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Author Topic: Pusher tug  (Read 6117 times)

Pirate

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Pusher tug
« on: April 24, 2006, 08:45:57 am »

Good morning all,
                      seems I have this section to my self....
      maybe it's paranoia coming on or maybe we're the only ones with tugs...they're coming to get me!!!
                     Seriously, has anyone any experiance with fastening a barge too a pusher tug so as the thing reacts as a whole. I've tried a few things so far and it realy is fun, so differant from tugging. I'm using a 1906 Damen hull too push with a bar similar to that on the real vessel 'Skansund', this is pushing a Variant barge with 12 pounds of ballast ( Tug and barge were purchased from MMM ). Ideas please, at least ideas that are worth a try. I've looked at pics of the real thing via Tugspotters web site which I heartly reccomend, but cannot think of a simple yet scale looking answer.
Thanks
Pirate
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Craig Kane

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2006, 07:16:09 pm »

At a club where I used to be a member, we had a large scale model of the Egrete pusher tug (MB plan) and a barge was built to suit.

The barge had what could be described as a cut-out in the stern to allow the tug to "dock" and then move as one.
To fasten the two together, we simply tied the two together.  I'm sure that something mechanical could have been designed to allow the tug to lock into the barge and release on command, but at the time, this was adequate for our purposes.

Depending on how big you want to make the boat/barge combo, you could use servos or motors to drive some locking pins from the sides of the tug hull and engage in the barge.

Hope this is of some use

Craig
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Doc

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2006, 02:22:28 am »

Pirate,
You might look for "TugboatJoe's" web site.  He does 'pushers' and barges and is very knowledgable about them.  How to tie them together just depends on how realistic you want to get.  It can range from magnets to servo controled 'latches', to several rubber bands.  I'm not too 'scale' so the odd length of cord works for me...
 - 'Doc
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mike_victoriabc

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2006, 03:21:23 am »

Have a snoop in Mayhem's Shows - Foss Cup - I took some photos of the towing - they may help. I've run my small 18" Hilbre (same as the Alan B) in their regattas - tied tight to the barge with two lines to the sides - just be sure whatever you tie to is well set into the deck - mine are drilled in and epoxied.
Good luck with it!
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Pirate

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #4 on: April 30, 2006, 10:00:36 am »

Thank you all for your useful help/advice. Will now set too and invent some means of connection mechanism.

Regards
Pirate
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Red_Hamish

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2006, 10:17:26 am »

Hello all, Pirate i was out with my pusher tug and barge last week and had a fantastic day. The barge when built was built to be 3" wider than the tug both having flat surfaces to butt together (obviously the tug had tow knees) and both got Gaupner H towing bitts afixed to them by both drilling the posts and deck inserting a pin to both holes then epoxy-ing into place. Absolutely solid!! To attach the tow I used a multi brided "cog" rope with lashed and bound eyes . First point of fix was the tug Stb side then across to the Port side of Barge back to Port side of Tug thne across at 45degreesaround the outsied of the knees the Stb'd side of the Barge thence back to Stb'd side of Tug. The length of the rope was marginally too long but this allowed a little slack for the swell and undulating movement of the joining of the hulls. After sailing for about an hour and a half there was no slippage at all.  ;D
Pics to follow when availaible, i forgot my camera  :-[
Most enjoyable day out so far  8)

cheers

Jim
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Red_Hamish

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2006, 11:20:37 pm »

Hello all, attached are a few photos of Red Hamish IV and its barge in the dry on the box top in my garage! Just to let you see how the connection i make between the two or should that be tow?

cheers

Jim
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Pirate

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #7 on: May 04, 2006, 08:15:43 am »

BIG thanks Jim.....isn't amazing that when solving problems , the simplest and best allways allude one. Perhaps I look too deeply and screw myself up trying. Thanks again for taking the time to share your ideas.
Regards
 Pirate
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Jake Swann

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2006, 10:36:05 pm »

Good evernig

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towboatjoe

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #9 on: June 01, 2006, 11:35:11 pm »

I used to use rubber bands. On my towboat that pushes the fuel flat, I have the face wire cut exactly to fit the barge so when I face p to the barge the wires just snugly fit over the bitts.
On other boats I use a spring to hold tension on my face wire for different barges. I have a short piece of line for a face wire and hook the spring onto the roller chock on the boat.

Here's a boat I did for a 78 year old man and he needed an easy way to face up to his seven foot barge. A good tow for a eighteen inch boat, but it's to scale and that's what he wanted. Notice the line and spring going to the roller chock.
Here's a photo of the prototype. Face wire runs out from the winch through large roller chock to bitt on barge, back to smaller roller chock to the bitt again. That's called doubling the wires and it gives double the strength for towing. It works on models too.

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Jake Swann

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #10 on: June 11, 2006, 12:56:21 am »

yes i think pusher tugs are great and im only 15 and iv pust a 5 foot potoon and 4 barges
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KIMBO

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2006, 08:01:47 pm »

ANY PICS OF A CANADIAN PUSHER TUGS, I SAW ONE AT DONCASTER, WHAT A NICE BOAT.
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towboatjoe

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #12 on: July 04, 2006, 08:09:16 pm »

Here's some that run the Columbia and Snake Rivers up in Oregon and Washington. I think they run out of Canada too. Probably simuliar since they move a lot of wood byproducts up in those parts.

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KitS

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #13 on: July 23, 2006, 08:06:27 am »

Looking at those three piccies above I wonder if the Skippers need pilot's licences as well as Master's tickets. :D

I'm building a pusher tug based on a MMM Gehard hull with a cross wobbled superstructure partly from an Egret and part out of my head. It's main purpose in life will be act as a recovery boat for some of my other models that insist on stripping their gears or losing the wind etc. on my local lake. I never even thought of using it to actually push a real barge, but now this thread has got me thinking.....

I'm impressed with the guy who has enough lake (and car to carry it...) to push a 7 FOOT barge! :o
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Regards
Kit

Doc

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #14 on: July 23, 2006, 08:55:39 pm »

Wonder if that little 'camper' is the company office on the 'Umatilla'?
----
Got the pilot's license, just don't think I could carry enough 'barf' bags aboard for use in moderately rough water..

 - 'Doc
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towboatjoe

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Re: Pusher tug
« Reply #15 on: July 23, 2006, 10:27:14 pm »

I think the camper was used as the captain's and pilot's quarters ans the boat was not designed to be a trip boat. I would say there's only room for a small galley, head, and two crews quarters on the main deck cabin because the aft half would be the upper engineroom. A camper would be a lot faster and cheaper than building a cabin on the second deck.
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