John Jewsbury highlighted that a BBC documentary on Clyde Puffers is currently available on BBC iPlayer. 

Here's a link: Clyde Puffers Documentary

SBA WINTER WEEK END 2019

Proposed Date: Fri-Sun 25/26/27th, October 2019

If you would be interested in attending a Winter Social and Seminar to be held for a second year at The Mecure Dunkenhalgh Hotel and Spa near Blackburn could you please let Dot Bullough know before 15th March 2019.

Contact: r.bullough375@btinternet.com (preferable)  or on 0161 723 3366

If there is sufficient interest by that date Dot will go ahead with the organisation.

Venue: Mercure Dunkenhalgh Hotel and Spa

Blackburn Road

Clayton-le-Moors

Blackburn

BB5 5JP

I was recently contacted by an Indian company (Tinytech) offering steam plants which might suit members, and we are passing this information on for your interest.

Mark Rudall offered the following wise words on experience with this company:

Tiny Tech, India, have advertised their steam engines and Yarrow type boilers for many years and they are built for the developing world to provide simple power sources often on indigenous fuels. We have been sent their current price list, which is here for your interest. It is important to note the caveat that imported boilers, however robustly built, would not necessarily meet European demands for provenance of materials, certification of welds etc.. Moreover, the engines, given their target market, are somewhat crude, but do operate.

TinyTech wrote as follows:

Dear Steam Friends,

I have conviction in my heart that steam power is going to come back sooner or later.

So with great difficulties I developed steam engines from 2.5 hp to 70 hp and also water tube boilers of various sizes.

If any of your members is seriously interested in steam engine, he can contact me.

I will be pleased to give my full co operation.

I am giving below the price list of my steam engine

STEAM ENGINES FOR YOUR OWN POWER

SINGLE CYLINDER STEAM ENGINES

(1) Single cylinder double acting steam engine 6 hp, cylinder dia 90.2mm x stroke 80mm, US$ 1200/-

(2) Single cylinder double acting steam engine 10 hp, cylinder dia 101.6mm x stroke 116mm, US$ 1500/-

(3) Single cylinder double acting steam engine 20 hp, cylinder dia 127mm x stroke 146mm, US$2100 /-

(4) Single cylinder double acting steam engine 25 hp, cylinder dia 139.7mm x stroke 146mm, US$ 2400/-

(5) Single cylinder double acting steam engine 30 hp, cylinder dia 152.4mm x stroke 146mm, US$ 2700/-

(6) Single cylinder double acting steam engine 50 hp, cylinder dia 190mm x stroke 146mm, 4200US$ /-

(7) Single cylinder double acting steam engine 70 hp, cylinder dia 190mm x stroke 200mm, US$ 6000/-

DOUBLE CYLINDER TWIN V TYPE STEAM ENGINES

(1) Double cylinder double acting steam engine 5 hp, cylinder dia 63mm x stroke 80mm, US$ 1800/-

(2) Double cylinder double acting steam engine 8 hp, cylinder dia 76.2mm x stroke 80mm , US$ 2200/-

(3) Double cylinder double acting steam engine 12 hp, cylinder dia 90.2mm x stroke 80mm, US$ 2400/-

(5) Double cylinder double acting steam engine 20 hp, cylinder dia 101.6mm x stroke 116mm, US$ 2600/-

(6) Double cylinder double acting steam engine 28 hp, cylinder dia 114.3mm x stroke 116mm, US$ 3000/-

(7) Double cylinder double acting steam engine 36 hp, cylinder dia 140mm x stroke 107 mm, US$ 3200/-

(8) Double cylinder double acting steam engine 40 hp, cylinder dia 140mm x stroke 116mm, US$ 4000/-

(9) Double cylinder double acting steam engine 100 hp, cylinder dia 190mm x stroke 146mm, US$7000/-.

COMPOUND STEAM ENGINES V TYPE (HP CYLINDER X LP CYLINDER X STROKE)

(1) Double cylinder double acting compound steam engine 6 hp, cylinders dia 63 x 90 x stroke 80mm,US$2000

(2) Double cylinder double acting compound steam engine 9 hp, cylinder dia 90 x 114 x stroke 80mm,US$ 2200

(3) Double cylinder double acting compound steam engine 15 hp cyl dia 90mmx127mmxstroke116mm, US$2800

(4) Double cylinder double acting compound steam engine 22 hp, cyl dia 101.6x139.7xstroke116mm, US$ 3600

(5) Double cylinder double acting compound steam engine 32 hp, cyl dia 114.3x165.1xstroke 146mm, US$ 6200

(6) Double cylinder double acting compound steam engine 40 hp, cyl dia 127x 177.8 xstroke 146mm, US$ 7400

(7) Double cylinder double acting compound steam engine 50 hp, cyl dia 139.7x 190 xstroke 146mm, US$ 8000

VELJIBHAI DESAI

(76 years engineer promoting people's own power)

AADHUNIK GLOBAL ENERGY

TINYTECH PLANTS

Tagore Road, RAJKOT - 360002, INDIA

91 92 27 60 65 70 ( MOBILE)

energy@tinytechindia.com

www.tinytechindia.com

The effort to make previous issues of Funnel available to the membership via the Website continues.

You will now find a new page (here) with issues from Number 100 onwards available. Not all the issues are there yet - but progress is being made.... :-)

These pages are only accessible to SBA members - so now is the ideal time to join - here

Our Honorable Editor makes the following apology for an error in his email address as shown in the latest version of Funnel

"Getting material to ‘Funnel’

The Editor ought to be shot! It has been noticed that he’s lurking behind an incorrect email address where a ‘stop’ crept in where it didn’t oughta.

If you have an article for him, please send it to: ‘funnel@steamboatassociation.org.uk’ and you’ll make him a happy man. Thanks!"

Please be aware that we are currently refurbishing the SBA shop. It will be closed for a little while, while we replace the technology which supports it, but we hope to have it back on-line in time for you to obtain those vital Christmas gifts.

Thank You.

At the 2019 AGM there will be 3 vacancies on the SBA Committee.

If any member considers they can make a contribution to the running of the SBA please contact me in confidence. I will send you a nomination form and help you with it in any way I can.

email to secretary@steamboat.org.uk

John Griffiths, Hon Sec

I am writing to inform you that  William Findlay known as "Bill" sadly passed away having been taken ill very suddenly . He was admitted to hospital on 18th October and died on 1st November 2018. It has been a great shock. Bill was 86.

The family is holding a celebration of his life at 1.45pm on Monday 19th November at The Oaks Crematorium, Barton Road, PO11 9SL, followed by a reception at Hayling Island Sailing Club, Sandy Point, PO11 9SL at 3pm.

Anyone who would like to attend would be very welcome. It is family flowers only, but donations can be make to The Seafarers Charity which Bill was involved with - Cheques made payable to The Guild of Benevolence of the IMarES or can be made on line at https://www.imarest.org/about-imarest/the-guild-of-benevolence

Bill used to own two Steam boats but sold them following the death of his wife and a move from fleet to the address below.

My name is Penny Austin and I was Bill Findlay's partner for the last 9 years.  We used to be invited to meet up for a lunch with a group of Steamboat Association members, who were local to the area, every summer at the home of  a lovely couple who live on the Hamble Estuary but I cannot remember their names and I would like to be able to contact them to let them know that Bill has recently died so that they can forward the information on to any one else that they think would want to know. Bill Findlay lived at 15, Fountain Square, West Town , Hayling Island, PO11 0FB.

I live in High Wycombe Buckinghamshire and can be contacted on *** I have removed Penny's phone numbers from here. If you need to contact her , then please contact me Mike Cole membership sec, details in funnel and I can post her phone numbers on.

I would appreciate it if you could let me know if you are able to help me with my investigation and if you are able to let people know about the service in time. We also used to go to the Annual Steamboat Meets on water near Reading.

Kindest Regards

Penny Austin

As per our "rules" we are about to embark on our semi-regular clean out of advertisements more than 6 months old in the Small-Ads bit of the site. 

Please check if your ad is dated before April 2018, and if you still want it on the site please email adverts@steamboatassociation.co.uk  to let us know.

Thank you. (the SBA web-dwarves) 

Earlier this year during hydraulic testing of the boiler of Steam Tug Kerne it was found that the sixty heavy gauge stay tubes were defective.

As a result of the recent award of The Queens Award for Voluntary Service, The Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund have just granted us £3,000 towards the repair work to get Kerne back into steam.

We now have further good news....

Brilliant news. We are delighted to announce that The Steam Tug Kerne Preservation Society has been granted an award of £9,300 by The Heritage Lottery Fund under the “First World War then and now”, scheme. 

As H.M.Tug Terrier she served the Royal Navy from 1913 until being sold into civilian service at Liverpool in 1948.

With this grant the boiler stay tube will be replaced to enable Kerne to steam to events as the last operational ex Royal Navy steamship from the First World War. The work will be led by our skilled volunteers who will train young people in rare heritage boiler repair skills.

The award will go towards researching and sharing the First World War heritage of Kerne, tell the story of her role in the naval dockyards, commemorate those who served in H.M.Tugs during the First World War and enable visitors to come aboard Kerne at events and see what life was like aboard an operational ex Royal Navy coal fired steamship.

Tube removal is now underway with steaming planned for next spring.