Stuart 10v powered vessel possibility, ideas?

[SomethingIsFishy]

So a while back I purchased a Stuart 10v steam engine because I like steam engines of all kinds and the price was right…

 

I’ve enjoyed it as a piece in a small collection (if I can call 3 engines a collection) of model steam engines, but there’s a part of me that thinks it might be fun to put it in a small model boat of some sort. The previous owner told me that her grandfather used to race model boats and this engine powered one of his boats, so there’s a bit of historical precedent to the whole idea…

 

At this point I’m just dipping my toe into the water (pun intended) and I’m not entirely sure if I really want to follow through on the idea, but at the least it might be fun talking about it.

 

 I have some ideas, but it’s getting late and I need to get some sleep, so I’ll post more of my thoughts later…

 

Any and all feedback is appreciated!!!

[Bob Cleek]

Heck yeah! What's the point of a steam engine sitting on the shelf with no work to do? I love live steam models. There's a small, but rather active subset of live steam modelers. Parts and even some model kits are available on line (although sometimes rather pricey.) The San Francisco Model Yacht Club has a fair number of them and an annual "steam show" on Spreckles Lake, their model yacht lake in S.F.'s Golden Gate Park. SFMYC – San Francisco Model Yacht Club

 

A stuart 10v would be an excellent engine for a model Victorian steam launch. It's basically a six-inch tall miniature of single cylinder steam launch engines of the period, so you can build a very detailed model and show off the engine at the same time. 

 

As you probably know, marine steam engineering poses a bit of a learning curve, but the information is readily available in a few reprinted classic texts. I cut my teeth on the subject when I restored an old steam-powered turn-of-the-last century steam yacht model. If you have questions, ask away and I'd be glad to answer those I can or refer you to the proper textbooks.

 

(There are a lot of photos of model steam launches on the SFMYC website linked above. Look under "Special Events" and "Event Gallery" in the home page heading. I tried posting a few of the photos, but they didn't link. The SFMYC was founded in 1898 and is the oldest model yacht club in the country. It looks like their website template is close to the oldest in the country, too!  )

 

 

Edited March 16, 2023 by Bob Cleek

[SomethingIsFishy]

So I see 3 basic sections of this project:

 

1) propulsion. I have the engine and it runs well on compressed air. I have a boiler but it’s missing some parts (water glass, pressure gauge, misc fittings) and would need to be hydro tested before I would feel comfortable using it, and I have a gasoline (?!) burner, but I don’t know if I have the guts to try to use it… I believe the boiler and burner are old Boucher (if I remember right the boiler model number is CF-1) I don’t have any shaft parts or a propeller.

 

2) The Vessel. I kind of like the look of the Victorian steam launch mentioned by Bob. Being able to see the engine would be a big plus for me… Not sure yet what is available for kits, and I’m not necessarily opposed to going scratch or watching for a “used” boat in various classifieds…

 

3) The Crew. I would want to have some control over the boat, so I would need a servo for the rudder, and one for a throttle, and a receiver/transmitter combo…

 

These are my thoughts so far…

[Bob Cleek]

There's a ton of information on line about model steam launches. Check out these websites:   building a model steam launch - Search (bing.com) and these YouTube videos: building a model steam launch - YouTube

 

Running the engine on compressed air is a good indication that it will run on steam. At least it's not frozen. Still, the valve may have to be adjusted so it runs smoothly on steam. 

 

Parts are readily available online. You can get safety valves, feedwater pumps, plumbing stock, water glasses, pressure gauges, shafting, and propellers, and such mail order. (Steam propellers have a much greater pitch and turn at lower RPMs. Steam engines have tons of torque. Internal combustion engines have lots of speed and poor torque compared to steam, so the pitch of their propellers is much less. The steam prop takes big slow bites. The IC engine prop takes fast small bites.) Google is your friend. As you probably know, there are dedicated live steam model forums and a lot of live steam hobbyists on the R/C forums.  All the live steaming models are run by radio control these days. Ages of Sail, in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a mail order and brick and mortar ship modeling shop and a sponsor of this forum. They have a U.S. distributorship for Saito model live steam plants, live steam ship model kits, and related R/C gear. You can get anything you need in terms of parts from them... for a price. Ages of Sail also carry kits for live steam launches, tug boats, and so on. See: Saito Manufacturing - Steam Engines and RC Kits (agesofsail.com)

 

I'm familiar with gasoline boiler burners. at least those that heat a coiled copper tubing water tube "flash boiler" that surrounds the burner. These were popular a hundred years ago. They usually surrounded the water tube coil with refractory material and asbestos lagging compound. The burner was an old-time converted gasoline blow torch burner. They scared the heck out of me. I'd definitely go for a modern commercially made boiler that runs on propane from a stock propane torch bottle. Save the old gasoline burner as an antique, but don't try to run it if you don't want to end up like Richard Pryor did with his crack pipe! You may be able to use the boiler you have and install an updated propane burner in it. Hydrotesting a small model launch boiler is a no-brainer if you have a pressure gauge on it and a compressor. Boiler pressure is quite low and if you use a water tube boiler, if it blows, the water in the tubes squirts out all over the place and puts your fire out and it's just a mess to clean up as opposed to a bomb throwing shrapnel all over. 

 

You may be familiar with Main Steam Models in England. Lots of eye-candy on their site. Mainsteam Models | Live Steam Engines | Model Engineering Tutorials They have a Patreon video series on "How to build a model live steam launch." 

 

A couple of Stuart 10V plants with different boilers. The first is gas fired.

 

From: Mainsteam Models Gallery | Steam Engine | Tutorials | Help & Info

 

The rest of the photos are of a coal fired plant!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This multi-part YouTube video series will keep you busy for a while. The guy knows his such. 

 

 

 

 

 

[SomethingIsFishy]

Keith’s videos are great! I haven’t watched much of the series on Edith, I’ll have to start working my way through them…