Historic Boats for sale online

[matty40s]

1 hour ago, alan_fincher said:

Here is the URL for the actual ad for that ex Thomas Clayton wooden boat....

 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/746277510599431/

Ah, someone else that likes to exclude lots of potential customers...

[MikeW]

Typically as I'm new to this,  what questions should I be asking about a narrowboat when I view please?

[MtB]

What's this motor in it? I don't recognise it and the listing doesn't appear to say....

 

[Liam]

The current Sabb (pictured) replaced the Alisa Craig RF4.

[DShK]

9 hours ago, MikeW said:

Typically as I'm new to this,  what questions should I be asking about a narrowboat when I view please?

A historic boat is probably not for you (yet!) if that's a question you need to ask.

[Rob-M]

12 hours ago, matty40s said:

Ah, someone else that likes to exclude lots of potential customers...

More likely to attract a muppet that doesn't have a clue about maintaining a wooden boat.

[alan_fincher]

12 hours ago, matty40s said:

Ah, someone else that likes to exclude lots of potential customers...

Some parts of the description are so garbled that I'm genuinely not sure exactly what they are trying to say...

[Derek R.]

9 hours ago, MtB said:

What's this motor in it? I don't recognise it and the listing doesn't appear to say....

 

 

The fuel tank on the wall at the back is for the Chinese diesel heater. The thin copper pipe feeds by gravity the red & black object which is the heater itself. Many may know, but these heaters are powered by 12V, draw air acoss a finned heated combustion chamber (fan driven) and the warmed air is exuded from the opposite end to intake. There are no exhaust fumes in the heated air. BUT, the air going into the combustion chamber within the finned casing (and which is primarily ignited by a glow plug) exhausts beneath the heater and MUST be fed to the outside of the boat shed/whatever. I don't see any exhaust outlet, though there may be something there, it's unclear. The black trunking could be exhaust lagging. They are good little heaters, and in a small space work well, noisy though.

Edited September 17, 2023 by Derek R.

[Mad Harold]

1 hour ago, Rob-M said:

More likely to attract a muppet that doesn't have a clue about maintaining a wooden boat.

Perhaps that's what the vendor wants!

Apart from a few enthusiasts, most experienced boaters wouldn't be interested in a wooden boat.

[magnetman]

Its a Sabb 2G. I bought one of these yars ago and put it in one of my boats. Secondhand engine looked a bit rough but turned out to be like new. Possibly ex lifeboat so low hours. Dry exhaust so it went on the skin tank. One of the best engines I have had. Lovely thing. 

 

Looks boring but a seriously nice unit. 

 

 

[MtB]

44 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Its a Sabb 2G. I bought one of these yars ago and put it in one of my boats. Secondhand engine looked a bit rough but turned out to be like new. Possibly ex lifeboat so low hours. Dry exhaust so it went on the skin tank. One of the best engines I have had. Lovely thing. 

 

Looks boring but a seriously nice unit. 

 

 

Brill, thanks!

 

I wasn't meaning to be demeaning by asking, I genuinely didn't recognise it. I've never seen a Sabb in the flesh. Designed from the ground up as proper marine engines I gather, and occupying the space between vintage lumps and modern marinised industrial diesels. 

 

Or should that be from the sea bed up? 

 

 

[magnetman]

Sabb is the Norwegian word for 'Sturdy'. 

 

Nice pic of a one lunger here . These were fitted in the rather brilliant Barney boats. 

 

 

Very nice. I always quite fancied one of these as a generator with a big alternator belted off the flywheel. 

 

Water cooled so could be boxed in for quietness. 

 

 

 

 

 

The way the pushrods are actuated is very interesting because the cam is in line with the crankshaft but a planetary gear reduction setup has already reduced the speed. 

 

 

This also means that the overhead hand start is turning the engine at half speed. Some clever people designed this. 

[David Schweizer]

40 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Brill, thanks!

 

I wasn't meaning to be demeaning by asking, I genuinely didn't recognise it. I've never seen a Sabb in the flesh. Designed from the ground up as proper marine engines I gather, and occupying the space between vintage lumps and modern marinised industrial diesels. 

 

Or should that be from the sea bed up? 

 

 

 

Union Canal Carriers have Sabb engines fitted to their three Barney hire boats.

[alan_fincher]

The 2 pot Sabbs are rather nice little units and their approximately 18-22 HP will push a well shaped boat along very well indeed.  In the 1970s a boat named Japonica was particularly well known for it's turn of speed, and other boats struggled to keep up with it.

I'm not sure why you would want to box it in and silence it though - these are definitely engines that need to heard - suppressing their excellent bark would be a great shame!

[magnetman]

Barney boats are the best. 

 

If I was having a narrow again for doing lots of boating a Barney boat would be at the top of the list. 

 

Brilliant craft although a bit elderly now and made in 3/16 stuff so not all that thick. 

 

Great economical well laid out boats with a brilliant shape. 

Just now, alan_fincher said:

The 2 pot Sabbs are rather nice little units and their approximately 18-22 HP will push a well shaped boat along very well indeed.  In the 1970s a boat named Japonica was particularly well known for it's turn of speed, and other boats struggled to keep up with it.

I'm not sure why you would want to box it in and silence it though - these are definitely engines that need to heard - suppressing their excellent bark would be a great shame!

I meant as a generator not a main engine. 

 

My Sabb 2G had been in a 72ft Bantock and I put it on a 40ft tug. Very nice item rated 22hp at about 1800rpm(?) can't quite remember but it was not as slow running as my Russell Newbery. 

[MtB]

48 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Nice pic of a one lunger here . These were fitted in the rather brilliant Barney boats. 

 

 

Curiously one of the UCC Barney boats has just gone past. I thought it sounded like a single cylinder rather than a twin.

 

 

What's the pitch control lever for? Propeller pitch I guess. Cool if the Barney boats have this!

 

 

[David Mack]

5 minutes ago, MtB said:

What's the pitch control lever for? Propeller pitch I guess. Cool if the Barney boats have this!

I have seen Sabb's come up on ebay occasionally, complete with propshaft, sterngear and variable pitch prop.

 

In the diagram there appears to be a clutch but no reversing gear, so negative prop pitch is needed to go astern.

Edited September 17, 2023 by David Mack

[Richard Carter]

2 hours ago, MtB said:

 

 

Curiously one of the UCC Barney boats has just gone past. I thought it sounded like a single cylinder rather than a twin.

 

 

What's the pitch control lever for? Propeller pitch I guess. Cool if the Barney boats have this!

 

 

 

Yep, the UCC Barney Boats have the single cylinder Sabb - Malvern started life with a twin (the lightweight yacht engine, not a 2G), but it didn't work out, was changed after one or two seasons.

 

AFAIK all the Barney Boats had/have a 3-blade prop and reversing gearbox - the 2-blade prop with pitch control was for yachts, when out of gear the prop hides behind the stern post ...

[zenataomm]

16 hours ago, MikeW said:

Typically as I'm new to this,  what questions should I be asking about a narrowboat when I view please?

Firstly, is it a Historic Boat/ex-working, pre 1960s boat you want? As that is the subject you have posted in.

Or is it a run of the mill second hand boat you are looking for?

 

Either way, if you're spending thousands and don't know what you're looking at it's most important you choose the right surveyor for the boat, and listen to him/her.

[David Mack]

2 minutes ago, zenataomm said:

Either way, if you're spending thousands and don't know what you're looking at it's most important you choose the right surveyor for the boat, and listen to him/her.

And educating yourself about the options first might be an idea before you commit to the cost of a surveyor.

[magnetman]

My Sabb 2G had a cone clutch reversing gearbox on it for a fixed propeller. 

 

That picture I posted has the vpp which is a different animal. 

 

This is one with the FNR gearbox (as fitted to the smaller Barney boats). 

 

Chris Barney did do some bigger boats I have seen a 50 footer and I think it had a Sabb 2G in it. 

 

Single cylinder with the gearbox:

 

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by magnetman

[Derek R.]

A very different animal!

 

The variable pitch propeller system might not be well suited to canals with the degree of crud in the waters.

Here are two videos of a Norwegian fishing boat/small cargo (ex- I suspect) having its 40hp Wichman (RUBB) semi diesel hot bulb started.

 

 

 

The second shows the same boat being manoeuvred in the dock. The steerer barely touches the wheel, but uses the throttle and pitch control to move back and forth. You can tell the pitch control lever easily.

 

 

[magnetman]

One day all these things will be done by electric motors

 

 

[Derek R.]

Try running one of these on batteries :

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENHGo9vV6gg

 

[Francis Herne]

6 hours ago, Derek R. said:

Try running one of these on batteries :

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENHGo9vV6gg

 

It's happening:

https://vancouversun.com/business/local-business/first-electric-tugboat-arrives-bc-haisea-marine-seaspan

 

https://www.offshore-energy.biz/chinas-1st-all-electric-tugboat-enters-service/

 

Battery capacity about 150x IanD's new boat.

 

Meanwhile I'm moored just upstream of a more traditional one: