canalboat.co.uk Canal Boat February 2018 31
THE BOAT TEST
CABIN
The bed is inline and 4ft wide, with masses
of storage in the base in the form of three
big drawers. There are also high level
cupboards above the head of the bed, and
a large wardrobe with hanging space at the
foot. There are some shelves in the
opposite corner, with a small flat screen
TV mounted on a bracket. The step leading
up to the well deck also contains some
storage space.
TECHNICAL
Technically this boat is both fairly straight
forward, and comprehensively equipped.
The engine is a Beta 38, which should be
more than powerful enough for a boat of
this size. There’s also a Vetus 55kgf bow
thruster, to help with manoeuvring. The
deck over the engine is made from a single
board, so it’s quite bulky to lift. But once
it’s up, there’s plenty of room round the
engine. Once helpful touch is a strip of LED
lights in the engine hole, for when engine
servicing needs to happen in the gloom.
There are four 135Ah domestic batteries,
plus one for the engine and another for the
bow thruster. A 240 volt supply comes
from a 3kw Victron inverter charger. There
are two 136 watt flexible solar panels on
the roof, which charge the batteries
through a Victron 75/10 MPPT controller.
These controllers have a good reputation
for getting the maximum amount of
performance out of panels.Heating comes from an Eberspacher
diesel boiler.ON THE WATER
This boat handles nicely and swims well. It
responds to the tiller, and goes where it’s
pointed. As you might expect from a fairly
short boat, turning is straightforward: we
winded without having to use the bow
thruster.
The engine is quiet and smooth at
normal canal speeds, and clearly has
plenty in reserve should it find itself
against the flow on a river. The tiller is at a
nice height, and the Morse control falls
easily to hand. The dials are easy to see,
and the bow thruster controls are also
close at hand.
The stern deck has plenty of room for
crew to sit, and the little table is a nice
addition.Sandra and Will Axon have a long boating
history. Will grew up with boats as his parents
always had a cruiser and he introduced
Sandra to the canals. They regularly used to
borrow the boat, and have done some properly
long trips such as Cheshire to the Thames.
In recent years, the couple and their
children, Rebecca, 21, and 17-year-old Holly,
have had a 28ft sports cruiser on Windermere
called Fantasia. Recently though, they wanted
a boat they could get to quickly - and as the
Macclesfield Canal is just a five-minute drive
from where they live, they came back to the
canals.
It’s a far cry from Disney World, where
they’ve visited for a dozen years.
Will has his own business installing
healthy-eating pasta bars in schools and
colleges. Sandra has spent the past few
years bringing up their children and caring for
elderly relatives.THE OWNERS