Metric units


S.L. James Watt

Status: Active use

Owner: Rod and Shirl Martin

Area: Australia


Hull

Dinghy. Construction: Clinker.
Hull model: Trad designed by Pompei at As for builder
Built 1955 by Pompei at Mordialloc, Victoria, Australia
Fit out 1996 by owner at Emerald, Victoria, Australia
LOA: 14' 0", Beam: 6' 0", Draft: 0' 1",
Ex Port Phillip Bay hire boat, fitted with a putt-putt engine, superseded by a small Honda engine by the time aquired by current owners. Originally an open boat, fore and aft decks along with narrow side deck and coaming were fitted by local boatbuilder Bob Rye.

Boiler

VFT Designed by Owner,
Built 1996 by THE ENGINEERIUM at Emerald, Victoria, Australia.
Fuel: solid fuel, Pressure: 100 psi, Grate area: 0.6 sqft, Heating area: 17 sqft,
12" dia X 21" high Steel barrel. 127 Copper tubes. Welded with rolled in fire tubes construction,
non-condensing, engine driven pump, hand pump, steam feed pump, whistle,

Engine

Double-acting single. X 2 "
Built 1996 by THE ENGINEERIUM at Emerald, Victoria, Australia.
Design: 5A (modified) by: Owner
Slide valve. Slip eccentric valve gear.
Power: 0.9 HP


Propeller

Bronze, 3 blades, Right Hand, 11" X 15"

Added to the register: 2021.03.22. Last Modified: 2024.05.28.


One of the first steaming days at Mornington, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia.

Photos


The start of the project





The result of the slide valve nuts working loose, fixed within 15 minutes and back steaming again after a brief deluge of rain.


Up the Darling River, New South Wales, with the family. And yes that "pea soup" was our boiler feed.


Many years later the Darling River again at Wentworth, NSW.


Receiving some much needed TLC after many years of being trailered around Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.


Modified Stuart Turner 5A with "marineised" bedplate and trunk guide, longer connecting rod, larger H&G gudgeon pin, increased length main bearings etc.


Engine, eccentric driven pump and handpump all mounted on 5/16" plate for unit installation to bearers. Thrust bearing of the 3 element ball type fitted between flywheel and rear main bearing flange. Engine is the inboard prop shaft bearing.


Weir style boiler feed pump. Originally designed by LBSC as a look alike Westinghouse air compressor, Keith Watson of Western Australia enlarged and "Weir styled" it