Horse-power paddler.

[Quackers]

Ferry Point, Sanborton, New Hampshire is named in honour of the “horse powered” ferry that crossed Lake Winnisquam a century ago. The ferry was powered by two horses that walked on treadmills on either side of the boat, propelling it and its occupants between Tilton, NH and Laconia, NH.
I wonder how 'stable' it was?

[Eddy Matthews]

The question is "How could I make two realistic looking radio controlled horses"?

Then it would make a stunning model!

Regards
Eddy

[the bombus]

Hi paddlers,
Hello Eddy , i have a good idea about the ( walking ) horses
i'll make a drawing of it and post it here
only question is .... will it work ?
model or the real thing , i think it's a wonderfull boat
greetings from The Bombus

[Eddy Matthews]

Hi paddlers,
Hello Eddy , i have a good idea about the ( walking ) horses
i'll make a drawing of it and post it here
only question is .... will it work ?

Now you've got me curious Bombus! I'm certainly looking forward to seeing your ideas!

Regards
Eddy

[the bombus]

hello Eddy
there you have it
if i have'nt done it i'll try and maybe it will work   
greetings from The Bombus

[scotfriend]

Hi Eddy,

give it a go you are the man. 

[greateastern]

There are a few things about this that are perplexing.  Interesting "sun screens" above the horses .The horses are clearly attached to a wagon--is this the only way they will walk? There are clearly higher up than the wagon wheels and how do they get up above the floor as there doesn't seem to be room for an upramp? Walking forward gets the paddles going in one direction but crossing the river and returning means that the boat must be turned around so the horses walk forward and if they don't, they would be walking forward while the boat goes backwards. That would also mean moving the horses around to the other side.  is the 3rd horse cargo or part of the process? what is the cargo? and where does it go? Why use animals when wire-rope technology (??) was available? if the boat crossed in the same location all the time? Are those rudders angled off the boat? that would one direction only.

[Brian Gates]

There is a fair bit of information on horse-powered paddlers here.  It looks like they were well suited to lake ferries where there is no flow to require a chain or cable.

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/newworld/pastprojects/LChorseferry.htm

It looks to me that both wagons are on the centreline of the ferry and neither the wagons nor their draft horses (assuming a fourth horse is hidden between the treadmills) are connected with propulsion but are instead the cargo.

Unlike horse gin powered ferries, the paddle wheels may not be connected, so steering could just involve stopping one horse or the other.  The angle of the two treadmills suggests that they were constructed like the dog treadmills shown here

http://www.efitology.com/expertadvice/from-prisons-into-our-homes-the-history-of-treadmill/

I must admit I am not sure if those timbers are rudders, in which case the horses would have driven the paddles through chains or belts rather than gears, or part of the landing arrangements.

I am not sure if I want to spend £14.73 on a book on the subject, but definitely won't spend £148.21! http://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Horses-Walked-Water-Nineteenth-century/dp/1560988436/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407394712&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=When+Horses+Walked+on+Water%3A+Horse-Powered+Ferries+in+Nineteenth-Century+North+America

Brian

[the bombus]

There are a few things about this that are perplexing.  Interesting "sun screens" above the horses .The horses are clearly attached to a wagon--is this the only way they will walk? There are clearly higher up than the wagon wheels and how do they get up above the floor as there doesn't seem to be room for an upramp? Walking forward gets the paddles going in one direction but crossing the river and returning means that the boat must be turned around so the horses walk forward and if they don't, they would be walking forward while the boat goes backwards. That would also mean moving the horses around to the other side.  is the 3rd horse cargo or part of the process? what is the cargo? and where does it go? Why use animals when wire-rope technology (??) was available? if the boat crossed in the same location all the time? Are those rudders angled off the boat? that would one direction only.

hello greateastern,as far as i can see the horses attached to the wagons are the ones that have to go to the other side . the other two on the outside (above the paddles ) are the ones that do all the working(you can see clearly that there backs are angled( because they stand upon a tredmill). i made a drawing to show you how i think it looks from above.and why note the wire rope ? perhaps simply because the start and arrival point are not in a straight line .when returning i think it was just neccesary to turn the horses around
greeting from The Bombus

[Gerhardvienna]

I found a short building report in the "ModellWerft" magazine Nr. 4/2012. It is a bit different to the boat shown from Quackers.
Regards from Vienna
Gerhard

[the bombus]

bad quality picture , but look what i found
greetings from The Bombus

[Brian Gates]

Wikipedia has an article on these as "team boats" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_boat.

There are some interesting web pages on the subject as well, including this one with a plan and elevation http://www.lcmm.org/education/educators_newsletters/educators_news_06_08_17.htm
and this one that apparently operated between Portsmouth and Bristol http://portsmouthhistorynotes.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/image-3.jpg
 (This left me very concerned for a moment, thinking about a horse ferry going around Lands End).

This one looks very similar to the one that started the conversation http://www.steamboats.org/forum/attachments/steamboats-history/6912d1303491040-mississippi-river-steamboat-built-1802-steam20926l.jpg.

I have to admit to finding these fascinating although up until now I have always thought of a "Horse Ferry" as a ferry to carry horses (as in HorseFerry Road in London), not the other way around.  It reminds me of a stock controller who once asked me "Brass screws are made of brass, right?", "Yes" I replied, "Stainless steel screws are made of stainless steel?", "Yes" again, "Does that mean woodscrews are made of wood?".  I didn't say anything for a while, but wondered what she thought dog biscuits were made of...

Brian

[Gerhardvienna]

  It reminds me of a stock controller who once asked me "Brass screws are made of brass, right?", "Yes" I replied, "Stainless steel screws are made of stainless steel?", "Yes" again, "Does that mean woodscrews are made of wood?".  I didn't say anything for a while, but wondered what she thought dog biscuits were made of...
Brian

Sounds almost like out of "The Life Of Brian"  (I love monty python)
Back to topics; The Horseboats are very interesting models, but much too small for my 1:50 "collection". In larger scale good to build, and do not require too much material.
Regards
Gehard

[the bombus]

larger scale ?? 
you could use Barbie horses 
greetings from The Bombus

[Gerhardvienna]

Absolutley correct, but they would not fit into 1:50 measure.
Gerhard