"Paddle Wheel" when Docking - You Thought we had it Tough?

[Andrew Troup]

Check out the end of this video:

SIDEWHEELER24JUNE2011A.wmv - YouTube

[model 10]

They need a clutch on each drive shaft.

[minaret]

This is why stern wheelers are better...

[Andrew Troup]

If you could alter the paddles from athwartships to angled, each side with its own swashplate or whatever

(make them on-the-fly separately convertible to variable pitch side-thrusters .... & possibly if the angle went all the way to 90 degrees, it would remove the requirement for bulldozer-style clutches)


you could cut a few fancy capers ! Mechanical engineering heaven, too ...


Sweet little prime mover, I thought...

[model 10]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

If you could alter the paddles from athwartships to angled, each side with its own swashplate or whatever

(make them on-the-fly separately convertible to variable pitch side-thrusters .... & possibly if the angle went all the way to 90 degrees, it would remove the requirement for bulldozer-style clutches)


you could cut a few fancy capers ! Mechanical engineering heaven, too ...


Sweet little prime mover, I thought...

Sure, a helicopter swashplate setup.. Make this thing a stone age wiz bang deal. If you are going to use steam, lets up-grade the mechanics.

[Andrew Troup]

Now you're talking.

Wonder what metal the firebox could be made from, which would be nicely conductive and yet stand up to the challenge of using driftwood for fuel?

(In some parts of the world with heavily forested, steep-to coastlines and unstable soils, you could have almost unlimited range if you fitted a condensor.)

(And weren't in a hurry to get anywhere ...)

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

Now you're talking.

Wonder what metal the firebox could be made from, which would be nicely conductive and yet stand up to the challenge of using driftwood for fuel?

(In some parts of the world with heavily forested, steep-to coastlines and unstable soils, you could have almost unlimited range if you fitted a condensor.)

(And weren't in a hurry to get anywhere ...)

Steam has been trying to make a come back, and has interesting potential. But after building a steam boat for a local Boeing engineer, who built the engine from scratch himself, I am unable to forget the sight of a boiler blowout and the old timer scalded head to foot...


Advanced steam technology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[ElGatoGordo]

That thing is AWESOME!

[JazzyO]

Originally Posted by ElGatoGordo

That thing is AWESOME!

Absolutely! Hats off!


Onno