Steam Boat Association of Great Britain
The Steam Boat Association of Great Britain (SBA) is a waterway society It was formed in 1971 to promote steamboats and represent steamboat owners' interests, and it has around 1100 members, a third of whom live outside the UK.
The Association holds rallies all over the UK and other events including national and regional meetings, technical seminars, displays at model engineering exhibitions, and engages with a range of related engineering topics It also publishes technical manuals.
The SBA recognises that steam boating is a fairly niche activity demanding a measure of engineering skills in those who build and maintain boats. Close attention is paid to safety issues and particularly the integrity of boilers and steam fittings. The trading arm of the SBA is the Steamboat Association Services Ltd (SBAS) which provides boiler testing services for members alongside seminars and other information services for those wishing to build their own boats.
It is estimated that of the 400 or so small steam launches (most of which are between 5–10 metres in length) around 90 or so will be steam in any given summer season in the UK and the SBA's quarterly journal, 'The Funnel' is an 80pp colour production designed to bring together and inform steam boaters around the world.