Greetings from Pennsylvania!

[Avalon Skyboat]

Hey there fellow steampunkers, the name's Doug and I hail from Northwestern Pennsylvania in the US of A.

(sorry if I missed a dedicated board for introductions, I didn't see one after a cursory look so I figured I would post here).

I am new to the steampunk culture but so far I've found that it's filled with many other misfits, much like myself. I have many passions but probably most pertinent here is my interest in live steam. I operated a 27-foot steam launch until last year when I lost her in a barn fire. The hull is shot but I'm planning to remove the engine and restore it, then install it in either another boat hull or perhaps build a custom steam vehicle (like a horseless carriage) around it. The boiler will have to be restored and re-tubed, or I may just scrap it and buy another one.

Anyway, really looking forward to learning a lot here! ~ Doug S.

[von Corax]

Hello, Doug, and welcome!

We do actually have an "Introduce Yourself" thread under Metaphysical, but this is good too.

I envy you your steam launch, and hope you will share her restoration with us.

Regards,
Prof. Darwin Prætorius von Corax

[J. Wilhelm]

Welcome to the forum. My respects to anyone who's willing to repair and restart a destroyed boiler! My engineering brain keeps me from trying to salvage something like that (go for a new one).

[Avalon Skyboat]

Hello, Doug, and welcome!

We do actually have an "Introduce Yourself" thread under Metaphysical, but this is good too.

I envy you your steam launch, and hope you will share her restoration with us.

Regards,
Prof. Darwin Prætorius von Corax

Ah... found the introductions thread; thank you professor Darwin. 

And thanks also for the welcome! This place looks like a really cool forum to belong to.

I will be happy to share the steamboat project here. Last summer I was just really unlucky that a tree fell on a 19kV power line and brought the line down onto my dad's detached garage. Due to the metal roof and siding, the garage looked like a massive Tesla coil! Thank god no one was in there at the time the garage was charged. The fire department arrived quickly but weren't able to do much until Pennelec shut down the line. By then a fire had broken out and trashed the garage / most of what was in it, including the boat! We had insurance on the structure, but unfortunately not on the contents so that's kind of a bummer, but grateful just the same that no one was injured or lost. The stuff can be replaced. And frankly, the boat wasn't in the best of shape before the fire. But yeah, I post some photos here soon. ~ Doug

[James Harrison]

27' steam launch?  You'll fit right in here! (Heartbreaking to hear that it got ruined).

[Avalon Skyboat]

Welcome to the forum. My respects to anyone who's willing to repair and restart a destroyed boiler! My engineering brain keeps me from trying to salvage something like that (go for a new one).

Thanks for the welcome J.

I'm right there with you actually. I don't have the skills to rebuild a boiler myself anyway, but I've got one of those dangerous friends who thinks he can help me with it, haha. In all likelihood, I'll be on the lookout for a decent used boiler of proper size. The old water tube boiler in this boat used either hard woods or coal as fuel, and I'd really like a boiler that would fuel on LPG. Perhaps not quite as authentic, but certainly cleaner and more convenient.

[Avalon Skyboat]

27' steam launch?  You'll fit right in here! (Heartbreaking to hear that it got ruined).

Yeah, it's a pretty cool machine!

Although the fire was accidental, I feel really bad about the boat because I had bought it a few years back from an older gentleman who'd owned it for years and it was clearly his 'baby.' I spent a good few days with him going over all the finer points of running the thing, where she likes extra lube, etc. I promised that I'd take good care of her, and wasn't exactly able to make good on that promise. But we'll get her going again yet.