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Narrowboats are notoriously difficult to manouver
due to their length, poor hydrodynamic qualities,
and propulsion design - a fixed prop and a large
rudder mounted behind it.
A rotatable ducted prop would have considerable
advantages.
The proposal would be to remove the existing prop
and
shaft (closing off the stern gland) and the
rudder. This is replaced with a ducted prop with a
set of vanes, mounted directly below the rudder
pintle.
The prop is powered by a hydraulic motor; the
working fluid is plain water. The shaft bearings are
water-lubricated ceramic and some leakage is
anticipated. Flow and return connections run
through the downshaft which passes through the
aperture for the former rudder shaft. A
conventional tiller bar is fitted to the top of the
shaft.
Clean water is pressurised by an engine-driven
pump. It passes down the shaft to operate the
motor. Most of the water, now at much reduced
pressure, returns to the feed tank through a filter.
As the water is admitted and retrieved via banjo
couplings, the tiller can be rotated through 360
degrees while under full power. It is as efficient in
full reverse as full forward.
Water can be diverted to operate a reversible
hydraulic bow thruster if desired.
There are no lubricants to leak and contaminate
the canal water. The below-water componenents
are fabricated from stainless steel and phosphor
bronze, both corrosion-resistant.
The propulsion unit can be removed for
maintainance without drydocking the boat.
A tank of clean "prop water" is needed to ensure
the level in the hydraulic system is maintained.
[link]
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How does the hegemonizing work on a canal? |
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Excellent. Are the Borg carbon neutral, GM-free and
organic? |
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That's what we claim in the sales literature
(E&OE). |
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The reality is, of course, slightly different. |
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Two alternatives to consider are a jet boat (ducted
prop inside the hull, thrust-vectoring exit nozzle) or
an external ducted prop driven by an electric motor. |
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A third idea is to experience greater utility-function
fulfillment by defining an endless hierarchy of
techno-communist governments and repeatedly
assimilating oneself. |
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// a jet boat (ducted prop inside the hull, thrust-vectoring exit nozzle) // |
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Massive modifications to the hull needed. |
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// or an external ducted prop driven by an electric motor. // |
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Thermodynamically very inefficient, and the motor will be bulky, plus has to be watertight. |
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// experience greater utility-function fulfillment by defining an endless hierarchy of techno-communist governments and repeatedly assimilating oneself. // |
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Having driven a narrowboat (or possibly a canal boat or a
houseboat - I suspect the definitions are meaningless), it occurs
to me that it is never actually necessary to steer. Indeed,
steering is just showing off. |
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The boat is generally longer than the canal (or lock) is wide,
meaning that one can simply leave the engine running and relax in
the knowledge that the "boat" (and I use the term quite wrongly)
can only go in one net direction, and that any collisions with the
banks will only serve to usefully widen the canal, and will do no
serious damage to anything important. |
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This approach leaves plenty of time for serious drinking, and for
pondering such questions as "why has my life come to this?". |
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