by David D. Beach
If you don't give a hang for speed and have a yen for things nostalgic, this trim little puffer can be the light of your life--and the envy of all who see her.
Some years ago I had an opportunity to see a small restored steam launch, and the memory of all the atmosphere of that boat has persisted since that time. I can still visualize the carefully polished brass trim on the boat, boiler and engine, and hear the gentle whosh-whosh as the engine turned over. The exciting smells of steam and warm oil and the crackle of kindling are as strong in my memory as if it happened this afternoon. When I became aware of the fact that there existed in 1961 a firm whose present reputation was established with a line of small coal or wood fired boilers, and who also made the engines which had so impressed me, it seemed natural that a launch of that type would be appropriate. The original sketches varied only slightly from the working drawings shown in this article, and all the flavor of the old-style craft has been carefully duplicated. The features which have been included in the design of "Nostalgia" have been deliberately provided to furnish an air of the antique, but have been thought out so as to be practical and contemporary. Imagine the eagerness of the younger members of the boating party when they’re asked if they’d like to come along and get steam up! Nothing so unglamorous as merely turning on the blower switch and then the starter switch. First the kindling must be properly laid on the boiler grate. When it is ignited and a good crackling fire is burning, then the coal can be shoveled in. Finally, but in a matter of minutes, the steam pressure has risen to the operating range. A pull of the whistle cord and everybody within earshot knows that the “steam is up!” When your other guests come aboard and are comfortable, the lunch has been stowed and everything made shipshape and Bristol-fashion, the boat can be cast off! Really, there is nothing as exhilarating as getting underway in a steam-powered craft. The proper valves are opened with the hiss of steam into the lines, and the reverse gear is thrown into the “ahead position.” The throttle is then cracked, and almost imperceptibly the engine cranks begin to move, and you’re underway! This is silent, without fuss and confusion. The gentle slap of the water under the bow, the soft sound of escaping steam and the
subdued crackle of the fire in the firebox all add up to a boating sensation that is literally not to be equalled.
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