Written by Administrator Tuesday, 07 June 2011 10:16
The brave new hope
Having arrived in South Devon, we were just easing into a mackerel supper, determined to have a bottle of wine and forget about boats for a bit, when a new one appeared on the Internet listings. We shouldn’t have looked I know, but it was a beautiful 57-foot narrowboat called ‘Volusia’.
She had the small aft deck common to the traditional type and a conventional layout with the living space at the front end. But given the length of its bow, which looked good enough to seat at least four people, neither of these issues was likely to be a major problem. Better still, it was a Jonathan Wilson boat built in 2006 - and while it was advertised in various places at £69,995, it was on at £52,500 with Rugby Boat Sales, so we called them and were amazed to hear the lower price confirmed.
We established several important things last time. Having seen six or seven boats (and spent the best part of ten weeks trawling the internet listings) we decided that our ideal boat would be a 57-footer in good working order, with space to enjoy a permanent double bed, a galley, a lounge and a proper office space. We wanted ambient warmth, hot water on command, a civilised (smell-free) pump-out toilet, some good working space in the kitchen and portholes (rather than caravan-style windows) for their security, insulation and aesthetics. With £45,000 to spend, we had initially been unwilling to compromise on any of our requirements but as the summer takes hold and the competition for the perfect boat ramps up, we know something will have to give.
They say that moving house is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can undergo - and while that is often the case with bricks and mortar, things are not so bad with a boat. The only real difficulty comes in agreeing with your partner over which compromises you are prepared to make - and you will certainly have to make some.
