Small generators and water pumps are common some air compressors are out there. I was going to build a 'Prony Brake' one time which was going to be a little bit involved but it demonstrates the HP of the engine and would really load it up for short periods of time.

More nostalgic than anything else but would also be good for emergency emergency power. I.E. You can't get any fuel for your normal emergency Lister power. We had an ice storm once that was so bad you couldn't buy any fuel anywhere as there was no electricity anywhere to power the station pumps. Outages lasted a couple of weeks. Doesn't take but a few days to use up your reserves. If anything really bad happens there won't be any natural gas either to power those inefficient gas generators everyone is being conned into buying. Thanks to the tree huggers (whose tree's are now all burning down), the natural gas distributors are no longer allowed to burn natural gas to power the compressors that send the gas to you the customer. It's all electric now. Texas is a prime example of what can happen, seems the tree huggers got control of things there somehow before last winter. Next thing they'll have to use mule powered compressors with EPA emissions controls on the mules.

While extremely inefficient, steam could get you by until you could get other means back running. After all, you could burn just about anything to "raise steam". Our pioneers had been known to burn dried cow and buffalo chips, and even cook doing that. Not sure I would like my dinner meat smoked like that though.

While you COULD go out there and build a steam engine, imho you'd be better off just filling a couple of 200 litre drums brim-full with diesel and leaving them in the back of the shed

I'm inclined to add that trying to build a complex, high-maintenance bit of kit as s solution to a relatively simple problem is probably - and I do stress this is just a personal opinion - about as effective as blaming the greenies for everything from herpes to yellow snow around the Husky encampment

Six to eight horsepower would be good. Steam engines are a bit "cool" anyway. Steam still remains a good way of heating too, and in that use is just as efficient as some modern means. This gives a double use for the boiler.

That is a tricky one, running off the alternator. Voltage output won't run a tacho, or I don't think it can unless a cable runs to the back of the alternator. The "UP" side of the boat cruising further away from you is that you get off the hook! 

Anyway I'm sure you can work something out and you know my thoughts about replacing the gauges with new ones and best choice are mechanical gauges and not electrics in my books. Having said that I'm still very interested in the outcome of the project and hope it all works out well.

Mike,

Very nice job there. A very good furnace and cooking surface.
With winter approaching, you will be the one that the women of the tribe choose to breed with 

cheers

If it was me, after changing the fuel filter on the engine, (Crosland 489 or its equivalent), and after bleeding out the fuel system as others have suggested. If the engine still does not run satisfactorily, then I would be tempted to jury rig a temporary gravity feed fuel arrangement which would connect straight to this filter inlet, even if you had to refill the fuel tank every hour or so of running it would at least get you mobile.

and that will tell you if you have a problem with the fuel feed or if it is elsewhere too