Slower! Slower!

[Mirelle]

Mirelle has a 15hp MD2 which gives her, flat out in a calm, 4.1 knots. We crept in over the Deben bar the other day at a GPS-registered speed of 0.0 knots, probably about 0.3 knots actually, apart from the times when we were going backwards.

When built she had a 7hp Kelvin E2. According to Frank Knights, Philip Allen, her first owner, felt that she was underpowered and asked Claud Whisstock to enquire about a four cylinder, 15hp, Kelvin. After a few days an answer came from Dobbies Loan, Glasgow, home of The Berguis Company, makers of Kelvins....

"We have examined the drawings of this boat, and 7hp is quite enough for her. If the owner wishes to travel faster we suggest he buys a motor bicycle."

Times have evidently changed.

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[claymore]

Now come on - Mirelle is not one for the GPS - you've been throwing baggywrinkles over the bow again and counting how long they take to reach the stern haven't you

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
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[Johnjo]

Deadly Kelvins

Many years ago had a boat with a Kevin 7hp in it,
Did you ever see such a huge engine for 7hp ? and what a flywheel.

The engine I had was a bit tempermental, sometimes it would run, sometimes not. mainly not!
Remember tinkering with it one day and not really knowing what was what, nearly shot myself!

Cannot remember what I did exactly, it was a long time ago !
but must have been messing about with the magneto timing and advanced it a bit to much.
Time came to start it, If I remember rightly you had to prime it by squirting some petrol into a
primer in the cylinder head.

Did all this and gave it a good swing on the handle, engine fired with a loud bang almost lifting itself off its bearers, where upon the sparkplug decided to part company with the cylinder head
at a very considerable velocity

I should explain that you had to lean over the engine to facilitate the starting of it,

All I can remember is seeing is a jet of flame followed by the smell of singed hair as the
sparkplug grazed my forehead before continueing on its way but not before taking some of my hair with it!
Never did find out where or when it landed if ever!........



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[Jeremy_W]

After what you did to the Yanmar 1GM in your tender last year, I'm surprised you're still allowed to have an engine at all!

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[Twister_Ken]

Call that an engine?

How about starting a single cylinder Bolinder diesel?

Heat the sticky-out bit on top of the cylinder for five minutes with a blow torch, then kick start it using a springloaded peg that comes out of the fly-wheel. The boat even had a couple of strategically placed grab-handles so that you could get more force into the kick. When it started it invariable let you know by shooting a perfect smoke-ring 20 feet out of the stack.

I beleive there was a deluxe version which you started by placing a blank 12-bore cartidge in the cylinder, and hitting it with a hammer. Never saw one of those, though.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[ianwright]

I've been aboard Mirelle and can confirm that her GPS is one of the early Feranti/Marconi valve sets. (a seperate coil for each waypoint) and that Andrew can change any of the many drive belts on his engine without stopping it.
IanW.

<hr width=100% size=1>Vertue 203, Patience

 

[claymore]

Love it. So you can still get those big glass valves then?

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
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[claymore]

Re: Call that an engine?

With my Bolinder making a steady old bump
And the smoke coming out of the stack
Its down to the potteries then on up North
Pick a load up and then take one back

Kind of really useless information that festers in the corners of the mind to be awakened from time to time. Its a folk song about a narrowboat.
Thought you all needed to know

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
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[ianwright]

Hand blown in Woodbridge by the son of the chap who used to make them for the original radar station. For real traditionalists he also makes a GMDSS/DSC/VHF to spark gap CW ( morse code) converter.

IanW.

<hr width=100% size=1>Vertue 203, Patience

 

[claymore]

Hand Blown eh? - my but you boys know how to live.

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
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[dickh]

Re: Call that an engine?

Many years ago, a friend had a Dutch steel barge with a huge single cylinder Bolinders that was started with compressed air, stored in two large gas cylinders. You had to crank the flywheel(about 3' Dia) to the correct position, heat the cylinder head with a blow torch for ten minutes then start the engine rotating with compressed air then open the fuel and Bang Bang Bang off she would go. Max revs were about 1000 RPM. She blew lovely smoke rings as she pottered up the Orwell, and on a still morning you could hear her from a couple of miles away. She also had a total loss oil lubricating system.
When she was sold, the new owner threw out the engine and fitted a 'modern' Perkins...

<hr width=100% size=1>dickh
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[dickh]

Mirelle, we followed you in and initially were very impressed by that nice old gaffer obviously sailing into the Deben against the ebb, until we slowly overtook you and spotted the turbulence under your counter...

Incidently it looked as though your prop wasn't doing much work at all - just churning up the water like a Seagull prop as against a modern outboard prop - just an observation mind you.

Esprit de Mer

<hr width=100% size=1>dickh
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[Mirelle]

Thanks for the observation. In the engine's defence, the bottom was particularly foul (since scrubbed!) and the prop was a mass of barnacles.

There is a long term plan to replace the engine and fit twin folding props, lower down, with hydraulic drive, following the examples of the "Bona" and the "Transcur", however, whenever this plan starts to look remotely financially plausible, some other bit needs sorting out and the money gets spent!

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