captain birdseye

Regarding his comment never to use working boats to refuel. I think this is a bit unfair. We always our local fuel boat and have never had any problems. We always use them as they have nice clean plastic bunds which are all but emptied each run and filled up with fresh diesel before the next run so you always get fresh and clean diesel, something which can't be said about some yards

Surprisingly, Leeds and Liverpool "short boats" which were built to traverse the L&L were built to 62' X 14'. I have been over from Wigan to Leeds and back on one of these without too much trouble. Last year one even did the full route with a load on. so a 60' X 12' should have no problems. I'd agree that the traditional shape is better for these canals as the front deck doesn't mind getting wet and the prop is easier to get at when it isn't under a counter. Even with a weed hatch you could need long arms if the boat draws anything like a wide boat should.

Athy, yes it was a bit tongue in cheek

The courses run at Bollington are very good, Both Phil's Painting and Brian's Fender making. I must admit I've only attended the fender making course as my painting skills are terrible. Anne Marie, Brian and Jason from the Wharf make the place very welcoming and Anne Marie's food is excellent. I hope this doesn't come across as unapproved advertising. I have no connection with Bollington Wharf apart from being a satisfied customer of theirs.

So are we, see you there maybe

I must admit I've never insisted on my two wearing lifejackets on canals, but insisted on them on rivers, like the Severn and the Weaver. They have boated all their lives. My son fell in on the Staffs and Worcs from the front of the boat when he was about seven. He immediately headed for the bank, put his feet down and clung to the side until one of us could get on the towpath to haul him out. They have both pushed gates since they were old enough, and from being nine or so they have worked paddles, and after working enough got their own windlasses presented to them with their initials on so there's no arguing who's is who's. they both now love working locks and can both steer the boat with a supervising dad with them and are now aged twelve and fourteen.

Isn't there a pub with a large beer garden and moorings on the towpath not far below Bratch. It does food and sells a couple of real beers but I can't remember its name

Hop Pole was always a favourite of mine years ago and when we visited by boat the other year it was still a good pub

Bottom of the Ashton around Ancoats locks. The band are on Clayton's Spey of which the fiddle player is a part owner.

Oddly enough, if all goes well I'll be on the Caldon at the beginning of June and the Southern Stratford by the end of June

The Caldon offers a good mainly rural canal, once you are out of Stoke on Trent, but that only takes half a day. You could hire from Black Prince at Stoke They are not far from the rail station which is on the main line between London and Manchester so easy to get to. Some great pubs, not too many locks and easily doable in a week.with the added bonus of a steam railway to ride on at Cheddleton or Consall Forge

That's Boothstown basin between on the Leigh branch between Worsley and Astley when they were constructing the new Marina and pub

I would say virtually all this is wrong, and as I've been boating in the area since the seventies I know the area well. Romiley is on the Peak Forest, there are a couple of good real beer bars near the station worth the walk for. We more at Furness Vale and apart from last summer Bugsworth has been open for years, and you can always find a mooring spot there. Good pub at the basin and also a nice walk up to the Old Hall along the old tramway route. We regularly have a Saturday night out in Marple and moor near the Junction on the Macclesfield , if you are going up the peak don't worry there is a winding hole a couple of hundred yards beyond the junction on the Macc and you can Moor use the facilities then turn round and go back to the Junction. The Samual Oldknow on the pedestrianised shopping street in town does a decent pint

Mike Carter from Yarwoods basin at Northwich is the one most locals use for this his contact details are here http://www.marinesurveysltd.co.uk/ Don't worry if he doesn't answer his phone just leave a message and he will ring back. For billybobbooth, he knows working boats inside out and regularly surveys wooden boats so would probably be ideal for you

It was where Billh says and from my memory of it, it was a spinning room you could see through the windows

That sounds about right when the engine is hot.

Usually the pressure is slightly over 40PSI at tickover when the engine is cold but doesn't rise much when revs are increased, when the engine is hot pressure drops at tickover but rises again when the engine is running at what for me is normal cruising speed of 600 - 650 RPM. I've never took the side cover off my engine but you can remove it (RH side ) but I'm not that sure how easy it would be to do. I'm afraid I'm not much of a engine man, I just do the normal maintenance and ring up Ian Crompton if I need any help, which thankfully doesn't happen very often.

I have always used Morris Gold Film 30s in my RN as did the only other owner of the boat with no problem. It runs at the same pressure as you mention at tick over when cold and hot. Pressure jumps back up when running at normal revs 'about 600RPM' even when hot. I've never had a problem and the engine has been in the boat for over thirty years. If you haven't done so already I would recommend joining the RN register, there forum is a great place for gleaning information and there are some useful workshops and discussion at their annual rally.

Well, the engine is a Altrincham build which dates it pre 1949, which is when the Altrincham works closed. Looking through old RN Register newsletters (i'm sure there is a list of engine numbers with details somewhere in one) there is an article about a D2 number 3553 which was built to run a welding set which was made by Metro Vic's in the late thirties. The owner thinks it was an original installation so the above engine would have been of a similar vintage and possibly for a similar purpose. For the OPs information the article is in the Winter 2014 Issue 84 Newsletter

An old mate of mine always used to have an old washing up bottle full of old engine oil for squirting in the oil hole on paddle gear, proper recycling, but I supposed it would now be frowned on.

I've just done a comparison and mine is an ALCO SP822 which is a direct replacement for Baldwin B975, as is your FIAAM FT4777. There is a cracking site www.oilfilter-crossreference.com just type in the number off your filter and it gives you all available alternatives

It all depends is the answer. The original owner of my boat fitted a filter larger than the standard, but it doesn't look dissimilar to yours. I can't remember the number off the top of my head, but I would just replace like for like,

If it is labelled DM2 it is a marine, the static engine was labelled D2

Mine is a 198os model and is rated at 18HP, but as I said I have heard 15HP quoted for the older ones and for National 2DMs