john cowie

Hi - when we put our house with end of garden mooring in Worcester up for sale, we were expecting to be trampled in the rush. Instead, the silence has been deafening. I can honestly say that having our project tied up at the bottom of the garden has been as close of heaven as one would wish of get - so why the reluctance? We have had many viewings, but almost no one from the boating fraternity. And, of course, trying to describe the delights of life afloat to those not that way inclined is just met with bewilderment. There have to be boaters out there who would like to be our successors as we vacate this property, so does anyone have any thoughts on how to find them? Any thoughts gratefully received. Cheers - John

Hi - looks as if we are heading down the tidal Trent at the beginning of August to reach the Stainforth and Keadby from the midlands canals. It can't be that difficult - it must be a regular trip for many boaters. However, there are things that concern me like: - what's this about navigation lights? vhf radio ?? phoning locks to give notice etc. Is this all serious requirements or can we get away without? What's this about tides - I think I know what they are, but what's the best one to catch? It seems that it's a bit more than 40 miles from Cromwell to Keadby. Is it possible to do this in a day? In which case will there be enough water to get into Keadby lock? All these questions - is anyone out there a regular who can tell me what to do? Cheers - John

Hi - I never thought the subject of the oil level would create so much interest. However, having paid a visit to Calcutt Boat who know all there is to know about these engines, I now have the definitive answer..... The dipstick tube is located on the starter motor side of the engine about half way down and the top of it is 7.25 inches above the bottom of the crankcase. The dipstick itself slides down into this tube a distance of 12 inches at which point it hits the bottom of the sump. The min mark is 43mm from the bottom of the stick and the max is 53mm above the bottom of the stick. (sorry for mixing my units). Hopefully this has put a lot of minds at rest Cheers - John

Thanks to Mikexx for the offer of Droitwich. Someone did mention that some dipsticks touch the bottom of the sump. I've got the offer of some advice from Calcutt Boats who've been using bmcs for years. If I get a definitive answer I've let you know. If not I'll arrange a visit and lie around in your bilge with a tape measure. Cheers - John

Hi - does anyone have a bmc1.5 close to Worcester? Would you mind letting me have a look at your setup and make measurements? Cheers - John

Thanks for all these replies. The sump seems to be non-standard - its not got the same shape as the one in the manual. So I can't just put in 7-8 pints. Tony's idea of looking out for someone with a bmc and comparing dipsticks and heights is a good one but I thought I would ask you lot first! cheers - John

Dear fellow BMC 1.5 owners, I would be very grateful if someone could lie down alongside their engine(!) and measure as accurately as possible the distance between the bottom of the crankcase and the oil level. I guess the least painful way of doing this would be to place the dipstick against the side of the engine and mark opposite the max and min marks and measure from these to the top of the sump/base of crankcase. The reason for doing this is that my engine was originally bought on ebay and came with a dipstick hole on both sides and a selection of dipsticks with markings in many different places. I am not sure they are even off the same engine. Your help would be greatly appreciated John