Renovation of S/S Robert, March 1998

Engine in its right position Finally the steamengine has been put in its right position!
There are seven bolts holding the engine. Under the bed, close to each bolt, we have put shims in order to prevent the bed from becoming untrue when we tighten the bolts. The hull itself is not linear at all and we had to put as much as 10 mm of shims in some places!! It is possible (if you stand in the boat) to see that the engine is mounted port of the centre of the hull. This position is decided by the direction of the stern tube which isn´t exactly linear with the rest of the hull. We have no intention to correct this within the next couple of years but we´ll see to it if there´s need for dismounting the propeller axis some day. Engine tightened to the bed
Columnn prepared for painting We have started to paint the engine. During this work we have discovered all the different colours the engine has been painted through the years. It´s even possible to see how the casting has been performed for some parts. We really get to know every squarecentimeter of our machine this way.
Now when the machine is in its right position it´s possible to start mounting the steam pipes from the boiler. We can also mount the outlet pipe from the condenser.
On the stern column you can see the bottom bearing-half for the air-pump lever.
Next step to perform will be to assemble the engine and to adjust the piston rod guides and make sure the piston rods run smoothly. After that the connecting rods can be fitted with their bearings.
By the way: do you know how to decide which way of rotation the engine of S/S Robert has been constructed for? If you are not familiar to steamengines it might be a little hard to find out but if you send us an email we will be glad to send you the right answer. Disassembled piston rod guide for the low-pressure cylinder.
Wood stored into Furnace We use the furnace for storing wood for the wood-stove while we wait for the day when we will be able to light the first fire in the boiler.
I just couldn´t help sharing this photo with you. Isn´t it a nice stem? It´s only the name of the tug that is missing. Oldfashioned stem
S/S ROBERT written in Bookman Old Style This font is called Bookman Old Style. We think it´s the proper style for a tug that´s over 130 years old. Don´t you?

	Finally the steamengine has been put in its right position!
There are seven bolts holding the engine. Under the bed, close to each bolt, we have put shims in order to prevent the bed from becoming untrue when we tighten the bolts. The hull itself is not linear at all and we had to put as much as 10 mm of shims in some places!! It is possible (if you stand in the boat) to see that the engine is mounted port of the centre of the hull. This position is decided by the direction of the stern tube which isn´t exactly linear with the rest of the hull. We have no intention to correct this within the next couple of years but we´ll see to it if there´s need for dismounting the propeller axis some day.
	We have started to paint the engine. During this work we have discovered all the different colours the engine has been painted through the years. It´s even possible to see how the casting has been performed for some parts. We really get to know every squarecentimeter of our machine this way. Now when the machine is in its right position it´s possible to start mounting the steam pipes from the boiler. We can also mount the outlet pipe from the condenser. On the stern column you can see the bottom bearing-half for the air-pump lever.
Next step to perform will be to assemble the engine and to adjust the piston rod guides and make sure the piston rods run smoothly. After that the connecting rods can be fitted with their bearings. By the way: do you know how to decide which way of rotation the engine of S/S Robert has been constructed for? If you are not familiar to steamengines it might be a little hard to find out but if you send us an email we will be glad to send you the right answer.
	We use the furnace for storing wood for the wood-stove while we wait for the day when we will be able to light the first fire in the boiler.
I just couldn´t help sharing this photo with you. Isn´t it a nice stem? It´s only the name of the tug that is missing.
	This font is called Bookman Old Style. We think it´s the proper style for a tug that´s over 130 years old. Don´t you?