MooseMan
Progress, progress....
Hobbies Arrow Steam Launch
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Let's start with a little factual information: This is the Hobbies Arrow Steam Launch, christened "Môr-Forwyn" (Welsh for Mermaid), and built by myself during May, June and July 2006. She's made out of obeche, pine, mahogany and aluminium. The steam plant is a 1950s SEL Marine engine powered by a 1930s Bowman 135 boiler. The hull is 24" x 4.5" beam, and she weighs in at 1.8 kg dry including radio and batteries.
The first I heard of Arrow was in the autumn 2004 edition of Bowman news. This magazine included an article by Martin Flegg, then the Hobbies Development Manager, detailing his new design of a steam launch strongly based on the Bowman Snipe, but with considerable improvements to the hull, and now with radio control - not an option in the 1930ies! I read the article with interest, as I'd wanted a Bowman boat for a long time but had been unable to afford one, but put the thought of building one out of my head as one of those "haven't got the time/skill/tools" things. Of course there exists a long and venerable link between Hobbies and Bowman - I believe the two companies once shared premises, and certainly early Hobbies steam engines were made by Bowman, and the wooden hulls for Bowman boats made by Hobbies. Hobbies is unique in that it is perhaps the only business of its kind still around, as it has been for well over a hundred years!
Fast forward now to April and May 2006, and yours truly is having, with some understatement, a "spot of bother" that's earned me several long-ish and painful hospital stays, and sees me laid up for protracted periods of time with nothing to do so....with a spare 135 boiler sitting on a shelf, my mind started ticking, and I decided to order the plans from Hobbies. I also had some communications with their director Andrew Meek, who gave me some gentle encouragement. My first reaction on seeing the plans was a profound sinking feeling....this was no "put it together" kit, but a scratch build - with my non-existent skills in woodwork a daunting prospect.
I studied the plans very carefully for several days, and played the build out in my head. After a while, I'd convinced myself that I could possibly bring this to a successful completion, or at least have fun doing it. So I bought an electric fretsaw on EBay, and ordered the raw materials and some tools from Hobbies..
In the meantime, I was slowly getting better. In fact, my recovery became linked with my progress in building the boat. Every day I got a little stronger, and built another bit. I had to learn a whole new set of skills, and therefore took it nice and steady. To my amazement, nothing actually went wrong! During the build, I kept an extensive photo diary which can be seen here.
The engine I had originally planned to drive the boat turned out to be not quite satisfactory, so a replacement was found in the SEL Marine Engine, which was provided by IndianaRog. On August the 22nd Môr-Forwyn had her maiden voyage, which was a total success - footage can be seen below. She is currently fired with solid fuel, but a gas burner is on order.
For further detailed information, click on the small pictures and read the diary. If you are thinking of building one yourself, I'd be delighted to talk to you, just drop me a line. Finally, I need to thank a few people: Andrew of Hobbies who was always ready to clarify this and explain that; my brother-in-steam IndianaRog for his constant encouragement and advice, and last but certainly not least my long-suffering wife Fiona, for putting up with the sawdust, splinters and fumes without a single complaint!
Hobbies-Bowman "Snipe" Speed Boat
From the "Bowman Book of Steam Models" (1931):
"A fast and sound racing boat of graceful proportions and high class finish. Runs a mile on one filling. Patent wood hull, length 23", beam 4 1/2". Spray hood and aluminium wind shield over engine. Bowman "Double Power" engine 3/4" stroke x 3/8" bore. Automatic oil lubricator. Brass boiler, 4 3/4" x 1 3/4", with safety valve. Safety type lamp for methylated spirit. Exhaust pipe at stern."
This
one's a bit of a dream come true. I never thought I'd be able to get a
real Bowman boat, as they usually are very expensive - in fact, that is
one of the reasons why I built my "Arrow" (which is based on the Snipe,
although Arrow is a fair bit larger and a lot heavier). Then there was
a very brief slump in Bowman prices, and this Snipe was badly
advertised and lacking its sprayhood and rear deck....I got it for Ł69,
which is unheard of.
It's in pretty fine shape as well - all the engine and boiler fittings were there, the brass propellor, guard and rudder are undamaged - even the original exhaust tube is present. Thanks to the help and advice of such fine gents as Owen Roberts and John Dickins I quickly obtained measurements for the rear deck and spray hood. I ordered the materials from Hobbies, which seemed appropriate, and I think I've done an adequate job of reconstructing them. The decal is a perfect replica made by Mike Cooke.
Apart from that I have kept this boat as original as possible. I've not touched the paint on the hull - it shows some crazing and a slight tendency to flake, so I've preserved it with a couple of coats of clear lacquer. I've touched in a couple of rusty nailheads and replaced the asbestos insulation sheet, but that's about the size of it. Bit of spit and polish, and this one to me looks so gorgeous it takes my breath away.
It runs well too.....I think this boat's had an easy life, because the engine's as new, even has quite a bit of the original paint left. I've sparked it up a few times, and the engine is now properly run in, and runs fast and smooth. It's basically a 158 or a 167 in an inline lineup, with the addition of a large steam line oiler. The brass flywheel drives the propshaft directly.
I'm delighted to add this boat to my collection - it fills yet another gap in my Bowman lineup. And, I hear you cry, will you sail it? Of course I will!
Here it is, in the pond at Steam Toys in Action 2008, Leicester, UK, outrunning a twin cylinder Bowman-Luton boat:
It's in pretty fine shape as well - all the engine and boiler fittings were there, the brass propellor, guard and rudder are undamaged - even the original exhaust tube is present. Thanks to the help and advice of such fine gents as Owen Roberts and John Dickins I quickly obtained measurements for the rear deck and spray hood. I ordered the materials from Hobbies, which seemed appropriate, and I think I've done an adequate job of reconstructing them. The decal is a perfect replica made by Mike Cooke.
Apart from that I have kept this boat as original as possible. I've not touched the paint on the hull - it shows some crazing and a slight tendency to flake, so I've preserved it with a couple of coats of clear lacquer. I've touched in a couple of rusty nailheads and replaced the asbestos insulation sheet, but that's about the size of it. Bit of spit and polish, and this one to me looks so gorgeous it takes my breath away.
It runs well too.....I think this boat's had an easy life, because the engine's as new, even has quite a bit of the original paint left. I've sparked it up a few times, and the engine is now properly run in, and runs fast and smooth. It's basically a 158 or a 167 in an inline lineup, with the addition of a large steam line oiler. The brass flywheel drives the propshaft directly.
I'm delighted to add this boat to my collection - it fills yet another gap in my Bowman lineup. And, I hear you cry, will you sail it? Of course I will!
Here it is, in the pond at Steam Toys in Action 2008, Leicester, UK, outrunning a twin cylinder Bowman-Luton boat:
Midwest Fantail Launch
The only boat in my collection that is still commercially available, this came to me as a swap with a mate from the forum - thanks Manxman!
The "Midwest Fantail Launch" is made as a kit in Indiana. What you get is a lot of pieces of wood, with some pr-cut parts. The engine is another kit, and again needs to be made up - no machining involved, but all the soldering, lagging etc. needs to be done. When I got it, the hull was part built, but had a fair few problems that needed rectifying. I made up the engine kit with a few modifications of my own.
What you end up with is this splendid vessel - it has the classic fantail shape, very wide across the beam. It sails beautifully - the little engine runs steadily for 15 minutes or so on one filling of water and sterno, and powers the model at a realistic speed. It is very stable on the water, and the simple remote control of the rudder makes it very easy to control and manoeuvre. I kept a diary of my work on this model here, and I have named her "Ellan Vannin" - Manx for "Isle of Man"
The "Midwest Fantail Launch" is made as a kit in Indiana. What you get is a lot of pieces of wood, with some pr-cut parts. The engine is another kit, and again needs to be made up - no machining involved, but all the soldering, lagging etc. needs to be done. When I got it, the hull was part built, but had a fair few problems that needed rectifying. I made up the engine kit with a few modifications of my own.
What you end up with is this splendid vessel - it has the classic fantail shape, very wide across the beam. It sails beautifully - the little engine runs steadily for 15 minutes or so on one filling of water and sterno, and powers the model at a realistic speed. It is very stable on the water, and the simple remote control of the rudder makes it very easy to control and manoeuvre. I kept a diary of my work on this model here, and I have named her "Ellan Vannin" - Manx for "Isle of Man"
"Mabel" with Dockyard Engine
lThis is the boat that came with the beautiful Clyde Model Dockyard Engine from Jon Penn......I'm not going to say what it cost me, but it was a pretty token figure, a mere fraction of what it's worth - Jon's a fine human being and a good friend, and he has now managed to secure a number of very rare engines for me at prices that would make most collectors green with envy!
It is by far the largest hull in my collection, at some 95 centimeters. The design is by Basil Harley, and as I've only ever seen the engine in the great man's book, I like to think that the hull may have been made by him. The deck house was made by me, and I'm not 100% convinced I did the right thing....I may still change it. The boiler is from a Mamod SE2.
This boat, in its current configuration, is far too rare to sail....I'm toying with the idea of taking the irreplaceable engine off and replace it with a Mamod ME1 - we'll see.
It is by far the largest hull in my collection, at some 95 centimeters. The design is by Basil Harley, and as I've only ever seen the engine in the great man's book, I like to think that the hull may have been made by him. The deck house was made by me, and I'm not 100% convinced I did the right thing....I may still change it. The boiler is from a Mamod SE2.
This boat, in its current configuration, is far too rare to sail....I'm toying with the idea of taking the irreplaceable engine off and replace it with a Mamod ME1 - we'll see.
Bowman-Luton "Snipe"
This is the Snipe, made in about 1948 by the postwar firm Bowman of Luton - nothing to do with Bowman of Dereham. They made a number of boats, and this is their "standard" model.....they are very rare, hardly ever seen. I bought this boat on eBay from a well-known and well-respected collector - thank you Mike!This boat was in a "fit for restoration" state when it got to me.......dirty, crudely repainted at some point but now flaking and missing several small but essential parts.....in other words, just the way I like 'em! It sat in my windowsill for a few months, and during the Christmas break of 2007 I decided to fix her up. Painting was a case of trying to make up the right paint colours.....the cream of the woodwork is considerably darker than anything available in the shop, so I ended up making a concoction out of some Japlac cream lacquer and antique pine varnish which gave me exactly the right shade.
Thanks to the excellent photographs John Chapman took of his immaculate Snipe I had good measurements of the parts that needed making.....I ended up making the rear deck, tiller rack, prop shaft, rudder, one of the "lamps", plumbing, engine main bearing and drive shaft, crank pin, the decals and of course the little flag! All these new parts needed running in of course, so the boat has only run on the bench, but she's a good steady runner now, and I'm sure she'll perform well on the water.
Festina Lente
"Festina Lente" ("Make haste slowly") is a fulfillment of a fairly long held ambition to own and operate a serious model steam boat. This boat started life as a Krick Victoria kit, but the previous owner made her into something completely different and altogether more interesting...she is now much more like a Windermere launch, the inspiration was the launch featured in the film "Miss Potter". A lot of work was done on the boat, but the previous owner then discovered model engineering and lost interest.....which is where my luck came in, because he sold it to me at a very reasonable price....the picture shows me in March 2008, having just completed a 600 mile round trip to collect her.
The boat is fitted with a truly remarkable engine, made by retired aircraft engineer John "Bogstandard" Moore.....it is a twin cylinder, double acting engine, but with a much longer stroke than is usual for this type of engine. As a result, this engine is not a tearaway runner, but instead delivers an astonishing amount of torque to the screw....the driveshaft can't be stopped by hand, and I've seen this boat clear a patch of pondweed that would have snared a nuclear sub. The engine is powered by a gas fired "Maccsteam" vertical boiler.
I have done a great deal of work on the boat, including making her seaworthy, fitting the RC, cladding, roofing.....hours and hours of work, and still much more to do. BUT - she can now be sailed with confidence, and is a great performer on the pond and a real crowdpleaser, especially since I fitted the whistle.
Documenting this boat would merit a standalone website....instead I have created two separate pages, one with pictures chronicling her construction, and one with videos:
PhilCraft Marine Engine
This is an absolutely miniscule marine engine.....I've tried to convey how small it is by putting an AAA battery in the picture, but perhaps I should just say that the cylinders are about the length of my fingernail, and that the whole engine fits comfortably in my hand......yet it is a twin-cylinder, gas fired engine with a superheater coil.....it runs incredibly fast, in fact I was warned by the maker not to let this engine freewheel as it might run itself to bits! It'll run for about 4 minutes on 5cc of water. This engine was made by Phil Gravett, who made engines under the trade name of Philcraft, and recently started making engines again in small numbers.....you may have seen his Liliput and Jennt Wren engines, and a lucky very few have his exquisite beam engine. I'm not at all sure how many of these marine engines exist, but I'd say more than three and less than 10. Mine is in the process of being fitted to a very small hull, which I will reveal once complete.
