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[mrzippy]

Any Mayhemers like to comment regarding the Saito T1 engine and OB1 boiler please?
or recommend a similar small steam plant that is available to purchase, especially in the Uk??.

I'm a relative newbie when it comes steam power - to date managing to convert a Mamod stationary unit into a marine set up,
 powering a 30 inch stern wheeler, now working on similar size open prop powered launch and the Saito unit seems ideal.

I'm aware of the huge reputation Saito IC engines command for engineering quality and reliability, but know little about their steam units,
the T1 has the unique complication of tiny valve gear, unlike most steam small units being simple oscillators,
 I'm wondering could this be a problem from a wear point of view, shortening the life span of the engine ?

Then there's the problem of availability in the Uk and import taxes etc - 6 weeks delivery times quoted by Uk main importers,
 various websites - one in Belgium 24 hour delivery??  all suggestions gratefully appreciated thank you.  Zippy

[redpmg]

Fellow club member had a Saito (triple?) many years ago  - well made - high quality . Had no problems with it . Problem with a single cylinder motor is that its not self starting and using a throttle you run the risk of stalling the engine when throttling back. If that happens in midstream you have a major problem....
However locally (UK) you could try Clevedon Steam who produce the old Cheddar motors & boilers etc. Probably better off with one of those regarding spares & help . Had a V twin Pintail and vertical boiler from Cheddar years ago - never had any problems. Alternatives are the Miniature Steam Models plants made in OZ - but seem a bit more pricey . Both are advertised in Model Boats magazine and both have websites. All their engines would be self starting and have easy throttle control.
Tony Green Steam models might be able to help with a simple boiler and single cylinder motor if you want to start off that way - very much less expensive than the Saito - look them up via Google - their simple engines can be interconnected making up any number of cylinders - believe three for self starting (stand to be corrected) which would run well on their simple double boiler- or the more sophisticated marine twins (ex SVS.)
www.miniaturesteammodels.com and www.clevedonsteam.co.uk

[mrzippy]

redpmg. Thank you for your interesting concise reply.
I should have mentioned the model will have restricted use on calm safe accessible waters and
possibly using a Kitchen Rudder to provide control - this item will be an interesting, if some what taxing build I suspect !

Still looking into what's available (globally) ideally one of the smaller Cheddar Units would have been perfect for the size model I'm building,
but sadly no longer available, yes Clevedon and OZ are thankfully still producing variants along the larger Puffin theme,
sadly these are too large for this particular model.

Trawling the net highlights crazy scenarios in our modern world ! -
it's looking like I could import the mentioned high quality small Saito plant all the way from Poland inc. taxes etc,
for less than the price of a questionable quality 'Unit Steam' plant that's a mere 50 miles away !!  Zippy

[redpmg]

If you can get hold of the Saito for less than the unit ones - I would seriously go for it . They are good quality - all started by Mr Saito himself as a hobby addendum to his large engineering works.

Great pity Clevedon don't make the single cylinder engines - suppose they must make what there is a demand for.

Have an interesting "Heritage " single cylinder motor from Midwest  - all gunmetal rather than a base/stand of an aluminum casting as was the case with the standard version - those being very similar to the ones Tony Green markets. However the boiler is not really up to scratch being far too small and takes too long to heat up as it's a very simple pot type. So before using it in a boat will have to make a new boiler......... Sadly of course Midwest engines are no longer available either nor any of their kits .

Glynn Guest did a nice bit of trickery some time ago with the mixer on a 4 channel set - two separate rudders which act like a kitchen rudder . I have the article somewhere if you wanted it . Much simpler than making up a kitchen rudder which gets quite involved. Have plans for a few types of kitchen rudders however if you needed those.

[KNO3]

Hello. The Saito steam engines are excellent units and they run very well. I have several of their larger models to confirm and none show signs of wear. However I do not have the engine that you are considering. I do have the little black boiler and it is a quality unit. Its 2 drawbacks are that it has no water gauge (like all Saito boilers) and it is quite small, meaning you won't be able to steam for very long. None of these is a major problem, just something to be aware of.
It is also possible to add a water gauge to a Saito boiler, if you can silver solder. I have done this with two of their older B2E boilers and am very happy with the result.

[mrzippy]

Hi Both,
Yes a great shame the lack of Proper small steam plants ! Cheddar got it just about right when they were in their heyday,
I have no intention of shelling out over £200 for a single Stuart ST oscillator engine only !

redpmg.  You may find this of interest re your Midwest pot boiler -
'Brookes' had the same problem and built a gas burner to go under the pot, all quite simple and seen in the videos works very well.
 reason for being aware of this is his Goddard was the inspiration for my Mamod stern wheeler.
Any info re Kitchen rudder would be of interest I only have what little is out on the net for ref.

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1153159-Live-steam-A-J-Goddard-sternwheeler

KNO3 thank you for your reply - Saito say 15 minutes steaming time from the boiler? how does this sound to you??

regards Zippy

[KNO3]

15 minutes is reasonable, but on the short side. I personally prefer 30 min.
Run time depends on 2 factors: boiler capacity and engine steam consumption. This really depends on the engine rpm, which also depends on the size and type of propeller you are using. Basically, the bigger the propeller, the slower the engine will turn and use less steam, so the boiler run time will be longer.
Steam engines have high torque at low rpm, so usually one should fit the largest propeller possible for the boat.