Steamboat Register

Etna

Status: Steaming

Owner: Roger Heise

Website: http://www.sl-vesuvius.co.uk/Vesuvius/Project_Etna.html

Area: UK-North West

Hull

Open Launch. Construction: Strip plank cedar, teak decks. Varnished interior..
Hull model: Snow Bunting designed by Selway Fisher/Mike Bell at Melksham in 2013
Built 2014 by John Chambers at Grimsby
Fit out 2016 by Douglas Marine Ltd at Hesketh Bank, Lancashire, UK
LOA: 28' 0", LWL: 27' 0", Beam: 6' 0", Draft: 2' 6", Displacement: 4000 lbs.
Hull designed to fit the LIFU style boiler and LIFU engine, to provide maximum buoyancy in the stern and to minimise tendency to roll when passengers move about. The layout permits easy access between foredeck ( for bows-on berthing ) and the main passenger compartment. 'Etna' has been designed for low-hassle steaming into the sunset of old age. She is oil fired for convenience and cleanliness, with an electric central-heating-type burner. Boiler pressure and water level control are automated. She is equipped with hydraulic steering and an autohelm. The onboard electrical system ( automotive alternator driven 1:4.5 from prop shaft / 220AH traction batteries ) permits operation without shore power for recharging her batteries.

Boiler

LIFU type 3-drum WT Designed by Alan Ritchie,
Built 2010 by Wessel GmbH & Ritchie Engineering at Xanten, Germany
Fuel: Oil, Pressure: 250 psi,
10.5" dia X 24" Steel 100 X 0.63" dia Copper tubes. Welded steel drums, copper generator tubes with Co construction,
condensing, engine driven pump, forced draft fan, hand pump, electric feed pump, Windermere kettle, whistle, siren,

Engine

Compound. 2.5" + 4" X 4"
Built 1906 by Liquid Fuel Engineering Co. Ltd. at Cowes, IoW
Design: LIFU style by: LIFU
Piston valve. Stephenson valve gear.
Power: 15 HP
Original castings and connection rods, though the piston rods and crankshaft have been replaced over the years.

Propeller

Bronze, 3 blades, Right Hand, 24" X 28"
Shaft: 1.4" Stainless Steel

History

Built new between 2013 and 2016, shaken down and fully commissioned in early 2017. Construction planned and monitored by owner. Owner installed the mechanicals, plumbing and electrical systems. Hull designed to fit the LIFU style boiler and LIFU engine, to provide maximum buoyancy in the stern and to minimise tendency to roll when passengers move about. The layout permits easy access between foredeck ( for bows-on berthing ) and the main passenger compartment. 'Etna' has been designed for low-hassle steaming into the sunset of old age. She is oil fired for convenience and cleanliness, with an electric central-heating-type burner. Boiler pressure and water level control are automated. She is equipped with hydraulic steering and an autohelm. The onboard electrical system ( automotive alternator driven 1:4.5 from prop shaft / 220AH traction batteries ) permits operation without shore power for recharging her batteries.

Added to the register: 2014.06.16. Last Modified: 2023.01.19.

Etna on first Continental European trip - 2016

Photos

Etna on Windermere with owner October 2016	Aft underwater shape: Propellor and rudder	Early installation of mechanicals, plumbing and electrics - April 2015
Etna on Windermere - August 2020 - photo by Robert Beale	Etna under power - May 2016 - photo Beat Bolzen	Control panel - maybe 'too much data' for some tastes. L to R, top to bottom: autohelm, battery status, emergency power off, control panel with meter indicator, CO2 fire extinguisher. Extreme right: whistle
Etna on Windermere April 2016 with boys at play.	Fisheye view of driver's space and tea-making.	World first? Carbon fibre funnel - well, just the outer shell!