Elementary - 62ft Narrowboat

The story behind the purchase of my second boat is worth documenting. By chance, I introduced myself to a young couple in a boat just near to where I was moored in Kidderminster on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire canal just before Christmas 2020. 

I met Andrea and Liz on the towpath as they were lumping bags of coal into the boat. They invited me in for tea and a tour. As soon as I walked in I fell in love with her. As you can see by these photographs, the decor is quite dated and in places, falling apart but it has a lot of character. It was the intention of the current owners to renovate the boat from the inside out. They started with replacing the multi-fuel stove but as they were both made redundant due to Coronavirus, they’ve been unable to continue to realise their plans on this vessel. This unfortunate set of circumstances has left them penniless and also powerless to follow their plan B as they need money to buy a van, as they now wish to drive their way around Europe. 

Of course, the conversation eluded to the fact that I was looking for  my own a narrowboat. After some consideration, I actually decided not to buy the boat and keep looking. 

A week later, I visited the boat again, had a more in depth discussion with the owner who outlined other features of the boat that I hadn’t learned in previous conversations.  

That night, I made the decision. The boat really did pick me. I was drawn to it. It wasn’t what I was looking for initially but I was very open minded. 

After my offer was accepted Iwent back to my cruiser and cried with joy. 

Then I read the sales brochure dating back to 2013, when Liz’s family first bought the boat. On the front it stated 

Jonathan Wilson

I had no clue about boat builders in England, so after doing some research, I found out that actually Jonathan Wilson is one of the most respected boat builders in England. Some call Jonathan Wilson boats, the Rolls Royce or Porsche of narrowboats. And I just bought one. It’s worth noting that I only found this information out after I had decided to purchase the boat and is really icing on the cake. I’m ecstatic about this news. What an awesome thing to find out afterwards. 

The boat has recently been blacked with 12 new sacrificial anodes fitted and just passed the Boat Safety Certificate (BSC).

Con (-)

The only downside of this boat is her length. At 62 feet long, she may not be able to go all over the network. That’s the compromise I’m willing to make at this stage as this boat ticks all my other boxes so that I can still travel but also lead a much more civilized life. Additionally, I also wanted a new project to work on, not just travel. The interior of the boat needs a complete refit. From now on, I’ll be able live a lot more rather than simply surviving as I have done for the past 2 years living on cruiser. 



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