Dedicated to steam yacht

Ditto, G.

 

Really outstanding beauties, no doubt.



Unfortunately one needs to be really rich, to keep them alive. I have owned 12 of them, so I can sing the painful part of the drama quite fluent...............

 

"I have owned 12 of them"...you learn slowly Apex......

....sad but true, some old girls really do get to you eh.....they always are a labour of love...you must be very proud really to have had such a part in keeping them alive.

 

I learned nothing, that is the matter!

Once you fell in love with steamboats you are lost.

But I was not alone, we were a association of public benefit (which I founded) and restored these ships spread over two decades. Three of them did not survive though. It was just not affordable in these days. Today the situation is better, the public are aware of the tremendous effort required to preserve our heritage, and they are willing to share the burden.
In the 70ies people have seen these craft as old scrap.

 

Hopefully, some blueprints remain of the lost ones?

 

In the 80's I demolished a Karmann Ghia from the 60's by racing her on my fathers land. After that I took her to demolition race. Just having fun at the time. Regret came years later and last till today.



My only excuse is that if I hadn't done it she was scrapped anyway as there was nobody there to preserve her at the time. Buying was easy, preserving was the problem. The same goes for most steamships when their time of retirement was there.

Please pardon this non steam yacht aside, it's here to share my grief about the Karmann Ghia and because there are similarities in the way these things go...

- - Cheers,
Angel

 

Cangarda

Just to make sure that a car isn't the last picture here....

Steam Yacht Cangarda








At that time Elizabeth Meyer showed up and........














Here the story.

And here the pictures....

In her heyday - Before reconstruction - Framing - Plating - Painting - Joinery - Engine room - Crew


Wikipedia: Cangarda

Fulford's Steam Yacht Afloat Again​

Cheers,
Angel

 

Angel,

Understand the car/boat situation, basically the same, as well as aircraft and all other things of the past that were worth saving.

Unfortunately, some people think that just because it is old that it is good, that is not the case. The fanatical wooden boaters here have this problem, even wishing to save old plywood boats that were crap when made and of course, still are crap today. (I made plywood boats too, not suggesting that plywood is crap, just the building methods accepted by some, same story for ferro)......

There is a problem with steam restoration of course in the complexity of the drive train...strong and simple in construction, complicated in the maintenance thereof...

 

the biggest disadvantage of steam is it's labor intensive

and boiler water

 

I literally cringed when I saw that picture!

Kind of like restoring old Fiats, hmm?

 

...one man's meat is another man's poison.....

 

I always enjoy your posts.

 

this seems to me more a reproduction than a restoration

 

I've seen "restorations" where a 12" section of keel batten was retained, but everything else was new. I don't consider this a restoration though judges at boat shows do, which sucks, as do prospective new owners. Replacing the hull plating isn't an unusual thing Wardd. It's the same as replacing the hull planking on a wooden boat. I suspect there was a fair amount of joinery and hardware that got transferred, which greatly helps the yacht's "patina". Her plating and framing was shot, so replacement was necessary. I did a power cruiser a couple of summers ago where 38 of her 42 frames were replaced and 80% of her planking as well. There wasn't much left of the original hull, but it was a restoration.

 

if you say so