The Steam Boat Association of Great Britain
The Steam Boat Association of Great Britain
| Owner: P. & D. Malpas. (SBA member) Area: (Australia). | |
| HULL | Launch Built c1949. LOA: 17', LWL: 6' 6". Mahogany clinker. Timbers imprenated with epoxy. Decks replaced with marine ply and Jarrah veneer. Formerly Port Adelaide fishing boat. Fitted with Kitchen rudder which gives forward & reverse. |
| ENGINE | Single, 2¾" x 31/8". Built 1992 by David Malpas. Design: David Malpas. Valve(s): sv, Gear: None, Pumps: fwh, Kcond. Ball valve maintains hotwell level from reserve tank. Wkettle.. Double acting. Cylinder sleeved from 3.3/8" bore. |
| BOILER | VFT. Built by Strath Steam. 16" barrel. 120 x ¾" copper tubes. No forced draft. |
| PROP | 14" x 26". Shaft: 1" SS. |
| HISTORY | It has been a constant test-bed of experimentation and improvement interspersed with many tours and events with great friends and like minded people.
We started ambitiously with the engine governed to a 3 bladed variable pitched prop. (with no reversing gear on the engine) with the hope of achieving automatic control, but this proved elusive. At this time we were using a 1.6:1 chain drive to the original (1" ss) propshaft as the original I.C. engine ran a small dia. prop. Next we progressed through slip eccentric then to bevel-gearbox to achieve fwd. neutral and rev. allowing the engine and feed pump to tick over whilst moored. To get rid of heavy gearbox messy and noisy chains and tensioners and bring the prop out to the end of the transom, a new stern tube was bored to allow direct drive off the crankshaft through a CV joint. This allowed a large 14" x 26" propeller accessible for weed clearing and to use a Kichen rudder system which still gives us fwd. neutral and reverse with masterful maneuverability. I recently built a "Wells Balanced" compound engine 4" + 2" x 3" [with LP (2 piston rods) above the HP cylinder (single rod in the middle) with cranks at 180 deg . all internal forces opposed and balanced minimizing bearing loads] This was interchangeable with David’s single while I overhauled it and trailed the "Well’s", which worked great. David’s is now reinstalled. |
| STEAMBOAT REGISTER © SBA 2012 | Click thumbnail for high-resolution image |