Construction of the Vernon C. Ledbetter
Time Passes
Time to start on the 'power module'. This assembly will be placed forward on the deck and centered side to side. It is to run longitudinally. Hydraulic lines and steering cables will run from this module to the 'drive module'.
NOTE: Placement of this module is intended to 'counter balance' the weight of the 'drive module'. Therefore, to establish the final location, I will place 'electronic scales' under the ends of each pontoon. These scales are used by race car builders to determine both total weight and set the suspension for different tracks and track conditions. They consist of four, 'strain gage', platforms wired into a central computer. A readout is given for each platform plus a total weight. I'll use these to locate the 'power module' so the final 'light boat' vessel.........no passengers but including fuel and oil...... will be 'in trim'.
This 'power module' will incorporate a motor,........24 horsepower, Honda....a hydraulic pump, hydraulic oil tank, fuel tank, battery, helm and assorted other items. It starts out as a 'simple frame'.
It's shown here with sides removed; the motor, pump, hydraulic tank and fuel tank are installed. Below is a view looking forward.
NOTE: Perhaps a bit more should be said about the hydraulic system. After several, very productive, conversations with Tom Faris, of the Sternwheel boat, Faris Wheel, I selected a pump which would produce about 12 gpm at 2000 rpm and 17 gpm at 3500 rpm with a max psi of 2500. Since I want to run the engine, normally, at 2000 to 2500 rpm, this pump seems to match up if 'losses' aren't too great. Again, I'll have to wait and see. To keep the oil cool, it was recommended I have as much 'storage' as the pumps flow capacity. Therefore, I installed a 20 gallon tank and intend to start out with 15 gallons. But, since Murphy has jumped up and bit me many times, I'm also installing an oil cooler in the return line. It's shown below; laying on top of the power module.
This will be mounted behind the paddlewheel and cooled with 'wheel splash'. It'll be connected to the power module via pipe and hydraulic hose.
Below are two views of the Honda motor and the hydraulic pump.
Notice the 'Y' pipe for the exhaust. This had to be custom built.............that was a chore. Here's a view of the finished product.
I will attach the final exhaust pipe to this header below the deck, turn aft, install a muffler and terminate behind the paddlewheel............I don't like a noisy boat. While on the subject, perhaps, I should remind you that my original 'dream' had three basic goals; quiet....... cheap to operate....... and....... UNIQUE.
Below is a front view of the module closed up but without the instrument console which mounts aft and on top. You may notice a 12 volt plug to the right of the grill; this is for a hand held spot light in case I get lost at night......of course, it won't help much if I get lost in the daytime. There's also a locking hasp on the rear of the lid; combined with a battery dis-connect inside, this will make the boat pretty hard to steal...........at least under it's own power.
The most important control is for the hydraulic oil flow and direction. This valve is shown below.
NOTE: Besides controlling flow and direction, this valve has an adjustable relief valve which I'll set at 1250 psi (maximum motor pressure).
Of course, one has to control the engine rpm too. The complete layout is shown below.
The upper lever is the throttle and the lower is the hydraulic control valve. Just forward of the throttle is the choke. You can also see the beginning of the instrument console. This is the stainless steel housing on top..........the rest comes later.
We have to steer this 'puppy'..........the start of that endeavor is shown below.
I decided to keep things simple and use direct cable steering from the helm to the rudders. Cable will be wrapped around the drum on the lower shaft, pass down through an opening in the deck, around two pulleys and back to the forward rudder (i.e. main and flanking rudder).
Two views of the pulleys for making the turn under the deck are shown below. They will bolt to the power module frame. However, I have to leave them off, for now, because they project below the frame thus the frame will not sit flat on the deck until finally located and an opening is cut in the deck. Once cut, this opening will allow the pulleys to be installed and steering cable and hydraulic lines run to the drive module.
After the steering cables pass around the above pulleys, they run aft and attach to the forward rudder.
Below is another shot of this rudder; you can see the arms each side of the quadrant where the cable will attach. This arm is below the quadrant.
In the following picture, the upper shaft is for the pilot wheel. The chain and sprockets produce a 2:1 ratio. Since the 'cable drum' only turns 2 turns lock to lock (40 degrees each side of center on the rudders), my figures showed that this makes the pilot wheel harder to turn than I like. The 2:1 ratio makes 4 turns lock to lock on the pilot wheel............that's where I like it.
I still have to finish the machine work on the steering shaft before I can install the pilot wheel.
I finished the instrument console, had the shaft machined and installed the pilot wheel.
The console has liquid filled pressure gages for both pump and motor, a tachometer, volt meter, hyd. oil temperature and switches for ignition, nav. lights, power module interior lights, dash lights and a dome or ceiling light.
There's one more very important item............a RUDDER INDICATOR!
This one's very similar to those use on early steamboats.......just a couple modifications. A string wraps around the steering shaft, passes over pulleys (a change) and connects to a turnbuckle via springs (another change). I've installed a 'pointer' which passes up through a slot in a plate (another change). Look closely and you'll see a 'red tip' which moves side to side as the pilot wheel is turned thus indicating how much to port or starboard the rudders are turned.
The power module is finished; ready for installation and hook-up of hydraulic lines and steering cables.
You can see a 'protection bar' around the hydraulic control valve; this, hopefully, will prevent 'passers by' from sending me to flank speed or full reverse while on their way to a cooler.
At this point, the power module weights 600 pounds ( including fuel and hydraulic oil) plus 1754 pounds from page one = 2354 pounds; very close to my lower limit (2360 pounds). And, I still have other items to install. It's going to be very close for me to achieve an 11 inch draft with 6 passengers...............maybe without the coolers : >(........nah.
Well, that's where I am to date which, by the way, is January 3, 2007. The outside work will have to wait until Spring; this will include painting, building the top, installing bull rails and carpet plus installing the power module and hooking everything up.
Remember, I can be reached at: gemort@wirefire.com
