captain birdseye

I have a DM2 in my boat it's over thirty years old and runs perfectly and starts first turn in all weathers. The newer ones, as in post 1960s have a standard screw on oil filter and a modern air filter and fuel filter fitted so are easy to service. Power wise you won't have any problem, as has been said they produce lots of torque and with a decent prop on will handle the boat well. We have a calorifier on ours and it produces a full tank of hot water in about 45 minutes so if it doesn't already have one it can easily be fitted, ours sits in a cupboard in the corner of the engine room giving me a handy shelf to put the oil can and bits and bobs on. I have only required one replacement item, a water pump in the last seven years and as I was passing Hillmorton I popped in and asked Dave Bixter for a new one and he went down to the works picked one up and dropped it off at the boat later that day at the place we had stopped for the night, that is the only experience of spares we have had and I couldn't fault the service.

I commented to my better half the other week that it was the first time as far as i could remember that we had done the Bosley flight in the sun shine, and we've been up and down them many times in the last thirty or so years

We moor on the upper peak in Furness Vale marina. It is secure with a fob to open the gates, TW marine on site so handy for parts and any problems that should occur. nice local cruising range and a train station with regular service to Manchester and a train from there sees you at the airport in no time, or on an inter city train to the north or south. In the same area is New Mills with a great selection of shops on the doorstep and really good amenity block As has been said, when we leave the boat all security is on the inside so it doesn't look any different than when we are on the boat. There are some boats there that seem not to move but we regularly see people on the boats and we have never been asked how long we have been on board if we don't go out when we are there, but to be honest we usually potter off to Bugsworth, stopping at Tesco on the way or to Marple or Bollington and Macclesfield if we only have a few days between work, or down Bosley and a bit further if we have more time.

Get a marina mooring so you have the support and services you might need. I presume that when you are home for a month or so you will want to travel about on your boat so the mooring is more a secure place to keep the boat when you are away. A decent marina will keep an eye on it for you.

Phil Speight is at Bollington

I went through Last Monday and had booked and was told confirmed for 13:00 southbound. Got an e mail at 07:30 which I picked up whilst eating breakfast at Congleton saying sorry it should have read 12:00. So it was fire the engine up and get a move on. Made it in time and to be fair the tunnel keeper rang me to ask if I could get there so he knew if I was last minute and assured me I would be OK to get through. Coming back north we were in half an hour early. Furness Vale. I gets booked up because there are only three passages each way with a maximum of six boats per passage, whereas when the keepers let you in as and when the other trip was all out the had more passages a day, as has been said if the demand is there maybe they should staff the tunnel all day.

If coming up the locks mooring in the longish pound below the top lock is good or the pound at Red Bull services, obviously not on the service mooring, that way you can use the services in the morning if you need to. From either it's only a short walk to the shops and the Blue Bell. I would check the opening times of the pub as they didn't used to open on a Monday and weren't open at lunchtimes last time we were there. If coming down the Macc anywhere near the aqueduct is fine

Is that using the name generator after a certain time at night, as there is no rule that says you can't use your boat after a certain time at night

When I booked in for Monday next week I asked how long ahead they recommend booking in and was told at least 48 Hours as slots get fully booked some days

I have seen a few boats on the 18 this week and as they are booked passage CRT staff have been removing locks off paddle gear and helping boats through before re locking paddle gear so you should have some help

Also, when on dry dock I did the inside of the weed hatch the same. An oft neglected part of the boat

Just what we did on our boat. Owatrol on leave for a good few days to dry off and then Danboline. Did the bilges four yeards ago, and if I wipe off the accumulated dirt and greasy water under the stern tube it still comes up shiny grey

Sorry I can't get used to the numbering, they always used to be known by name or 1 to 9 from the bottom of the nine up the lock in question usually known as Rodwell Tower lock as that is what the tower on top of it is called but now known as 111 Piccadilly

Not usually Deansgate but under 111 Piccadilly at Lock 84

Paul also runs the Water Womble which collects rubbish from the Bridgewater canal, He has used Runcorn dock to do work on boats previously

They are opening full time from the 27th. Notice has just come through. to quote We have had significant and sustained rainfall in the North West over the last couple of weeks which has improved our reservoir holdings sufficiently to ensure we have enough water for the remainder of the boating season. We are pleased to advise, from Monday 27 July, we will remove the operating times and padlocks from the Marple and Bosley Lock Flights along the Peak Forest and Macclesfield canals.

We also had need to use the workshops unexpectedly and the guys there were brilliant. Also a vote for the Cotton Arms but don't know what the new landlord is like. Its a good walk over to the Bhurtpore and well worth it.

Lumb Lane and the bridge below lock 4 on the Ashton are very low

I sthe boat Stan in the pictures the little electric boat that was brought up from the grantham canal to use as a trip boat initially in Uppermill

It looks like a vent for the exhaust gases from a gas powered fridge, presumably you now have an electric one

Here are a couple of pictures of the dredging as mentioned by Billh. The handsome man in the red checked shirt being myself The dredging team just east of ASDA ASDA tunnel in the background Just before the railway bridge and the sea cadets

Me and my mum at Portland Basin during one of the early Ashton Canals Festivals (76 or77)looking towards Cavendish Mill similar to the direction as the OPs first picture

Part of the Bridgewater canal was "in filled" if that's the correct term, to reduce the depth of water during the seventies for just this reason. A mate of mine who had been for years a volunteer restoring canals worked on it, and thought it rather ironic being paid during the week to fill one canal in and paying at the weekend to dig another out.

I am 5'10" and the only problem I have is when I forget to duck going through the door between the engine room and back cabin as I am alright in all other door holes, the frame is lower than the top of my head but as BEngo says you get used to the back cabin height so I'm not sure how it is against my height. I always wear a hat when boating and the hat hitting the door frame acts as a reminder It's a more modern boat with an engine room by the way

In all this conjecture, has anybody actually spoken to the company or know that a newly built model of the engine concerned is not compliant, or know that the engines can or cannot be fitted in new boats for certain, and if they can how and under what circumstances. I am just thinking that it is a bit unfair to tell people to not consider an engine because of unsubstantiated claims when it is a business's income that is at risk. To BEngo's point on spares, I have only needed few parts for my DM2 over the years I have owned the boat and when I have needed something the company have been able to supply the parts within a day or two. I suspect it all depends on who you speak to as with all things peoples opinions are dependant on their experiences