your baby is that she has a lot of electronic and no whistle <:(
I am happy to learn that frenchies came to see you wonderful exhibition (more pictures please !) and I also notice again that the steam world is so small. François and Isabelle are so kind, funny and they are the lucky owners of a real launch as you can see it HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQiX-5CiJao) or THERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMmmclgtJ48).
I will send them this post ok2
Ian, you should come with other members of this forum to the famous international "Atlantica steam" meeting organized by Fabrice "Anton" Bretagne close to Saint-Savinien on the fourth week-end of September. Look at "Atlantica steam presentation" on YouTube to have an idea (example 2014 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPmQcPus76A))
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Hi Ian, it is nice to see the progress since I first saw you and vital byte way back at a show in Guildford.
Now the system has a good few years of use under it's belt it seems fair to say it is very reliable excepting where you have knocked or vibrated connectors loose.
Have you any intentions of marketing this system properly via a third party, or making them as one offs for people who ask. As discussed years ago, it would be ideal as a system to power my D10 in my lightweight geodesic aerolite covered rowing boat. ( junior Whitehall plans by GA Boats )
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Hi Mayhemers,
Just had a fantastic weekend at the Model Engineer Exhibition at Brooklands.
The first time I was Brooklands, I witnessed a Vickers Vimy bomber taxiing along the runway prior to take-off; that was in 1969 not 1917 though! As part of my CEGB apprenticeship we were posted to various industries to appreciate the industrial uses of electricity.
Anyhow, for this exhibition, I entered "Vital Byte 10" for judging in working marine models class C1. This was the first time I had entered anything for judging and was immensely chuffed on receiving the Gold Medal on Saturday and then half-hour later receiving the "H.V. Evans Trophy" for research and presentation! It was made even better on receiving congratulations from fellow exhibitors.
"Vital Byte 10" was a difficult subject to exhibit, since on the surface it is just a model Edwardian Steam Launch and it is not obvious that it uses the monotube / once-through boiler with computer control. On top of that it is Voice Controlled and has an in-built navigation function. To explain the non-obvious functionality, I stayed with the model for most of the weekend explaining and demonstrating it to the visitors.
Next to me on the stand was Colin Vass with his fantastic HMS Warspite. My father was at the Salerno Landings in Italy and experienced the broadsides from Warspite (before it was hit by a Fritz guided bomb); he said the shells were like an express train passing low over head.
I was amazed that Colin Vass had spent 15 years building his Warspite, but then I reflected that I had spent 10 years experimenting and developing the once-through boiler and control system and finally building the steam launch.
The Model Engineer Exhibition is a great place to see such a vast range of skills on show. I was very impressed by the guys who produced such intricate patterns for their various model's castings.
Two people I must thank for help in the systems development are Phil Abbott (Steamboat Phil) for telling me it wasn't possible and then giving me heaps of encouragement and Rod Laws for allowing me to bounce off various (crazy?) ideas over a pint.
Here are a couple of photos:- the first is "Vital Byte 10" with its Gold Award and "H.V. Evans Trophy" and the second is of Cherry Hill, famous for her fabulous engineering models, viewing the various exhibits, with, in the background, the propeller from the Vickers Vimy that was the first to fly the Atlantic in 1919. Its ironic that on my first Brooklands visit I saw a Vimy on the runway and on my second visit (47 years later!) I was exhibiting under another's propeller.
Ian
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Hearty congratulations from afar Ian :-))........Derek
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Congratulations Ian, and well deserved, she's a marvellous model and an inspiration to us all.
Greg
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As Chief Marine Judge at the MEX I would like to add my congratulations to Ian. Vital Byte 10 is a unique model boat in combining the traditional with applicaton of the latest technology, particularly in applying the flash steam principle in such a controllable way. Ian also built the Stuart D10 from castings. Truly a man of many talents!
Colin
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Well done Ian. Well deserved.
Regards.
Gerald.
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Some thing glitched
In an earlier reply, the question was raised -- "What shall I do with a drinking D10?" the answer -- "Put 'em in the bilge until he boils over!"
Landlocked
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Bonjour Landlocked,
:-)) :-)) :-))