A confused newbie

[torbjorn]

Greetings,

I hope these questions aren't too stupid and haven't been answered a
zillion times before ...

First, a presentation of sorts. I'm an electric RC flyer (I design,
build and sometimes fly my creations :-) with a taste for the weird
and wonderful including bipes, flying boats, and autogyros. I never
ever build scale models - I prefer scale-ish freelance designs. Now
I'm contemplating building something that stays on the water:
preferably something live steam powered and preferably a paddle
steamer. And this is my dilemma. As far as I can tell, a side wheeler
isn't exactly nimble unless it has differential drive (how nimble is a
sternwheeler?) and as far as I can tell, differential drive is more
easily (and less expensively) accomplished with electric motors than
with steam - especially if you like to keep your model reasonably
small (for logistical reasons and I have a couple of small shallow
ponds - bonsai lakes - nearby); mini-vap size would be nice, but ...

Since I'm not interested in proper scale models I had intended to
design something simple with a Victorian/Steampunk flavour around a
suitable steam plant (the Cheddar Plover Paddle Plant for instance),
but coming up with a suitable design has certainly turned out to be an
interesting exercise. All suggestions - suitable steam plants,
designs, whatever - are most welcome. Also, what's the smallest hull
you can (without being an expert) squeeze a Cheddar Plover Paddle
Plant into, and how big a boat (yes, "how long is a piece of string")
is it suitable for?

Considering the electric alternative, has anyone tried the combined
twin ESC & mixer unit from a Tamiya tank?

Regards
Torbjörn
Stockholm
Sweden

[GJ. Nelson]

Hello,

I have a unusual design paddle wheeler, I think. Twin
independent stern wheeler, with 2 electric motors using
2 radio channels. It can do 360 degrees without any
forward or backward progress. Just as if someone put
a stake through the center and drove it into the bottom of
the pond. It is extremely stable.

Gary

[Paulrjordan]

Hi Gary:

Thanks for posting this info. Your ship is a "Quarter Wheeler" and
certainly a fun and mechanically interesting model to build and
operate. Do you have any more info on the plans, vessel name and if
this is a model of an actual ship or a model maker's vision? Please
do send pictures of your model.

I know some Quarter Wheelers were used in Africa and it's possible
they were used in other countries since, as you have discovered with
your model, they seem more maneuverable than conventional
sternwheelers. I'm keen to know a little more about these ships and
if any PD's have any images of them or can shed any light on the
subject please post.

Look forward to hearing more about your model, Gary.

PJ
Victoria, BC Canada

[GJ. Nelson]

Hi PJ,

It is the Jean and there is a pix of it in the photo section. It was a
Dutch
design. This model is 1/30 scale and 68 inches long. Eddy has external
drawings and I think I may have sent him a CD of model photos but I have
slept sense then so I'm not sure on that. The drawings Eddy has are in
1/30th. I'll send you a couple photos of the model direct so you don't have
to hunt for it in the photo section. I powered it with 2 Dumas gear head
motors driving the wheels from the inside end with a 3:1 ladder chain drive.
If I remember right maximum wheel rpm is about 45. I know it is less then
60. The boat is not operational but still exists. I was able to get key
dimensions
from the original owners and built it from a stack of slides a friend took for
me. I pinned drafting paper to a wall and moved the projector back until the
image matched the scale I wanted. Full side view was taken from about 1/2
mile away across the river at Hells Gate state park on the Snake river.
The boat has almost no freeboard. The builder shortened the boat from
the plans by 40 feet. It had a huge fresh water tank they couldn't use because
it would sink the boat if filled.

Gary

[GJ. Nelson]

Hi Paul and anyone interested,

As I said the Jean was a Dutch design boat. Her wheels
were each 12.5 feet wide and 20 feet tall. With 20 paddles
per wheel she delivered a lot of push to the water. It was built
in Portland Oregon by Union Iron Works in 1938. She was
retired in 1957 and for a time was used as a floating machine
shop after all the running gear was removed and she finally
had good freeboard. She was steel construction except for
the pilot house which was wood. I met a former crew member
of the Jean at a boat show where our RC club was operating
as entertainment. One Captain David Cash, the last licensed
steam paddle wheeler captain in the area was there and we
got to talking. Years ago he was a deck hand on the Jean.
What he remembered most was his weekly job of getting up
on the pilot house roof and polishing the copper awnings.
I clear lacquered them on the model so I don't have that job.
I let him run the model and it took no time to master the 2
throttles and reversing and 2 rudder controls and he had a
ball. During WW2 the Jean was very busy. Besides the
crew where was a navy complement on board as the Jean
was used at the Vancouver and Portland Kaiser ship yards
assisting in Liberty ship and Jeep Aircraft Carrier launchings.
She had retrieval duty when a ship left the launch ways.
One interesting bit was when she was attacked by a
bridge. A center pivot railroad bridge on the Columbia river.
The bridge swung open for her but didn't stop. It kept on
going and came up from behind and took off the smoke
stacks and the pilot house. The captain managed to stop
the wheels and dive off the flying bridge into the river just
before the pilot house went away. The crew rescued him.
She was the next to the last steam paddler built for the
Columbia river. The last, the Portland has been restored
and belongs to the Portland Maritime Museum and is
operational. Captain Cash is Captain on her each year as
she races a diesel excursion paddler and beats the pants
off it. If you saw the movie Maverick, the stern wheeler
was the Portland in special "ginger bread" dress for the
movie. Other then the hull and wheel the only thing that
was the way she really looked was the big fat 3rd smoke
stack.
I have a book long out of print published in 1947 that
lists some 400 plus steam paddlers that worked the
Columbia river system beginning with the Beaver in
1834 which was built in London and ending with the
Portland under construction in 1947.

Gary

[Paulrjordan]

Excellent stuff, Gary..and thanks for taking the time to share these
interesting tid bits with us. I'm already fascinated by the "Jean"
and since she's a Pacific NorthWest ship, I'm particularly interested
in learning more about her and any other quarter-wheelers which
operated in this area. I'm going to start looking through my own
library to see if I can find more out about her.

I already looked in my Randall Mills book "Stern-Wheelers up
Columbia" and there's a page devoted to her. The author notes
"Set one wheel turning forward and the other astern...turn the
rudder hard over, and the JEAN begins to crab sideways directly abeam"
This must have made her an exceptionally handy vessel to have around.
Have you tried that maneuver with your model, Gary?

>I have a book long out of print published in 1947 that
> lists some 400 plus steam paddlers that worked the
> Columbia river system beginning with the Beaver in
> 1834 which was built in London and ending with the
> Portland under construction in 1947.

What is the title of the book, Gary? I'd like to add it to my
database of worldwide paddler books if it's not on there already.
You mention the "Beaver" and I have just today received the John
McKay book on the "Beaver" along with an inch and a half thick
package of plans which comes with it. This is a masterful piece of
research into this famous Hudson Bay pioneer paddler.

Thanks again for the info, Gary. "Jean" is a fascinating ship and I'd
love to see more pictures of her.

Best regards

PJ
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

[GJ. Nelson]

As far as I know there were no other quarters. It may be hard to
find much. The owners only had some photos.

>I already looked in my Randall Mills book "Stern-Wheelers up
>Columbia" and there's a page devoted to her. The author notes
>"Set one wheel turning forward and the other astern...turn the
>rudder hard over, and the JEAN begins to crab sideways directly abeam"
>This must have made her an exceptionally handy vessel to have around.
>Have you tried that maneuver with your model, Gary?
>
> >I have a book long out of print published in 1947 that
> > lists some 400 plus steam paddlers that worked the
> > Columbia river system beginning with the Beaver in
> > 1834 which was built in London and ending with the
> > Portland under construction in 1947.

Getting it to crab is not easy. The donuts are super simple. Top
speed is an easy walk which should be good scale. She was a true
Towboat and could push barges and tow log floats. Western Transportation
was part of Crown Zellerback paper company years ago and the Jean
pushed wood chip barges to the mill and pulled log floats to the chipper.

>What is the title of the book, Gary? I'd like to add it to my
>database of worldwide paddler books if it's not on there already.
>You mention the "Beaver" and I have just today received the John
>McKay book on the "Beaver" along with an inch and a half thick
>package of plans which comes with it. This is a masterful piece of
>research into this famous Hudson Bay pioneer paddler.

Well that makes 3 of us at least that have that book. Last printed
in 1977, I'd hate to have to look for it now. Some of the stories in it
are a riot. Like the captain flying through the air and looking down
through his also flying smoke stack at his broken boat a fare ways
below.

>Thanks again for the info, Gary. "Jean" is a fascinating ship and I'd
>love to see more pictures of her.
>Best regards

I'll see what I can find. Any of the real boat will be very poor.
I could make a folder for it but most pix would be detail pix
of the model. I have a scan of the original Jean pix that is in
the book which was taken on the shake down run. Captain
Cash gave that to me a couple days after I let him run my
Jean.

>PJ
>Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

BTW, I thought you might be interested to know
the club here used to meet on the Portland but
parking was a problem. Captain Cash was one of
those that restored her. Talking to him was as
good as another book.

Best regards,
Gary