On 05 Oct 2015 02:36:11 -0300, Mike Spencer
wrote:


Ed Huntress writes:

OOohh...you have an Acadia? You mean one of the old make-and-break
engines? That must be fun.

Yeah, it is! It's a 10 HP. They were made in Bridgewater, about 13
miles from me and I was in the plant in the early 70s when they were
still making them. They had a contract from the government to make
them for government wharves -- wharves built in many small fishing
villages, owned and maintained by the feds for the local fishing
fleets. Those 10HP Acadias came equipped with a sprocket and a
chain-driven winch to haul boats out on a skidway. That ended in the
70s and many of the engines were vandalized or stolen.

Mine is the same size but isn't one of those. It's equipped with a
flat-belt pulley. Shortly before the plant was closed, the manager
gave me a photocopy of the "manual" for my engine. I've put it on
line:

http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/acadia/index.html

I'll bet that's good for some conversation.

Back in the '70s, when there was a newsletter called "Classic Boat
Monthly" (which evolved into _Wooden Boat_ magazine), I read an
account of Acadias being used in lobster boats and inshore fishing
boats in the Canadian Maritimes. I thought that they must have a lot
of patience. g

Apparently you could reverse the engine by turning off the ignition,
waiting until the engine almost stopped, and then flipping it on again
at just the right moment. Otherwise, you had to wait for it to stop
and then kick the flywheel in reverse with your foot.

Do you run the stationary version like that?

--
Ed Huntress