Bolger fast sternwheeler paddlewheel

[seafox61]

Has any one built and /or tested the paddlewheel design Mr Bolger developed for his fast sternwheeler?
how was it?thankyou
jeffery

[Wild Dingo]

eh?? Whassis? no pics no nuffin!! mmmmm tis a worry eh?? ;)

[seafox61]

Hi Shane
The wheel design is solid with small cleets around it. each cleat having the area equel to the swept area of a propeller.
on the fast sternwheeler it was a 5 foot long 36 inch diamiter with cleats about 1.5 inches high and spun by a 125 horse engine
havn't build one myself
wondering if any one else had
thankyou
jeffery

[Wild Dingo]

Gidday Jeffrey
Just wondered as the only sternwheelers Ive managed to find and for a time I was looking as I thought one would be a good tourism idea for the calm estuary waters around here... were these...

Atkins Lady of the Lake
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid50/paec490f4f0cdecb3f60ce7e7c2011c74/fcaa39ba.gif

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid50/pace2e539b1bf2bde0ebeddcefa5c06d1/fcaa39b6.gif

And this one from some years ago peddle powered paddlewheeler Pogo...

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid50/p1592c35544338e8b10988bd1ba54b32a/fcaa3769.jpg

I know there must be other plans for these things out there I simply havent found anything other than the above...

Just to bring it back to your topic mate I wasnt aware that Bolger had designed a sternwheeled paddlewheeler is there any info available?

[Tom Lathrop]

I don't think Bolger actually designed one of these. He did do a cartoon of a high speed paddlewheeler for Small Boat Journal many years ago but (if I remember correctly) said that it was far from a finished design. I'm sure many of us have the issue it appeared in.

Other than for devlish interest, I'm not sure why anyone would spend the effort to actually build one. I see lots of problems in such a boat and propellers have been proven superior to paddlewheels many times. But then, maybe that's why we build a lot of the boats.

[whb]

Hi Shane

Here's a site that someone previously posted. These are old plans posted in various science magazines.

http://www.svensons.com/boats/PaddlewheelBassBoat/

I have been looking at various ways to use an old ten speed or mountain bike as the power plant for a small paddle wheel.

And here's the full link for the POGO boat.

http://members.tripod.com/simplicityboats/pogo.html

Howard

[Mark Van]

In some ways paddle wheels are supperior to propellers. They can opperate in shallower water, and they are still better in shallow water than anything else for slow speed. Jet drives should not be used in water that is very silty, since silt and sand will harm the impellers. I am familier with Bolger's fast paddle wheel concept, I don't know if it will work for high speed, but for slow speed, they work great. If my boat had a paddle wheel instead of an outboard, it could opperate in 1 foot of water, but with the outboard, I need close to two feet.

Mark

[skuthorp]

Hey fellas, someone pester Doorstop for shots of his top secret sidewheeler! Supposed to have had sea (well drain actually) trials last week. Dingo and I cant get a photo out of him!

[Wild Dingo]

Chris has gone flamin walkabout!! cant get a bopeep outta him lately! :mad: But then hes probably gettin all the bugs out to stun and amaze all at the upcoming Goolwa Festival eh Jeff? :cool: But then it would be good to have some photos :rolleyes:

[Ian McColgin]

I have some memory that Bolger did build something like this. If memory serves:

He had to make the paddle-wheel around a solid drum as it otherwise picked up too much water and difused the energy.

To get up on a plane they (Bolger and Dynamite Payson, in my memory at least - could this tale be true or did I invent it?) put a canard on the bow. It planed but then collapsed when it caught a wave and the boat cartwheeled.

Bolger thought the problems were fun and solvable.

[John E Hardiman]

Originally posted by Tom Lathrop:
Other than for devlish interest, I'm not sure why anyone would spend the effort to actually build one. I see lots of problems in such a boat and propellers have been proven superior to paddlewheels many times. But then, maybe that's why we build a lot of the boats.This is a common misconception. Paddlewheels, especially feathering wheels are superior in transfering powere to the water than screws, IF you can keep the blades emersed (i.e. at the crest of the developed wave train) and run the
blades at a high enough relative speed in the slowed wake (i.e. sternwheelers). Saunders addresses the problem with an entire section in Hydrodynamics of Ship Design. And when you factor the differences during the HMS Rattlesnake trials in which the slow speed sidewheeler lost, a good case can be made for modern high speed sternwheelers against a propeller. I believe that the Bolger boat in question was built and did plane on trials, but I can't seem to find it right now...

[seafox61]

Thankyou for much wonderful information
Last night I was searching in my books and I have found 3 paddlers designed by My Bolger
the fast sternwheel was a cartoon for small boat journal and it was reprinted in his book "boats with an open mind." while I do not know how much more would have to be done to finish it I think I could build from the cartoon and applying scantling rules ( I would guess two layers of 1/2 inch or two 5/8th inches for the bottom. 1/2 inch for the side and top sides)
the toy rive boat was publishes in his book the folding schooner and republished when he combined that with small boats into Bolger Boats. it is a 20 footer by 8 foot decorated to look like a twin deck missippie style side wheeler the last was built by H H Payson called the madeline a 19 foot open skiff with peddle powere side wheels.

In Austrailian what is a drain?
thankyou
jeffery

[skuthorp]

Well Seafox, in Sth Aussie it could either be a drain (ie; stormwater or to clear a swamp) or an irrigation channel, or a water collection canal for a reservior. I think this was a drain.
The ertsatz paddlesteamer mentioned has a stability problem, and a narrow channel is the least likely place to get into trouble, one is always just a few feet from land. It should be an interesting time at Goolwa, sorry you can't be with us to get wet as well!

[seafox61]

Looking forward to pictues. sure wish I could be there ( the lear jets in the shop you know and I talked my buddy out of sailing a hobbie cat 16 to your part of the world <g>)
thankyou for the info. my dad had a Austrailian - american dictionary but I can't find it just now
jeffery
ps his subrepair ship was based out of Perth and Freemantal in 42-45

[doorstop]

It is the intention to be the worlds first paddle wheeler to actually plane! Mind you it will most likely be the last thing we attempt for the weekend..... ;)