2009 Week 8 in Review
February 15 to February 21, 2009
After dropping off the Catalyst On the way back from Friday Harbor, I took a sea plane back to Seattle. We stopped in Westsound to pick up more passengers, and I got to see the El Capitan:
Then, with finished up, OTM Inc took the opportunity to clean out the shop this week. We also caught up on some office business, and did a lot of work on Skillful:
Parts from the Ked
On my way to the Skillful after leaving my truck in the yard, I walked by Stabberts, which just broke up the Ked. I saw what's left of it: just a pile of Fairbanks engine parts, removed in a hurry with a gas axe (cutting torch). They blasted away the bolt heads and even cut the rods in half to get the engine out, but there're still some big pieces left:
The yard guys said that they thought it was just going to the recycle, but I knew from talking with my friend Nobby that they were headed for Brooklyn as as parts for the old oil tanker Mary Whelan. These folks have apparently been trying to get the Ked parts for a while. They have a blog entry from September (here that details how they found out about the Ked, and another one that leading up to getting the parts (here). It sounds like the Mary Whelan folks have been discovering for themselves what OTM Inc has been preaching - that old engines in old boats are a great way to hold interesting museum programming. I hope to get out to see the boat and the programs soon - and call me if you want help setting up a diesel engine restoration workshop.
Tugboat for sale
I heard about an old tug for sale up in Anacortes, Washington. It's an 86-foot ex-army tug powered by a 650 horsepower Sulser main. The tug was "ST-893" during its working days, and you can purchase it for $190,000. There's a listing here.
Patrol boat for sale
I took a visit to the Oceanid, a steam patrol boat that the Northwest Schooner Society is trying to sell. It's a rad steamboat for sale with its reciprocating steam engine still intact:
It's really awesome, but it needs a lot of work. If you're interested, contact me, and I'll pass it along.
OTM Inc joins Biznik
I signed up at Biznik this week. Take a look at my profile and add me to your network.
