Paddleducks
Large Paddler Builds => General discussion (Large) => Topic started by: thewharfonline on November 06, 2005, 11:52:03 AM
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Yes many of you may remember my dreams of owning a real working paddler! Well last weekend (Cup weekend for those Aussies playing at home) I obtained a nice wooden row boat hull!
It needs some work yes, but she's a real gem when it comes down to it. (there was no pun intended there for those Aussies playing at home!)
She's about eight foot long so she took some interesting trailer stacking to get her home...but she was worth it I only ended up paying AUS $160 for her.
So that afternoon (tuesday the 1st of November) we slid her into the water just to see how dire the repairs would have to be. well she took no water so my grandpa and I got in the boat...still no dramas, then my gf's dad got in aswell so that was three and we were fine.
As the oars that came with the boat were probably in the wrost condition of anything that came with the boat my Dad got me some fence pailings to paddle with, my gf hopped in the boat and we began to paddle around the lake!
It was a real party with champaign and all.
Then the boat came out of the water and we moved it onto some logs and that's where I've been working on her for the past week. Stripping paint off her (which is something other people should have done because there are about 5 layers of paint on her in parts.)
I plan to have her stripped with a new coat of paint by the start of next year! And mum is complaining about me working on her straight away ("oh Sean couldn't you have worked on her over winter, she looks so lovely on the lake")
Here's some photos of what is now known in my house as "Boat" Day and not "Cup" Day
So now the work begins I will keep you updated here. And I plan on making a DVD of the whole process when I'm finished so then you can all buy a copy and support keeping the boat afloat for another few years!
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Hi Sean,
The boat looks like a lot of fun!
What you plan on doing to it then?
Look forward to seein it progress!
Cheers
Andy
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Ok so here's what's been going on with my paddler lately.
So far lots of paint stripping however when I say lots really only a little has been done. It's a slow process and I don't have unlimited time at the moment because exams are just on the other side of tonight.
But today some progress in finding a way to quickly remove paint from the boat. We went down to Bunnings (Dad and I that is) and we purchased a heat gun and some paint stripper! Hey it's all worth a try to get this stubborn 3 or 4 layers of paint removed!
Well progress this week will basically be at a halt but I'm on holidays in a matter of just over a week and a half! yessssssssssss
Then you will all see some more progress.
My plans so far is to have typical Aussie "square" paddle boxes, you know the ones with the angle side...so they aren't really square! Ok then a small little cabin bit at the front to house the wheel and dashboard etc and then a roof will extend down to the rear of the boat to protect crew/passengers from the dangerous Aussie sun!
yes I know she's only a small boat!
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Ok thanks to Scot Friend (I think....) who sent me a link to a Swedish boat, the liberty belle supposedly the smallest paddler in Sweden (I think it's sweden anyway!) it finally made me realise a way of fixing my paddle wheel issue!
My issue was that the boat has a very low draught....a few centimetres at the very most! Australian paddlers (usually) have their sponson decks at the same level as the top of the hull and this is how I planned to do my paddler...but the wheels would have to be a) massive and b) placed lower in the hull which could look weird!
Liberty Belle opened my eyes...lower the sponson decks to the side of the hull!
This will also be much easier to do as well becasue the side of the boat is pretty much flat and I don't have to worry about bending wood etc to match the top of the boat! The wheels can be smaller and all in all should (hopefully) work out great!
Well thats the optimistic bit out of the way...now the bad news eh! Still stacks of paint to chip off! We seem to be getting nowhere!!!!!!!!
Have some paint stripper and a heat gun so we'll give that a go!
For my b'day (november the 28th) I got some bunnings gifts cards (bunnings being an Aussie ((MASSIVE)) hardware store) they sell fibre glassing matting and resin, stripping tools, wood, bla bla etc etc so I'm sure the cards will be spent quickly!
Thats all the news on the Grebe for now....have I posted that that is her name? I think I have!
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How do you intend to power the wheels again, some type of crank inside or will it be motorised?
I've been thinking about this project off and on and was wondering if it would be possible to use parts from an electric wheelchair.... :roll:
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I have a 5hp engine and I think we're going to have a belt drive rotating the paddleshaft. forward, reverse and stop gears...possibly a throttle....I don't know we're not really up to that stage of thinking yet lol!
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I found this and thought it might give you some ideas on how to power your paddlewheeler. http://www.simplicityboats.com/pogo.html
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Thanks for that T.J! I've seen that site before! Quite handy it was in giving me ideas!
I think by the end of it it's kind of going to be winging it when it comes to design etc, just choosing the best form of sponsons, engine etc when the time is there!
I was thinking that maybe in 5 years she might participate in a sail past at Echuca! (Thinking this because I got my last Friends of The port newsletter for the year! They're looking for casual Deckhands....but you need to have stacks of tickets lol! They say that volunteering is a good way to start though!)
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Well I've finally got the ball rolling and now the hull is completely stripped of paint...well except for a few dregs!
The heat gun I bought was the best $15 investment I've ever made. Now all she needs is a bit of fibreglass work and then I'll be able to put paint on again!
It's all going great guns here photos soon!
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Just ran across these plans and thought you might want to have a look. They show another way of hooking up a paddlewheel.
http://www.svensons.com/boat/?p=Novelty/PaddlewheelBassBoat
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Hello all, Sean, check out this link for inspiration. http://www3.sympatico.ca/herbert.mcleod/Brett.htm
This is a side wheeler constructed from a 4'x8' sheet!
Have fun
cheers
Jim
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Hi Sean,
Was surfing around and came across this site http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Rapids/2068/index.html?200615
scroll down to the steam powered canoe and take a look.
Regards,
Gerald (from the frozen north)
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Very pretty area around that pond! Is that a natural area? or a garden park?
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It's actually my place lol! Thanks for all your links guys. All are wonderful!
I don't have the photos on this computer so I can't update them yet but I will ASAP!
Sorry I haven't been around much lately. School holidays have been too exciting!
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I told you I would post them and here they are. The latest photos of my paddler along with a little cartoony 5 minute photoshop of what I want my boat to look like when finished!
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reminds me of the 14ft skiff i built in my basement...
Getting it out of the basement was a whole other adventure :lol:
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lol yeh its those kind of things you don't think of when you build somehting in your basment! However building my one outside and right next to the lake is very very handy!
I want to build myself a fence and roof and a little sign that says "shipwrights yard" lol
Oh and we're getting a 3hp engine from someone we gave it too a few years ago. For the wheels we are taking a trip down to the local metal resellers and will browse for some hubs there and then weld onto them the spokes and floats...well probly nail the floats or screw!
So now I have to go and pick up some fibreglass and wheel hubs! yay!
By the way for people that just went to this page there are lots more photos recent ones on the page before.
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Why don't you try to use the rear hubs and wheel from a mini, you could cut out the centre and weld the paddles on.
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This is what you need - http://www.bryant-broadcast.co.uk/SCD%20200M - those might be a bit small at just over 2 feet diameter (and I wouldn't suggest paying for brand new ones) but I've seen a similar type used by the phone and cable companies working in the street - at about 4 feet diameter. Now, if you could find a couple in a junkyard..... :roll:
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Yeh we're looking into stuff like that as the hubs because you can get metal ones that are small enough for a hub with like wire wrapped round them so we might need to buy some of them! But I know a few places where we could get some 2nd hand. Like the place where I bought my boat from. Hardest part is getting 2 of them!
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I wanted to take a minute of your time to say "Thank You". Through your constant posts of pictures and write ups, It encourage us your fellow shipmates to continue to dream and realize that if you can do it, it's possible the rest of us can realize our dreams as well. Thanks
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hey thats ok! Mind you so far its also been very affordable too! I think I have only paid slightly over $200 Australian. You can do anything if you set your mind to it.
I worked a bit more on the boat today- stripping the last few bits of paint off and removing the rusted brass strip that runs along the boat. Could be ready for sanding very soon!
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So how is the boat going?
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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Thought these pictures might give you some real good ideas. T.J.
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T.J.
No offence intended, but for future reference, you can add up to 12 photos to a message - No need to have one message per photo.
Just click on "Browse" to choose the image you want to upload, then click on "Add Attachment" - Once that image is uploaded, you can repeat the process to add more images.... Finally click on "Submit" to post the message onto the forum.
I hope that clarifies it a bit? Any questions please yell, that's what I'm here for! :-)
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Love the boat, looks like a jet thruster out the stern.
Jim
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Hey Eddy, thanks I'm really new at this computer stuff and I like to try and
contribute but I don't want to screw things up for anybody. Thanks again.
T.J.
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Hey Eddy, thanks I'm really new at this computer stuff and I like to try and
contribute but I don't want to screw things up for anybody. Thanks again.
T.J.
It's not a problem at all TJ, so don't worry about it... I just wanted to explain how it's done. As I said, any problems just give me a yell.
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Hey thought I'd pop back in here again...a thousand things have been on my plate lately.
What we're going to do is flip her over and take a look at the insides. We're going to move the front seat forwards (I think, it's been awhile since I've seen the inside) to brin you clsoer to the wheel and make more room for the engine. Then after that we will see if she needs the inside scraped or if we will just paint over her (which I think is better :) )
Then we'll flip her over again, patch the new screw holes and fibreglass the entire bottom of the hull, install a new brass strip because we removed the old one, try and break off the remaining handle and replace them and then give her outside a paint. After this we shall launch her again with her new name...Grebe on a nice sign on the sides.
Then we'll float around for a bit pull her out again and begin work on making her a paddler- engine, wheels, whistle, steering wheel kindly given to me by my sister for xmas and the chain drive rudder. Then a nice small canopy and maybe a little cabin piece at the front.
She will then be relaunched again as the PV Grebe!
Hopefully that will be the task done...sounds easy eh!
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Well here's the latest news!
We flipped the Grebe just the other dy to examine and begin cleaning the inside and apart from the giant huntsman spider and various other nasty eight legged beasties we worked out that we would need to strip the inside paint...which annoys me greatly because it's going to be fiddly.
We also decided it will be possible to move the seat forward.
Next time I flip her I will take photos for you all and then I'll get back to hosing and scrubbing her down...lots of dirt!
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I was out working on the boat (dressed warmly though because it was fffffffreeezing!) agin the other day! I flipped her completely over and began stripping the top and inside of the boat. However the paint on the inside is pretty strong nd as such we're thinking about only chipping off the rough bits and sanding the rest. Not to mention the bot is full of covered and concealed areas so stripping and repainting the inside completely would have been a nightmare!
So with only a few more days of stripping left I'd say we'd be able topaint her soon!
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Ok everyone! Thanks to talking with Roderick my interest has again risen in my boat and as such some updates are in order!
So what's been happening!
Well we got the Grebe and flipped her up and high pressure water gunned the inside, removing some of the paint and all of the dirt! (Quick an deasy and sopping wet!)
Then the bad news...we discovered some rot, which has probably been assisted in growth by the fact that she has lived under tarps for most of the year!
Deciding this wouldn't be a nice way for the Grebe to go we loaded her on a wagon and a wheels barrow and took it up to my grandparents house where we loaded her into a shed to continue working!
The benefits of this are that I no longer have to worry about the cold
I can have access to tools, lighting and heat!
Any changes that need to be made can be done instantly...don't have to worry about unrolling an extention cord finding the tools and everything!
So I'm about to go out and work on the Grebe again now, but while I do that take a look at some of the pictures we took of the move to the shed!
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Well I arrived up at the shed and the rot we had found had already been fixed up! (Go Grandpa!)
So yesterday I sanded and scraped off the bottom of the hull in preparation for priming. I also removed part of the boat with a crow bar. They are the bits that bump up against a wharf or landing etc I don't know the name, anyway they're gone and the sponsons will replace them!
We also removed the last remaining full handle along with the remnants of the handle that snapped off.
When I get home today I'll probably go up and work on her a bit more!
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I also removed part of the boat with a crow bar. They are the bits that bump up against a wharf or landing etc I don't know the name, anyway they're gone
I've always called them rubbing strakes but I've also heard them referred to as outwales...
Tony
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Has it been definitely decided to go for a Side-wheeler design rather than a Stern-wheeler option?
I am asking this, as some PD contributers seem to have posted Stern-wheeler plans.
Best of luck
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Yes it will be a sidewheeler simply because I don't like sternwheelers....
As Murray River water flows through my veins I am more used to side wheelers- sternwheelers not being very suitable for the twists and bends in our rivers. So that's why it will be a side wheeler, the reason sounds a bit snobbish mind you but I prefer side wheelers and there's nothing I can do about it.
I feel it may also take up less room with the shaft being in the middle of the boat with the engine instead of having arms to the back of the boat. I also don't think a sternwheel would suit her! She deserves sides!
I know gunwhales are the part on top of the boat but are they also the 'rubbing strakes'?
Oh well it really doesn't matter because they will be sponsons soon!
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yep - gunwales will do as well. And if your gunwale runs across the ribs then its an internal scuppered gunwale
Mate if you have Murray River flowing through your veins.....then yechhh! Isn't that the river that looks so brown and muddy that local reckon it flows upside down, with the bottom on the top?
I agree with sticking with the sidewheeler concept for your boat - I'd worry that a stern wheel would concentrate too much weight at the stern
Cheers
Tony
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Mate if you have Murray River flowing through your veins.....then yechhh! Isn't that the river that looks so brown and muddy that local reckon it flows upside down, with the bottom on the top?
Tony
Tony, it's called River Fever and 95% of Murray River books talk about it, All The Rivers Run the film has it quoted by Brenton Edwards (John Waters). I caught the river fever something like 14 years ago and it doesn't leave you...that's why the Murray Flows through your veins...blood is thicker than water...Murray Water is thicker than blood...sad but true lol
Yeh a sterwheel would pull her down especially as she only sits very shallow in the water.
Sean
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Tony,
You are getting mixed up with our beloved Yarra River which is a tidal river and flows through the centre of Melbourne. It is still areasonably clean river and has cruises on it including one with a steam boat, unfortunately not a paddler though.
Peter Webster
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There's actually another company that operates a steam boat too, I sailed with them for my birthday last year, not on the steam one though. It's being fixed up in Echuca!
Yeh the Yarra isn't hyalf as nice as the Murray!
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sean
so are you going to make her steam powered...... more fun! :wink:
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sean
so are you going to make her steam powered...... more fun! :wink:
:More Fun
:More Time Consuming
:More Work
:More Expensive
:More room taken up
...I'd like to make her steam but it's not going to happen. I can't afford it and however romantic steam is it's not going to work for this boat. You see I want to be able to get outside switch her on and paddle around. Not have to fire up an engine! This is more practicle, mind you I have thought of remodelling a traction engine model at one stage to power the engine...but it would be too expensive!
So that's why I'm not using steam even though it would be very nice!
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Not a paddler - well the sort we think of here initially but a converted paddler of a different sort....
but a 1 man steam canoe, what will they think of next?
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~storerm/Steam/Steam_Canoe.html
To view it put the mouse over the whole line of text and copy it 'Ctrl & C' at the sme time then paste 'ctrl V' in the header of your internet page - (info for young players)...lol..
Andrew
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Well Sean, You dont dissapoint do you!!! I was expecting a 'real' paddler, but I suppose it gives what it promises. Still it is better than my boat though... It does look like a lot of fun and I hope it keeps giving you fun. I have forgotten how you intend the paddles to operate, was it motorised or hand powered???
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I can't afford a full size yet...maybe one day! She'll be motorised to some degree, don't know exactly how yet...a new idea every week!
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Great Work!!! Further than I have every gotten... hehehe... Well I hope you keep everyone updated!!! And Good Luck
----- Original Message -----
From: thewharfonline (construction@paddleducks.co.uk)
To: construction@paddleducks.co.uk (construction@paddleducks.co.uk)
Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2006 6:19 PM
Subject: RE: My real paddler- really it's real!
I can't afford a full size yet...maybe one day! She'll be motorised to some degree, don't know exactly how yet...a new idea every week!
APAM- Australian Paddler Appreciaiton Month
Show your support for Aussie Paddlers this month on www.paddleducks.co.uk (http://www.paddleducks.co.uk)
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A little different form of construction this week on the Grebe! I've been working on a website for the Grebe with many photos and updated news of the boats progress. It also will have upon completion details about those undertaking the restoration, members of the 'Friends Of The Grebe' details of upcoming events that Grebe should be in attendance for.
Other ideas are still being thought of for the website! If you have any ideas of what kind of content should be on this page please feel free to post your ideas below!
The idea is to create a nice little fan base for this nice little boat...which could possibly upon completion with a woirking steam engine, be the smallest paddle steamer in the world! (However feel free to post below if you know one smaller!)
So that's the news for now!
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sounds like a good idea sean,be sure to take plenty of pictures as it's always good to have something to refer too! :wink:
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12 months to the day Sean.... :P he he he it's funny how we think our project's will be completed quite quickly,then before we know it there's another year gone,I hate to think how long it's been for me I keep getting side tracked :evil:
cheers Anthony :wink:
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Yes everyone as Anthony has mentioned my boat has now been in my possesion for 1 year and yesterday we had a small party with her. We pulled her out of the shed and launched some party poppers and confetti and bubbles, it was all captured on camera and video camera (as one day I will produce a DVD of the process!) We also officially named the boat yesterday with her name being revealed, a beautiful sign that my girl friend and I whipped up in 30mins-1hour.
The weather mind you wasn't as nice as a year ago but that was ok because we didn't have her on the water!
Considering I thought we'd have her finished by now...well call me nuts! Even the target of the river run is looking awkward to make!
Maybe I need to have a working bee that would get a lot done in a short space of time!
Photos soon, I'm out of net downloads/uploads and this is already cheeky over time usage!
Sean
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PV GREBE!
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Here are some of the photos taken on Boat Day 06 with the small crowd we had in attendance including two German Relatives that came out especially for the day...ok I lied they were out on holiday!
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:birthday :party Well Done Sean!! It is looking great, but still a bit to go. With your hull did you need to do fix any leakage problems or just do the paint and outer layers?
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She took very very little water when we floated her...in fact the water that did get in the boat was probably due to my bad 'fence paling' rowing (her oars are in a really dodgy state...I checked them out today!)
Our main problem with her hull is rot...but we're slowly fixing that up!
Here's an image you all might find interesting (made from a picture of the Grebe herself so all sizes are accurate!) My plans for what I want the vessel to look like! I think she looks pretty trim!
Sean
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:bravo WOW SEAN!! Great minds :thinking alike, because that is exactly what I had in mind for the Sarah-Jane about 3 days ago, but I was going to use the AA's colour scheme. All in all the Grebe looks brilliant. Absolutely brilliant! :clap2
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look's really good Sean... :D
As you would know paddler's have large rudders this is because the thrust from the paddles goes down both sides of the hull for this reason they all have pointed sterns to help some of this thrust act upon the rudder hence why they are so large in length.
Another hull design found in paddler's is a fantail stern which is acceptable because it allows a clean passage of water to the rudder.
A small boat with a petrol engine will use the thrust from the prop to act straight on to the rudder so the stern shape dosen't really matter
PV Irondry orignally had a flat stern like yours with two rudders and didn't steer properly until the owner extended and made the new stern into a point with on large rudder!
Just a thought! :?: :thinking
cheers Anthony
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What is a fantail stern :?: :angel
Have you seen Michael Storers 15'6'' Row Boat? If so would it be possible to put a narrowing stern on it to allow clear passage of water to the rudder :?:
What HP Steam engine are you putting in on the PS Grebe?
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Okie dokie!
Well I'm just back from Grebe...still smelling of her! She has a distinct paint/filler smell at the moment!
I didn't do much scraping today...nope we moved on! I filled in some more gaps and worked in getting rid of some rot. Filled in some big cracks that were bugging me!
Then my Grandpa came and gave me a hand and decided that we should try some primer on her so now she has a bit of pink primer on the back right hand corner of her! Hopefully that holds out!
Next plans are to get the belt sander out and sand her nicely down so she's all good and smooth, clean her up and then add the primer! There are still some gaps to fill too! Then when that is finished we'll add the first under coat and begin work on the upperworks! Cabin etc!
So that's where I'm at at 8.20pm on Sunday night!
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Hey Sean,
Is the Grebe the follow on from the Bryalah or is it the same boat just a different name? And what program did you use for the designing of the Grebe a few posts up?
Do you have an estimate time/date on when she should be finished??
Cheers :beer
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Bryalah...hmmm no Grebe started with the purchase of the hull but if I remeber correctly the Bryalah stuff was plans for a real boat yes. The plan was made on Paint, plain and simply!
When's Grebe supposed to be finished...for River Run 2007! Yes it's getting close!
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Yes, I tried paint and it didnt work to well... But I will try again. I really want my little boat to be finished ASAP but I am getting no where at the minute without my hull. I need to just buy one and get going...
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No Bryalah wasn't a real paddler it was a model with a model sailboat hull we got off some friends. I look at those old posts now and go...sheesh I've grown up!
I think the more interesting one is the other real paddler thread created by me about building my own with the plans and wanting to build everything myself...I was a nutcase for thinking those things! Now I have a boat and it's coming along nicely so I'm happy!
James I can tell you now I've been doing this whole research, purchase and pre-paddler work for way over a year now so nothing will happen 'asap' it will happen 'asaic' -as soon as it can!
I suppose that's the best advise I can give for now...that and if you're stripping paint by a heat gun!
Just a slight reflective peice I guess here over the last year and a bit and just seeing what's been happening with Grebe-
-I think purchasing the second hand hull was a great idea especially for the price.
-The fact that it actually sailed was also very good...and it didn't sink either which was fantastic
-Getting the heat gun worked a dream for stripping paint...and I'm glad I did strip the paint because of all the spots I'm patching up now
-Getting help from parents/grandparents is vital and well worth it...if I would have been restoring Grebe by myself she would be sunk at the bottom of the lake
-Don't let those adults helping you take control- if so Grebe would be sunk at the bottom of the lake with wheels made from rubber tyres and powered by two drills
-Keep motivated as work happens more when you are
-Drop out of school to repair and restore more full time (well one can dream can't they!)
-Remember pink primer is not the final colour of the boat so don't get to worried when you see your boat pink...but laugh when you see the Hero pink!
-Fill all gaps because otherwise you're going to have to do it after...to bigger gaps!
-Buy good paint scrapers!
-Take lots of photos!
There that is my reflective piece so far on the construction of Grebe more actual Grebe work soon!
Sean!
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After a nice machine sand Grebe has now been primed on her bottom. So she's nice and pink on her underbelly!
Hull sides will be worked on next
Photos soon!
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Well Grebe is out of action today for a few reasons...
1) The Primer requires 24 hours to dry (ho hum twiddles thumbs in boredom)
2) I have work today so I'll be busy for a few ours there and as such a few hours less to work on the boat
3) Mum is making me study for my exams next week....yay the excitement!
So hopefully I will be able to get out on Grebe tomorrow so that I can sand back the primer and put on another coat! Then move onto filling the sides and making sure no large gaps exist...annoying little buggers they are!
I think at this rate I could have the hull refloated by New Year...however christmas work hours are going to pop up which will stall that progress!
Sean
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New colours for PV Grebe...however on this computer that I am on the screen is darker and as such the colours probably aren't exactly what I want!
Anyway colours are from the actual bird Grebe so it's looking more like one now!
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That looks very swash!!!!
I think that for the SJ colours I was going to use the Pev, but have changed to using that Alexander Artubuthnots colours!!
I think that maybe the hull of the SJ could be floated in... AGES AWAY!! Ah well!!
Lookin' Good
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Now by Alexander Arbuthnot colours you would mean Red and White correct?
Alexander Arbuthnot and now Adelaide (unfortunately) are only creme and Maroon basically because of Ranger. Ranger was the first boat in Echuca to carry these colours and (similar to Mildura red,white and blue) Echuca now has a fleet of the same colour boats.
Adelaide should bear a chocolate brown and white/light creme colour while Alexander Arbuthnot was Red and White, hence why my model was those colours, however the colours were not accurate to original boat colours of the A.A.
I assume you're going with the Creme and Maroon. A way to see what colours work I found is to cruise round estates of houses. They all have colour schemes that work together and mix well so if you're looking for a good or unique colour scheme check out your houses.
I'll be heading up onto Grebe soon again to sand down her primer coat and put on another one so that she's nice and primed. After that we'll either get some paint and undercoat or flip her over onto her side so that we can work on patching up the sides of the boat before sanding and priming like the base of the hull. The back of the boat needs a bit more work before we prime that.
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Nah, no I wont be using the Maroon and Cream scheme anymore, to many boats have that, and I want to be original in the Murray..
Mildura has its Red, White and Blue.. Echuca has the Maroon and Cream starting to pop up everywhere ( the Emmylou also has it, which makes 4 boats) and the South Australian towns are all different to each other..
I really like the Industry's colours.. They suit it, and I think that they could suit the SJ (if I put the round paddle boxes on, I visualise it with square paddle boxes and that colour scheme, but maybe I should just try it and see!!)
I change my mind to many times!!!
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As you may have noticed there has been no work performed on the Grebe lately.
But my plans currently stand at this-
As we are currently in a drought 'Lake Bryan' (as Roderick often refers to it) is slowly dropping in water level...I have never seen it this low. (We use the water to water plants and gardens on the property)
Dad and I will be out there soon sinking pylons in for 'Grebe's' private jetty...that's Mum's request.
As time rolls by I am currently contemplating completing Grebe in 'row boat' form, painted nicely so that she can accompany her private jetty.
Then (as I still want her to be a paddler) I will knock up a hand powered paddle shaft and enjoy myself with that for awhile.
From there on engine plans will be re-established. The steam paddler canoe in another thread shows that any size boat can become a paddler...even if it is a little squishy.
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This weekend my dad and my grandpa got out on 'Lake Bryalah' and began work on Grebe's private Jetty...
The following are photos from today (we didn't take any yesterday when we sunk the first pylons were sunk)
As you can see the water is quite low at the moment ('irrigation' purposes) but when the water is 'very full' during the middle of winter the jetty will appear to float on top of the water.
I know it's not paddler- but it will be part of Grebe's story. This is the only post I'll make on the Jetty.
Hope you like the photos.
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Sean I am really jealous now!!!!
You are lucky to have that lake - and now a jetty... WOW..
Our dams practically have no water in them.. so SJ wont float - but when they are full they are large enough to house the boat..
In fact - now that you have posted photos of the jetty.. I might consider building one when SJ becomes ''water worthy''... (If she ever does!)..
It looks great though..
How far down have you driven the piles into the bank??
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Wouldn't have a clue James- I played no part in building the Jetty at all. She's getting her final touch- Hand Rail- on Saturday. I recommence work on Grebe possibly during the School Holidays as a way to take a relaxing break from work. Easter is crazy in a lolly shop.
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Ok so the above photos show a fairly empty lake...still lots of water in it though.
The picture you are about to see is quite different.
The Jetty is now finished. The water is now full.
This happened overnight, no joke.
We got some rain, and we sit on a natural water course. When the rain first arrived we got excited because first one rung, then two rungs of the ladder on the side of the jetty were 'drowned' by the water.
Then Dad picks me up from work one Friday night, it's raining, and he says 'Bet it will be filled up by tomorrow'. I doubted. The lake had a lot!!!! of water needing to be placed into it to fill it up.
But sure enough I woke up the next day and there it was, full! And still filling. Over on the opposite side to the jetty was a tiny little water fall.
Crazy.
Roderick, has first hand been on the Jetty on what he calls 'Lake Bryalah', yet he saw it only a matter of days or weeks before it was full so this is the first time he has seen it full.
Note: I think the water level is higher now and that there is a lot of debris in the lake- just as you'd expect from a river after a flood.
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I have had an e-mail from Sean. He now has a second boat. It came with paddles, but not on wheels on a drive shaft. He got it at a good price before inflation set in. This could be a big blow to the PV Grebe project. It can hardly be called a tinny, but calling it a 'rubbery' could lead to awkard reporting ('Sean buys rubbery for use with his girlfriend'). The photo which he sent looks as if he is preparing to mount a Phantom of the opera cameo with his theatre company, in the wake of Fiddler on the roof, Star wars and Little shop of horrors. The boat has been named Anaconda.
Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor
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So Today was 'Boat Day' once again out here on the lake, or the Birthday of Grebe. And we did go boating! Cath and I returned to the lake, however not in Grebe, but in the smaller Anaconda. We didn't think it was going to be a nice day- but the clouds broke and it was once again beautiful, just like three years ago.
On Sunday I considered 'Is Grebe at a state where with just some paint we could refloat her?' and perhaps we're close, but perhaps we're not. I really need to get some marine paint and some time.
Paddling around on the Anaconda has made me realise one thing though- she really needs her older cousin to join her! It would be nice to have two boats on the lake.
What has also been good aside from floating on the lake has been using the Jetty, we've never used it until the other day, so it was good to see that it worked! :)
The name Anaconda comes from the shop where we spontaneously bought the boat- in case any one was wondering.
Hope all has been well!
Sean
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With the economic crisis the way it is inflation seems to be the way to go- Oh I'm funny! We bought another inflatable boat this weekend, a smaller boat which is MUCH cheaper in quality- we call it the kids toy compared to the real boat. But it made for some fun, and was towable which was interesting fun. Will post pics.
What it has also lead to is an interest once again in getting Grebe out on the water, in whatever form that may be. Will look at working on her again after my trip to New York in December.
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In posting this message I received a warning- "This topic has not been posted in for at least 120 days."
Yes, I let things slide, life got in the way. Occupations filled my work time and my free time, and my boat sat in a shed, occasionally being tinkered on by my grandfather.
The Melbourne Centenary Celebration reminded me just how passionate I was about these boats, and lately I'd been so overwhelmed with work in the theatre (which some days I can be working on from 8am to midnight) that I felt the need for a hobby.
I didn't need to look any further than the shed. There was Grebe waiting for me.
I spent Saturday sanding her down in prep for some undercoat, which I then went out to buy. The good thing about living on the cusp of the Mornington Peninsula is that it's near a body of water, so it's not too far to drive to get to a shop selling marine paint.
I spent today undercoating the boat- her stripped back wood was thirsty, she soaked up more paint than I expected.
Now Grebe is white. After another coat she'll be flipped and work will commence on her insides.
An old ride on mower has been obtained and the drive shaft and simple forward/reverse mechanism will be utilised on the boat. The engine is bust on it though, so a new one will be obtained, probably less power than the 11hp that it was.
Designs have also changed. She'll be far more simplistic- corrugated iron will probably feature.
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Glad to see your going to work on the Grebe again. 16+ hour days can be the norm in theater work, when I was doing stage work it was always fest or famine, and a lot of hard drinking and smoking. I hope things have changed a bit, as it can burn you out very fast if that all you do.
Regards,
Gerald.
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In posting this message I received a warning- "This topic has not been posted in for at least 120 days."
Yeah, I get that a lot! Sometimes, work just seems to take over, at others there are events every weekend (or people I have to go and visit - or just work to be done around the house) so I tend to think of that message as less a 'warning' and more a reminder that I really should try to find more time!
Good to hear the Grebe project is still 'a goer' - must admit I never thought of a ride-on mower for power, shame the engine's no good it would have been ideal!
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This one is for sale at <www.duckflatwoodenboats.com/mainpages/forsale2.php#PaddleBoat>.
It is an interesting variation on paddling. I have no idea of its speed or stability. The hull is two wooden pontoons, with the engine on a platform between them.
3.6 m long; 2.4 m beam. No demounting is necessary for trailing.
The remaining photos are at the link, and give a better idea of the design.
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor
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Grebe is still smaller! At 3.4 metres by 1 metre (maybe 1.2 at her widest point) though that's just the hull before wheels are attached. The way current designs stand she also won't need to be demounted to trailer.
The caterpillar tread wheels on the linked boat are fascinating. Has anyone seen anything like this before?
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Grebe got a second coat of undercoat today. The first one was very thin- very thirsty wood- the second should leave her covered nicely.
Next we'll be building her a cradle and flipping her over to start work on the inside.
Her engine and drive gear have been sourced, the old ride on mower picked up, and is progressively being pulled apart for the new role inside the vessel. The angle grinder will need to come out to finish that process. The engine comes from an old mulching machine, it's a 5hp engine, which may not prove powerful enough. We'll find out. If it doesn't work we'll upgrade. This is what we can source for now.
The 13hp engine that came with the mower is shot... which is unfortunate.