Hi everyone.

[clocks]

Hi Everyone!

Originally from London UK but now in Pennsylvania USA.  I'm looking to build a large scale model of the Great Eastern and using steam for the paddle engines.  I'm looking at an oscillating V4 as per the original, sort of.  I would be grateful for any ideas.  I was looking at starting the build early next year.

Rich

[Red_Hamish]

Hi Rich, an ambitious project to tacle there. It'll be interesting and a venture I'm sure you'll be proud of. There is a wealth of info on thePaddleducks site which you are able to browse and download. The guys on here are easy to communicate with and enjoy a technical challenge to share. Welcome to PD's I hope you enjoy your time here with us.

cheers

Jim

[clocks]

Hi Rich, an ambitious project to tacle there. It'll be interesting and a venture I'm sure you'll be proud of. There is a wealth of info on thePaddleducks site which you are able to browse and download. The guys on here are easy to communicate with and enjoy a technical challenge to share. Welcome to PD's I hope you enjoy your time here with us.

cheers

Jim

Hi!

Thank you for the reply.  Well, I'm looking at 1/32 scale (my favourite scale).  This would make her aprox 22ft long!!  The steam engine I want to build is going to be a V4 oscillating engine aproximately 1/32 scale of the original paddle engine.  I'm looking at a bore and stroke of aproximately 2.3" x 5.25"  I will begine the design very soon.  The engine is going to be as simple as possible and I have already downloaded the plans here for the V4 which has given me some ideas of what I want, just need to scale it up a bit!  The screw engine is going to be electric so that I still have some motive power in case the paddle engine gives up!  On top of that most of the lakes around the area that I live in don't allow motor boats just electric.  I don't know if I fall in a loop hole over this as I will be using propane to fire the boiler and steam pressure to power the engine not gasoline in a combustion chamber.  It all depends on how anal retentive the locals around here are! 

Rich

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's....may sound  Rich...but why don't you join a local marine model group & discuss your thoughts ...scale/size/motive power to gauge their reaction etc - most formal model groups have public liability insurance paid by the membership fees & the class of vessel allowed to be run as determined by the insurance underwriters

Welcome to PD's.....& as Jim mentions.......a 1/32 scale version of the Great Eastern is a BIG project  ....Derek

[clocks]

Hi PD's....may sound  Rich...but why don't you join a local marine model group & discuss your thoughts ...scale/size/motive power to gauge their reaction etc - most formal model groups have public liability insurance paid by the membership fees & the class of vessel allowed to be run as determined by the insurance underwriters

Welcome to PD's.....& as Jim mentions.......a 1/32 scale version of the Great Eastern is a BIG project  ....Derek

Hi

Local clubs, hmm, around here they seem to have more rules and regulations then the park authorities!  A friend of mine wanted me to join his model airplane club but I declined when they started on all the regs, i.e noise limits, times to fly, what plane I was allowed to fly due to experience , insurance, etc, etc!  Damn they had more rules and regulations then my local airfield where they fly full size! I have a couple of friends here that own small lakes on their properties that would be good testing grounds.  I have a 17ft canoe and all the steam engine testing will be done in that before the engine goes into the Great Eastern.  Hopefully time permitting I'll start drawing up and building the hull at the beggining of next year.  It's not going to be 100% exact scale but as neer as I can with the information that I have gathered so far.

Rich

[steamboatmodel]

Hi Rich,
The Fly boys have a lot more to worry about than us boaters, Boats are usually constrained by the size of the pond and don't travel at anywhere near the speed of plans (Gas/electric racers not counted they almost qualify as plans), with the range of planes available most clubs require you to start slow and safe. Most of there regulations and rules have been worked out from experience and common sense. With boat the rules are usually a bit less restrictive, but one the you will run into with steam is Boiler Testing/Certificates again these were worked out from experience and common sense. I don't know what area you live in but you should look up a local model engineering group who will be able to help you with Boilers. As far as "It all depends on how anal retentive the locals around here are!  " that can vary a lot, I did a show one time where they would not allow me to run my steam launch because it runs on butane/propane mix with an flame, but they said nothing about the fellow who was doing cooking demonstrations on a table top stove (that used the same fuel as I do)and he was flambaying food and having 3' flames from his pan.
Regards,
Gerald.

[clocks]

Hi Rich,
The Fly boys have a lot more to worry about than us boaters, Boats are usually constrained by the size of the pond and don't travel at anywhere near the speed of plans (Gas/electric racers not counted they almost qualify as plans), with the range of planes available most clubs require you to start slow and safe. Most of there regulations and rules have been worked out from experience and common sense. With boat the rules are usually a bit less restrictive, but one the you will run into with steam is Boiler Testing/Certificates again these were worked out from experience and common sense. I don't know what area you live in but you should look up a local model engineering group who will be able to help you with Boilers. As far as "It all depends on how anal retentive the locals around here are!  " that can vary a lot, I did a show one time where they would not allow me to run my steam launch because it runs on butane/propane mix with an flame, but they said nothing about the fellow who was doing cooking demonstrations on a table top stove (that used the same fuel as I do)and he was flambaying food and having 3' flames from his pan.
Regards,







Oh trust me these guys were anal!  The most people they ever had on their field was ten and the nearest house was over a mile away!  In the end I asked a friend of mine who owns the airport where I work and he said ' Yeh no problem as long as you don't cross the runway when a plane's on finals' !!!    Another airfield 10 miles away always has guys flying RC next to an active runway.  As for my not so little project can anyone remind me of the pressure testing procedure for boilers?  I know not to use steam!   I can't remember the pressure it has to be tested to i.e twice the blow off valve pressure etc. etc.  Can anyone here guide me somewhat?

I shall look into the local model boat clubsaround here.  By the way I'm in North East Pennsylvania.

Rich
Gerald.

[steamboatmodel]

Hi Rich,
I'm not sure what the regulations are in Pennsylvana, up here (Ontario) most of the small boilers fall in an exemption due to size, but I have always tested mine and recommend others do the same. There are British testing Rules in the download section ;
Downloads->Member Submissions->Boiler test rules 2007
These are the ones I have been following.
Regards,
Gerald.

[clocks]

Hi Rich,
I'm not sure what the regulations are in Pennsylvana, up here (Ontario) most of the small boilers fall in an exemption due to size, but I have always tested mine and recommend others do the same. There are British testing Rules in the download section ;
Downloads->Member Submissions->Boiler test rules 2007
These are the ones I have been following.
Regards,
Gerald.

Hi!

Thank you and I have downloaded the article.  As for wether my boiler is going to be exempt or not I will be testing the thing regularly!  I have seen the aftermath of boiler failures and it's not pretty!  I would always recommend regular boiler testing no matter how small the boiler is for personal safety and the safety of others near by.  It would also be a shame to destroy a perfectly good boat!  Oh by the way is there a formula to work out boiler capacity versus engine size?  I could always scale down the Great Eastern boilers but physics dictates that that doesn't always work out

Rich