Sunday, June 18, 2017

Small steamboat for sale





Originally built in 1953, at the Oxford Boatyard, Oxford, Maryland, Rainbow was a 26' US Navy Mark II Motor Whaleboat. In 1973, she was sold at Mare Island & converted to steam with a Semple 5 and Semple VFT boiler. In 1995, the VFT boiler was replaced with a horizontal Scotch boiler to great advantage.
      Over the years Rainbow cruised San Francisco, Sacramento River Delta, Columbia River, Puget Sound and north out of Port Hardy into Seymour and Smith inlets. 
      In about 2005, the old hull burned and was entirely rebuilt, all new from the keel up, by Peter Christensen of Shaw Island. Materials were Yellow Cedar on Black Locust frames with bronze fastenings. Rainbow was an entirely new boat except for the original bronze breasthooks and propeller shaft/rudder skeg. During this time, the power plant was replaced with a Burleigh 3+5x4 compound engine. She presently steams 5 miles at 6 knots on each 12" diameter bundle of firewood.
      The owner is no longer seaworthy and Rainbow needs a new owner to take her cruising again. The Mark II motor whaleboat was the Navy's all round utility boat, both the 'liberty' boat and launched in all weather to pick up a man overboard or downed pilots.
      The dual axle trailer is nearly new and comes with spare dinghy propellers, curtains, anchors, firewood, and watertanks, etc, all included for $20,000. 
Location: Orcas Island.
Submitted by John M. Campbell
360-376-2035

6 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. You can say that again. It's actually only the cost of a compact car. If you look at it that way, not too bad.

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  2. Sorta reminds me of The African Queen.

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