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Where is the throttle? (Large Woolwich as new)


Laurence Hogg

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10 hours ago, Steve Priest said:

I think that the answer to the position of Belfast’s exhaust position is that on a National the exhaust ports are on the bottom side of the cylinder head, and the manifold is vaguely V shaped, ending with a horizontal flange to stbd of the centre of the heads. The exhaust pipe is threaded into a similar flange bolted to the manifold flange with two bolts. The pipe was then offset to the expansion box which was fitted to exit on the centreline just in front of the pigeon box. It would seem, from the number of boats altered, that some did not like the central exhaust, and all that needed to be done to alter it is to turn the exhaust pipe where it is threaded into the flange, put a new hole in the roof, and fit a collar. The exhaust could be altered to anywhere on the radius of the offset, rotating it approx 30 degrees to stbd would get it to the position shown on Belfast.

 

Regarding the water outlet the position shown on Belfast is exactly correct, the bilge outlet for a National is on the same side, just in front of the rear engine room bulkhead. RNs had outlets on opposite sides just in front of the engine room doors, cooling to stbd, bilge pump to port - I think

 

The paintwork on Belfast seems to show the wartime livery with a white border all round, I have seen this before on photographs, but not as common as the usual top line only.

 

Aquila has a lever throttle, initially I would have preferred a speedwheel but as Aquila has never had one I kept it, taking the view that if the boat still has original bits after 80 plus years it deserves to keep them. Now I have got used to it I find that I prefer it anyway.

Have you got a picture of the lever throttle, i've never seen one in detail. Do you know if they were fitted to all, or were some fitted with speedwheels from new?

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I have taken a picture but don’t seem to be able to get it on, but I will be at Braunston for he do, if you want to have a look you are welcome. They were, as far as I know, fitted to all GU boats with Nationals and RN’ s .They were a fairly generic throttle, fitted to a lot of things (Ron Wilson once told me he worked a RB dragline with one fitted), and I would presume they were supplied with the engines. They would take a Bowden sheathed cable, but I doubt that the boats had anything other than a simple bare wire cable, there is a passage in “ Idle Women” describing having a problem with the throttle cable and mending it with a safety pin. The first speed-wheel fitted to a GU boat, so legend has it, was a modified winder for opening and closing high level windows in factories, found in the scrap. It worked well, and they started to make and fit them to many of the boats. The lever, I find, is easier to use, but works on friction, so I carry a spanner in the ticket draw to nip it up if it gets slack and won’t hold 

  • Greenie 1
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If it is any help this is Sculptor's throttle lever - it is on the right of the cabin with a standard push/pull gear lever on the left.  I understand, but of course am happy to be corrected, that this type of throttle arrangement was 'Northern' - Sculptor was on the Shroppie from 1947 to 1985 as a maintenance boat.  Like Steve P I think it works admirably well - we did have issues with the cable slipping but resolved that with a steel cable clamp. Like a lot of boats Sculptor had her RN removed in about 1960 which was replaced with an HA2 (which is still fitted and running well). It's in much better order now than it was when the photo was taken.

 

 

DSC_0011.JPG

Edited by Leo No2
  • Greenie 1
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  • 1 month later...

Several boats I looked on were reduced to the inner wire only throttle cable Some steerers swore the throttle would not open fully so used to jamb the "baca" tin either side or end on between the cable & cabin roof or whatever to take up their perceived slackNever really got a straight answer as to if it opened the throttle the last bit but the bluster reckoned it did "Sagitta" still had that type of throttle control in 1968

Edited by X Alan W
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