Restoration of 100yr. old Herreshoff Steam Launch "Vapor"

[Jay Greer]

"Vapor" is progressing well. Ed Louchard of Port Townsend has lofted the original lines and made molds to correct the shape of the old hull as new. It was found that the stern had sagged some four inches. The new keel, stern knee and stem are in place after the tedious job of suspending the boat from the molds from an over head beam while the old components were removed. Kind of like changing your socks without removing your shoes.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cf25b3127ccec5dc0ad1667000000040O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cf25b3127ccec5ddafa287b500000040O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

[Larks]

Very interesting Jay, what is the timber they are using? Looks like an interesting jigsaw of laminates there.

[Jay Greer]

No laminates, African Hard Wood.
Jay

[Paul Girouard]

Looks like ribbon grained Khaya / African ribbon grained Mahogany. Is it?

[pila]

Great thing you folks are doing. 100 years old!! wow.:)
Thought my old boat was old at 45 years!!

[TallShipDreamer]

Wood looks like Angelique?

[Deadwood]

Maybe Sapele?

[Jim Ledger]

Maybe Sapele?

That'd be my guess, but African Hard Wood is close enough.

[Jay Greer]

Sapele is correct. Your guys are sharp! Not seen in the photos are the beautiful bronze clinch rings that were lathe turned. On the beam over the boat is a story board that has proven to be invaluable. On the bow shot one can see a hint of one of the buttock lines that were drawn to check the accuracy of the hull form. The upper part of the transom is a one piece plank of Honduras that is wedded to a piece of Prima Vera. The difference of grain does not matter as it will be hidden by bottom paint. It is a bit harder than the Honduras
Jay

[Jim Ledger]

Any chance of a picture of the clench rings?

[Jay Greer]

Any chance of a picture of the clench rings?
Sorry not right now. See my post in People and Places.
Jay

[Jim Ledger]

The reason that I ask about the clench rings, Jay, is that I'm going to be turning a mess of them shortly, out of old propeller shafting. Any pictures, tips or methods would be much appreciated.

I don't want to drift your thread on this subject but I am interested, and would start a new thread, if you're willing to provide any info.

Jim

[Paul Eaton]

Jay, Is this the same one as Chris McMullen is building a replica of - has an original 1897 steeple triple engine?

Chris makes progress slowly.

[Jay Greer]

Jay, Is this the same one as Chris McMullen is building a replica of - has an original 1897 steeple triple engine?

Chris makes progress slowly.

Just got back in town last night guys. It will take a few days to catch up on questions and pictures. Yes, that is the same boat that Chris McMullen is building. Amazingly he has built an exact replica of the Herreshoff tripple expansion engine and boiler, right down to the Marsh feed water pumps! The Marsh pumps are non existant anywhere in the world save with the original engine. Chris came from NZ all the way to see us in CA and did extensive measuring of all engine parts in order to build the replica.
Jay

[Jay Greer]

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cf28b3127ccec5c6fc0118b000000040O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/
Here is a shot of the engine which is undergoing a complete overhaul.
Still runs great but needs cleaning, paint and polish.
Jay

[Jay Greer]

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cf28b3127ccec5c69a7e18fc00000040O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/
The cover for #2 cylinder tells a lot about the origin of "Vapor"
Jay

[Paul Eaton]

Thanks for the pictures Jay. Capt Nat was at least as much a genius steam engineer as he was yacht designer. I have the study plans for this engine and it is a masterpiece - almost perfectly balanced. It could run full speed and be almost silent with no vibration. Made power boating a pleasurable experience.

Cheers

Paul

[Jay Greer]

Thanks for the pictures Jay. Capt Nat was at least as much a genius steam engineer as he was yacht designer. I have the study plans for this engine and it is a masterpiece - almost perfectly balanced. It could run full speed and be almost silent with no vibration. Made power boating a pleasurable experience.

Cheers

Paul
Indeed paul! I have been aboard "Vapor" at nearly eighteen kts. and, as you say, no vibration, no fuss. The unique form of the hull prevents squating. Hence there is no rolling wake and little disturbance to the water.

[Larks]

No laminates, African Hard Wood.
Jay

It looks like the stem is made up of 8 or 9 pieces?

[Jay Greer]

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cf28b3127ccec5c68b60587200000010O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cf28b3127ccec5c76a1838ae00000010O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/
Chris McMullen's replica of "Vapor" in his shop outside of Aukland NZ.
Jay

[Jay Greer]

It looks like the stem is made up of 8 or 9 pieces?
Yes, it does look like it is laminated. But I assure you that it is not. It is solid wood.
Jay

[Duncan Gibbs]

Lovely stuff Jay! Keep the pictures rolling!! The NZ replica looks stunning: Any shots of the replica engine?

[dhic001]

Lovely stuff Jay! Keep the pictures rolling!! The NZ replica looks stunning: Any shots of the replica engine?

It is stunning Duncan, a work of art, and done with incredible accuracy. You may have heard of Fritha, the lovely Murray Peterson Brigantine that occasionally gets mentioned on here, she was built by the same chap, whenh he was a commercial boatbuilder. I'll try and remember to take the digital to Chris's place in a couple of weeks when we go there.
Daniel

[Jay Greer]

Lovely stuff Jay! Keep the pictures rolling!! The NZ replica looks stunning: Any shots of the replica engine?
Sorry, I have no pictures of Chris's engine. It is complete and has been run on compressed air. I will ask him for a shot or two.
Another note on Chris is, that it was he that built the NZ boat that wrested the America's cup from us.
Jay

[Bob Cleek]

Thanks for the great pictures of Vapor, Jay. Will she have one of the lightweight superheated Herreshoff designed boilers as she may have had originally, or will that have to be a compromise? By all reports, those boilers were very quick to come up to working pressure, but had short lifespans and were eventually abandoned. Somebody's got to do a WB article on Vapor's restoration. She isn't just a "survivor," she was quite something in her day.

[Jay Greer]

Thanks for the great pictures of Vapor, Jay. Will she have one of the lightweight superheated Herreshoff designed boilers as she may have had originally, or will that have to be a compromise? By all reports, those boilers were very quick to come up to working pressure, but had short lifespans and were eventually abandoned. Somebody's got to do a WB article on Vapor's restoration. She isn't just a "survivor," she was quite something in her day.
"Vapor's" boiler was replicated exactly to the Herreshoff design by the owner's company that is involved with aero space technology. The only variation being that the tubes are made of a space age SS alloy and are beautifly welded rather than being swaged as was done with the original. The operating pressure is 225PSI and the new boiler boiler has been tested to 800lbs psi! The original boiler has been donated to the Herreshoff Museum in Bristol RI.
An article for WB is in the works. So, I must be careful here not to let too much of the cat out of the bag! What you read and see here, is really in house info that is only intended for you, the selected members our group.
Jay

[Bob Cleek]

I can't wait to read the WB article! I have some old contemporaneous technical works on the Herreshoff boiler design. It really had a lot of potential, save that they say they clogged up and burned out rather quickly... too quickly to be cost effective. At the time, the fabrication was very time consuming and tedious. I wonder if the stainless model will cure those problems? I expect she will have a better condenser and filtering system that ought to keep the crud to a minimum, but you can't hardly run 'em on distilled water, either. LOL

When they disassemble that engine for servicing, it might behoove somebody to make up a set of casting patterns for future use. I expect McMullen has some, but I think he may have machined a lot his engine parts from raw stock, too.

There's a fellow in England who is building a Herreshoff steamer replica as well. Our correspondence is on my other computer. I'll try to send it off to you. He made patterns and built a Herreshoff "bottle standard" model, rather than the "post standard" model pictured here. It's a beautiful engine. I can't remember if its a single or a double. I'll check it out. He got his plans for the hull and engine from the Hart Collection at MIT.

[Jay Greer]

I can't wait to read the WB article! I have some old contemporaneous technical works on the Herreshoff boiler design. It really had a lot of potential, save that they say they clogged up and burned out rather quickly... too quickly to be cost effective. At the time, the fabrication was very time consuming and tedious. I wonder if the stainless model will cure those problems? I expect she will have a better condenser and filtering system that ought to keep the crud to a minimum, but you can't hardly run 'em on distilled water, either. LOL

When they disassemble that engine for servicing, it might behoove somebody to make up a set of casting patterns for future use. I expect McMullen has some, but I think he may have machined a lot his engine parts from raw stock, too.

There's a fellow in England who is building a Herreshoff steamer replica as well. Our correspondence is on my other computer. I'll try to send it off to you. He made patterns and built a Herreshoff "bottle standard" model, rather than the "post standard" model pictured here. It's a beautiful engine. I can't remember if its a single or a double. I'll check it out. He got his plans for the hull and engine from the Hart Collection at MIT.
Chris got his plans from MIT as well. The boiler looks like the rib cage of a camel laid on it's back. There are over 1,200 tubes. The reason the boiler does not scale up is due the the expansion and contraction of the tubes. Scale breaks free and never builds up.
The project will, most likely take another year or so to complete.
So, the article is still a long way off.
Jay

[Jay Greer]

Here is another shot of Chris McMullen's boat. He chose to build it as was the original; upside down and with a mold for every frame. The boat is double planked with kauri and skinned with dynal.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8cf32b3127ccec5cf9a4fc45900000040O00QYsmrNy5bsQ e3nwg/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/