New Old Salt

[Bill Hudson]

Hi All,
 
 Bill Hudson here.  New to this forum.  I live in Eugene, Oregon.   I am a long time model builder,  commercial and pleasure.  I  did the basic design of the Buttler class Destroyer Escort kit for Bluejacket Shipcrafters.   It has been a very long time since I did power boats (1948) when I was in high school.  Forgot most of everything.   :lol:  
 
 For some of my work on the DE kit I  took some DE kits  (don't know what I will do with  them) and a plank and hull kit of the wooden Tug Seguin in trade.    I wanted to power  the Seguin with steam but think it may be too small to accommodate  an engine,  boiler, fuel and water tanks plus all the RC gear.  I know nothing about RC so perhaps  there is some pretty small gear out there that I am not aware of that might work.  I am hoping this venture in steam will lead me into a long time dream, the sternwheeler The City of Eugene.
 
  I have been spending many years researching the City of Eugene stern wheeler which  was built and launched here in Eugene.   I have some pictures, dimensions of her and  quite a bit of information on her engines.   In my spare time I have been working on  designing scale engines for her.  Hope some day to build her her boilers and engines (all live steam).  
 
 Bill
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[Eddy Matthews]

Hi Bill,

Nice to have you with us...  What size is the Seguin? A miniature steam class that originated in France called "MiniVap" (sometimes referred to as "MiniSteam") has been around for a number of years - They typically use hulls around 21" length by 6" beam. So if your hull is around that size it could be possible. These hulls have to be quite full and chunky to take the weight of a miniature steam plant in a model as compact as this. For the same reason, they also need fairly generous freeboard, but this makes them remarkably seaworthy despite their modest size.

What size/scale are you planning for the City of Eugene? Can you post a couple of photos for those of us who don't know the boat?

[Bill Hudson]

Eddie,
The Seguin kit is of a  wooden hulled steam tug boat built in 1884. The kit hull size is 26" long, 5 1/4" beam and 3" from deck to keel. It is a plank on frame construction.  It is presently designed for electric motors.  


The City of Eugene stats are:  Eugene, Oregon, USA in the late 1800s was at the mercy of the rail roads as the only means of freight movement in and out of the city.   A group of merchants got together and commissioned a paddle wheel boat to ship freight by the Willamette  river.  It was a short lived venture as the rail roads gained control of river boat trade too.  They did every  thing possible to hinder the City of Eugene's travel. The boat soon was lost to a Sherif sale. It was then used as a log raft tow boat.  It was scrapped out during WWII. The whistle is in a paper mill in Albany Oregon and the pilot house wheel is at the local museum.

The actual boat was 132 feet in length, 26 foot beam four and a half foot draft. Two 12" X 60" engines.  Tonnage  399 gross 214 net.

I expect to built the model in 1/2" = 1'-0".   I have acquired a reprint of a 1902 catalogue of The Marine Iron Works of Chicago, U.S.A.  It has an engine of the same size and description of the C' o Eugene's engines.  I am using this information to design my engines.  I will use a center flue horizontal boiler.  

Presently I do not have any plans for the hull.   I have found a set of plans for a model of the Alice, which was built in 1872.  Although about ten years earlier in origin  it is of the same size as the City of Eugene and sailed in the same waters. The Alice is more ornate in  its superstructures but given the Cof Eugene was built on a tight budget most frills were left off.  Unfortunately the plans of the Alice were for a static model and do not show the placement  of the engines and boiler.  I am not sure of the type of construction either. I am tending towards a plank on frame built around the engine and boiler mounting  beams.

Sorry about the long posting.

Bill

[Eddy Matthews]

It sounds like the Seguin may be a bit shallow in draft to be succesful as a steam powered model Bill - Sorry to be negative!

The City of Eugene sounds nice at 1:24 scale - Plank on frame would probably be the best method of construction, much like the Dumas Creole Queen...

Most sternwheelers had fairly simple hulls, so it shouldn't be too difficult to come up with something that looks the part even if plans aren't available - One thing you might want to consider though is increasing the draft to give more displacement and stability if your fitting a steamplant.

[Bill Hudson]

Yes I plan on 1/24th  scale for the City of Eugene. Had thought of 1/12th but a bit too large.  I  could almost ride in it :lol:

The only photos of the City of Eugene  are very early ones of poor quality. I'm not too sure they will come through OK.  I'm not even sure how to post them here.   :roll:



I am not familiar with the Dumas Queen. Is it a Dumas kit?  Are plans available?  


Bill

[towboatjoe]

Taubmans has plans for the Creole Queen. I believe the url is
http://www.taubmansonline.com

It's now owned by Loyalhanna Shipyard

[Bill Hudson]

Joe,

I  checked them out  for the Creole Queen. All they have is a picture set of the Queen plus  plans for the new paddle wheel.  I was just hoping for an idea how model hulls were constructed. I do have plans that show  hull details of real boats but way too much detail for something that will be covered up with a deck. i feel the only detail I need is that which shows.

Bill (Old Salt) Spent fours on a Destroyer Escort in Korean War.

[towboatjoe]

I build mine basically the same way I do my towboat hulls. If it has a model bow I start with a center keel board and branch off ribs from there to glue strips onto to form the shape of the hull. There are two hull building ideas on my page at http://www.towboatjoe.com/hulls.htm

[Bill Hudson]

Thanks Joe,
   Have enjoyed you your site for quite a while. I found it before I found this forum.    
 
Good looking hull.  The Eugene is a V bow transitioning  to a flat bottom.  supposedly it could float in  4" of water.  In many places the Willamette River is very shallow.  Some times they had to grasshopper or back wash to get over sand bars.  
 I was hoping some one had an easier way but I think I will probably build the hull as I did a light hull for sailing.  I carved an inner hull from foam. Then I cut in the keel.  I heat bent thin cardboard (tablet back) ribs which I  double taped to the foam hull. Over these I laid the planks then fiberglass.  When removed I had a very strong light shell of a hull. I then sanded off the cardboard ribs and fiber glassed inside. This gave me a shell with out a lot of ribs in the way for installing RC and an auxillery motor to bring it back in in case of no wind.  I  never finished it.  A  friend wanted it so bad he offered me a couple hundred bucks for just the shell. Couldn't say no to that.