The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum

mogogear

Moose may be the one to answer this, but it is open to all comers..

The setting....I got my Snipe( boat #4) today posted to me from the UK.. arrived in the shape quoted and a post on it shall be up soon.

The Bowmans have screws that run through the hulls to hold the boiler brackets and engine / prop shaft mounts...Seems a definite flaw in design to have holes through the hulls- But I digress..Anyway these holes required me to remove all hardware ad such.....

I got the boiler out, engine out and while poking around - opened up the displacement oiler...It was full of what I thought was old oily tar... upon closer inspection I found that it was stuffed with cotton stranded packing....and old oily tar!!!!! So I assume this wicking material was on purpose ?????

Question 2-So maybe the method this oiler works on is the standard displacement type or is it other wise?

Much thanks for input

_________________
regards,

Mo

This week I are His Most Noble Lord Mo, the Apocalyptic of Old Tonbridge Wafers

MooseMan · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:51 am Post subject:

Mo, all the Bowman oilers I've come across have had this in, I think it may be coarse wool. Those oilers aren't proper displacement lubricators (not with the steampipe at the bottom), but rather a sort of gravity feed....I guess the wadding material is there to reduce the flow of oil.

Having said that, I've run my Snipe both with and without it, and as long as you use a good heavy steam oil it doesn't seem to make a blind bit of difference.

Before you run it, check that there is insulating material present underneath the firebox shield...the original is asbestos, and probably a greenish colour. If it's not there, it is imperative that you install some....the wood that makes up the underside of the boat is very thin, you could burn right through it. Jensen insulating pads are absplutely ideal....in fact, I use those all around the firebox, snug with the wood - keeps my paintwork nice and cool.

I also tend to put some alu foil down in the bow, to save the paintwork from any accidental meths splashing...the burner can be a wee bit fiddly to insert and light.

You'll notice that the exhaust is a sliding fit, and that it has a nail through it. Bad design which will leak oily hot steam over your paintwork. If you use some liquid gasket (LocTite or someting) to seal the pipe join and around the nail, te boat runs much cleaner, and you get a nice impressive plume of steam from the exhaust.

Don't be disheartened if she's a reluctant runner for the first few firings....Bowman engines like frequent use, and only come into their own after they've run in.....the Snipe engine should run like a demon, it's very noisy on the bench. Also, check the safety valve, as the spring is often dead or dying....a spring from a biro is a good replacement, and I usually put a rubber (well, viton) washer between the valve head and body....can make a real difference in the running.

Oh yeah....get some WD40 down the prop shaft until it stops squeaking, it should spin freely. Will also help to keep the water out.

OK - here endeth today's sermon

Have fun!
_________________
Stands the glass half empty,
Or stands the glass half full?
Blast your Buddhist mantra, man,
I'll take another pull.

mogogear · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 4:20 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the additional tips..I am thinking on the next few details- Your wise "Snipe " input is welcomed as well- I have everything out of the boat except the rudder the nailed on exhaust tube and the Skeg wire.

The screws that held the boiler plate in were pulled through the bottom of the hull.. I am considering a proper way to address these "lower port holes"

I Also have the same condition with the two screws for the engine mount..so 5 mm holes all!!

I hate to have screw heads jutting out of the bottom of the boat by using a screw and rubber gasketed washer- but the thin wood makes recessing a tough design...make new wood plugs and glue into place and then drill , and chamfer holes then run screws up through again?
_________________
regards,

Mo

This week I are His Most Noble Lord Mo, the Apocalyptic of Old Tonbridge Wafers

Mamodman123 · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 4:22 pm Post subject:

mogogear · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 4:24 pm Post subject:

Aye possibly!! I had not thought that way. I was focused on trying to save as much original paint , but the bottom will have to be all repainted just so it doesn't look too"patched"

Thanks for the suggestion!
_________________
regards,

Mo

This week I are His Most Noble Lord Mo, the Apocalyptic of Old Tonbridge Wafers

RocDoc · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:00 pm Post subject:

Hi Mo,

I had exactly the same problem with my Seahawk. The screws were so rusted on that the only way I could remove the engine was to gently push the screws through the hull. Like with your boat I was left with large holes. My work around was to use a series of thin plastic tubes, one within another to plug the hole. I glued the tubes into place using expoxy resin glue. Add a couple of screws and fibre washers (from Odilon) ... so far so good ... no leaks. Here is a link from my web site showing some photos.

http://pgb.awardspace.com/seahawk-aug07.html

Cheers

Pete

mogogear · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:10 pm Post subject:

Pete,

Thanks for sharing--- I felt like I was looking at the bottom of my own boat!!

That is much less severe lower hull work than I am having subtle nightmares about..

Do you have a shot of the underside as it looks now? I am trying to under stand if you used counter sunk small bolts to run back through the new tubes you installed.?

Or did you settle for a shallow "flat head " bolt that was washered to be water proof.

Thanks again Pete for a "spot on" reply!!
_________________
regards,

Mo

This week I are His Most Noble Lord Mo, the Apocalyptic of Old Tonbridge Wafers

MooseMan · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:15 pm Post subject:

Mo, a drastic but very nice solution would be to cut away around the screw holes, and then inset with pieces of wood cut to shape...I'm not sure what the Snipe was made out of, but I find mahogany or walnut easy to shape and work with.

But I think Pete's solution is very practical, and at the end of the day few people will be looking at the underside of your boat, and, as I say to my mirror image every day: I much prefer practicality over beauty and elegance!

_________________
Stands the glass half empty,
Or stands the glass half full?
Blast your Buddhist mantra, man,
I'll take another pull.

johnreid · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:18 pm Post subject:

Couldnt you make a paste with sawdust and glue, and fill small holes with that? If the right glue is used it should take stain or pain and not be too conspicuous.
_________________
Your life is an occasion...Rise to it

mogogear · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:21 pm Post subject:

RocDoc · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:27 pm Post subject:

mogogear · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:32 pm Post subject:

Thank you Pete...I was concerned about absolute original looking repairs..But as long as pro's like the rest of you are telling me that an improved design repair is OK and I won't be drummed out of the group...I feel empowered!!

I will go put my thinking cap on and start a new thread when I start some of these restoration projects -a good place for sharing with other future boaters!!
_________________
regards,

Mo

This week I are His Most Noble Lord Mo, the Apocalyptic of Old Tonbridge Wafers

RocDoc · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:15 pm Post subject:

Here we are Mo, a photo showing the flat head screws and washers. I've also included the plastic pipe that I used to plug the holes. Essentially, it is a pipe within a pipe. Big enough to plug the hole but with a large enough hole at the centre for the flat head screw to fit through. A generous fibre washer on the outside ... and a washer on the inside of the hull, both held in place with a nut, forms a pretty good water tight seal.

I didn't want to paint my boat ... I'm not very good at that sort of thing.

Pete

MooseMan · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:22 pm Post subject:

Mo, I use an original Bowman burner...as long as you use well fitting wick they're pretty good (talk to MamodFan about getting some ceramic wick - that stuff rocks my boat (sorry!))

You'll be hard-pressed to use another burner - the firebox is designed to take a tube.
_________________
Stands the glass half empty,
Or stands the glass half full?
Blast your Buddhist mantra, man,
I'll take another pull.

mogogear · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:29 pm Post subject:

Moose- ahh..... yes I forgot about the small hole for the burner in the firebox...It demands that style!!

Oh well - I started the Snipe thread anew..

And Thanks Pete for showing that picture- I have some nice s/s flat head hex bolts that should do will and be relatively low profile..
_________________
regards,

Mo

This week I are His Most Noble Lord Mo, the Apocalyptic of Old Tonbridge Wafers