Running Engines in Gear

[Boater Sam]

14 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

I though horses generally pulled, so no pushing power required!

 

More seriously, has anyone ever recorded an attempt to have a horse drawn boat pull against a propeller driven boat like the famous test of propeller vs paddle steamer (HMS Rattler vs HMS Alecto)?

 

There is a massive mechanical advantage gained by firm purchase on land compared to spinning a prop in water, but I don't know how massive, and I don't have a horse ...

I know the prop will win, the horse gets tired after an hour or so.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

Which is what I said ensures. If you are running your engine at the speed  that gives the highest charge you will be reducing the speed as the batteries charge and consequentially lower the charge rate. You will end up on idle but I would still keep the engine at around 1000 in most cases to minimise vibration. Even with zero alternator output you still have frictional and pumping loads working the engine but naturally they are not particularly high. Remember WWW published the HP required to propel a full length narrewboat through the canal system a number of years ago and it was only a very few HP so even cruising does not load the engine that much.

Also (may have already been said,)  I have found over the years that the water in the calorifier heats a great deal more quickly if the engine is kept slightly above idle when moored. 

Edited April 22, 2019 by Guest

[Peter X]

4 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

I though horses generally pulled, so no pushing power required!

 

More seriously, has anyone ever recorded an attempt to have a horse drawn boat pull against a propeller driven boat like the famous test of propeller vs paddle steamer (HMS Rattler vs HMS Alecto)?

 

There is a massive mechanical advantage gained by firm purchase on land compared to spinning a prop in water, but I don't know how massive, and I don't have a horse ...

Wasn't it the case that a horse would usually pull one narrow boat, but when diesel engines came into use that enabled the carrying companies to move twice the load by towing a butty behind the motor? This suggests to me that the right engine and prop is generally stronger than one horse. Some horse drawn fly boats seem to have moved at greater speeds than a typical Grand Union engine driven pair, but I suspect that was down to a combination of multiple horses and/or a more streamlined boat.

On Friday at Ellesmere Port I had a look over Saturn, an old Shropshire Union fly boat, and it certainly had more of a swim at each end than the NBT's butty Brighton.

I'm no expert on the history, and no doubt someone will be along to clarify this!

[pete harrison]

1 hour ago, Peter X said:

Wasn't it the case that a horse would usually pull one narrow boat, but when diesel engines came into use that enabled the carrying companies to move twice the load by towing a butty behind the motor? This suggests to me that the right engine and prop is generally stronger than one horse. Some horse drawn fly boats seem to have moved at greater speeds than a typical Grand Union engine driven pair, but I suspect that was down to a combination of multiple horses and/or a more streamlined boat.

On Friday at Ellesmere Port I had a look over Saturn, an old Shropshire Union fly boat, and it certainly had more of a swim at each end than the NBT's butty Brighton.

I'm no expert on the history, and no doubt someone will be along to clarify this!

How many narrow boats a horse would tow was a regional thing, usually based on whether the locks were wide or narrow, but horse boat pairs certainly were a common sight throughout the system 

 

edit - are you confusing 'fly' with 'packet' boats as it is the latter that were known for their speed. All 'fly' means is to run none stop and most boats could run as such - including boats like SATURN.

Edited April 22, 2019 by pete harrison

[captain birdseye]

Earlier horse boats tended to be sleeker as Maximum carrying capacity wasn't such a concern in the early days. Horse boats definitely accelerate faster than motors, as when the horse leans onto the pull the rope tensions providing instant acceleration and then the horse walks on.