There are several direct-drive boats with no transmission, no reverse and no neutral ... still working the river and canals. Tug Urger and Tug Gowanus Bay are like that. Urger uses compressed air to start the engine... and sometimes they run low on air pressure and cannot start for a few minutes. They can actually run the engine on air pressure instead of fuel, as if she were a steamboat. And every now and then if they are low on pressure the captain calls for reverse and it doesn't come. That's when you you see the deck hands flailing wildly as they attempt to throw a line around something in an attempt to stop the boat before she hits something. I've seen it happen, the boat hit the concrete pier right at my feet and BOOM! Coupla hundred tons of steel sure does rock the concrete! A few years back I arranged to push against Tug Gowanus Bay at the Roundup ... during the Push-Off Contest. Capt Jessica accepted my radio challenge and she came dashing towards me at what I felt was too great a speed. I radioed "Slow down, if you hit me you're gonna get fiber glass splinters all over your decks and then you'll be sorry!". And Jessica radioed back "I like splinters, I'm gonna use YOURS to pick my teeth with!", and then I noticed she cleared all the people off her bow as she came at me! Luckily, when she arrived, she came to a complete stop and shut down. I started pushing and the crowd roared ... I pushed the 100 ton Gowanus in a circle. The folks on shore didn't know she wasn't running her engine. So much testosterone out there on the water. Fred Tug 44 ---------------------------------------- From: lrzeitlin@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 9:57 AM To: great-loop@lists.trawlering.com Subject: ... GL: Slow engines Great photos Fred. They don't make many engines like that anymore. Well, maybe just a few. The engine in my current sailboat is a Volvo MB10. It's a 14 hp engine with 2000 top rpm, direct drive and a simple reverse gear. I usually cruise at less than 1000 rpm. Going back just a few years, the RCA two cycle engines made in the UK were direct reversing just like the one on the Urger. The engine had no gearbox at all and was directly coupled to the propeller shaft. A Dynastart combination dynamo and starter (hence the name) was affixed to the front of the engine. It was a marvel of simplicity. To back the boat you simply stopped the engine, flipped a switch and the Dynastart started it in the reverse direction. After a couple of nail biting moments the boat would slow and start moving backwards. It made docking a real challenge. These days you only find slow turning, direct drive engines in the biggest ships where a suitable gearbox might cost more than the engine. Larry Z - - - There are a number of old slow running engines in active duty on the NY Canals. Tug Urger, the prettiest of them all, runs at around 300 rpm. Though her 20 ton engine produces only about 300 HP. http://www.tug44.org/canal.corp.boats/tug-urger/ Come to the tugboat Roundup in Waterford next September and you'll see several like that. Fred Tug 44 _______________________________________________ http://lists.trawlering.com/mailman/listinfo/great-loop_lists.trawlering.com To modify your Great-Loop subscription options (change email address, unsubscribe, etc.) go to: http://lists.trawlering.com/mailman/options/great-loop_lists.trawlering.com