Canal Boat – July 2018

canalboat.co.uk Canal Boat July 2018 31

BOAT TEST

unit with a small stainless steel sink, for

when you need to clean up after some

engine tinkering. There’s another

cupboard above.

A third corner has the electrical

cupboard, where lots of things such as the

inverter and battery monitor are hidden

away. After all, they look much too modern

for a room like this! To show off the engine,

there are side doors both sides.

Back cabin

This is a very traditional back cabin in

terms of layout, with a bench down one

side and cupboards the other. These

include a drop down table and a knife

drawer, and a flap which drops down to

form a cross bed in the traditional way. All

the sections of mattress are kept inside.

At the stern is a steerer’s step, with a

traditional Epping stove alongside so the

steerer is kept warm on a winter’s day and

can have a kettle of water on the go.

The decision to fit out this room with

oak and teak rather than painted

scumbling is inspired. Both woods are

classic boating materials, but their

difference in colour gives a nice contrast.

It’s a result which manages to be both

classic and modern at the same time.

Technical

The Gardner 2LW engine dates from 1954,

and Dave bought it more than ten years

ago from Walsh Engineering in

Manchester, who specialise in engines like

this. He doesn’t know much about its past,

except that it spent the first part of its life

in South Africa, which probably means it

was used down a mine. There’s a day

diesel tank, with a manual pump. Much of

the brasswork, including the silencer, was

supplied by Redshaw’s in Braunston, who

also made the controls.

The vintage engine contrasts with the

electrical system. The battery bank

consists of four 200Ah lithium-ion

batteries from Victron. These have the

advantage of being able to be discharged

much more than normal batteries, and they

charge up much quicker. They’re also

predicted to have a much longer life; the

claim is often 20 years or so (and some

people believe they’ll actually go on much

longer). They are expensive, though, at

around £1,500 each.

The system also includes a Victron

battery management system, which

monitors the batteries and makes sure they

don’t over charge. If it detects anything

wrong, it shuts down safely. There’s also a

monitor with a colour display, to show

what’s going in and out of the batteries at

any one time, with remote access via a

webpage.

The boat has a 24v system rather than

Dave Onslow’s love of

engines extends beyond

the Gardner that he’s

put in this boat. “I have a

few motorbike engines

in the living room at

home,” he says, while

acknowledging that

such a thing wouldn’t be

everyone’s idea of home

decor. It’s perhaps not

surprising, as he has an

engineering

background, particularly

in electrics.

Fay Kay is more

interested in another

sort of horse power –

horse riding – although

when we met the couple

she had her arm in a sling

after falling off. She had

strict instructions not to

move it too much, which

meant lock work was

out of the question for

several weeks.

The couple live in

Devon, but have

managed to find a home

marina for the boat

which they can reach by

train, so they can leave

their car at home.

DAVE ONSLOW

THE OWNER

Top: Creative

use of space

Below: The

Gardner block

dates from 1954