Paddleducks
Other Marine Models => Live steam => Topic started by: Bill Hudson on February 02, 2007, 02:42:38 PM
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I am briefly back on my City of Eugene stern wheeler design. The hull will be 54" long (includes paddle wheel) X 10" wide (not counting deck over hang). We do have a pond (Alton Baker Park) way across the city where one can wade in to rescue the boat if for some reason its steam engines fail. This pond was designed for model boats but it has attracted ducks and geese. People feed them and they have multiplied. to get to the pond now you have to wade through all the duck and goose crap. Not my idea of a fun day. The city has met with protesters when they try to thin out the ducks and geese. many of them are wild. However there are 3 ponds just a half mile from me which are old gravel pits that have filled from the river seepage, but they are nearly bottomless. In the near future the whole area of the gravel pit ponds (Golden Ponds, how original) will be converted into a city park. One pond is going to be for recreation, the rest are being left natural. The problem is no row boats will be allowed on it. My thoughts is to deign in an electric motor prop drive as a back up incase of steam failure. I was wondering how large of an electric motor and prop would I need just to get the boat back to shore? I am guessing I would power the motor from the RC servo batteries. The paddle wheel will be powered by typical stern wheel design steam engines. It will be impractical to run the paddle wheel by the electric motor. Yet I fear a prop would cause drag and interfere with normal operations. Did have thoughts of a folding prop.
Bill
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One of the Graupner bow thrusters installed in the stern facing back might work.
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I once saw an article about a small electric outboard motor that was housed in a tube set in to the bottom of the hull and was lowered in to the water by a servo when required. It did require a separate radio channel but one channel operated by a switch was enough to lower it and run the motor at full speed - no controller was fitted. It was out of sight until needed.