Canal Boat – July 2018

30 July 2018 Canal Boat canalboat.co.uk

Silent Waters on test

cubicle. The decision was made because

Dave felt a cubicle would make the room

feel too small. Certainly the bath and its

folding shower screen mean this room has

plenty of airspace. Another clever feature

which adds to the feeling of space is that

rather than a traditional bathroom cabinet,

there are doors set into the bulkhead. This

cupboard is actually borrowing space

from the back of the cabin wardrobe. The

doors are mirrored, too.

There’s a corner unit with a cupboard, a

composite worktop, and a large white

basin. The loo is a macerater unit by Vetus.

There’s a towel rail, and as this boat isn’t

short of electrical power, there’s a fan

heater too.

Engine room

A sliding door which disappears into the

bulkhead separates the engine room from

the living quarters. The centrepiece

(literally) of this room is the engine itself

• of which more later. It’s a very attractive
  room, which packs a lot in. It’s here that
  the oak is joined by teak panels above the
  gunwales, and there are grey painted
  panels below, to match the grey of the
  engine.
  In one corner there’s a tall, slim,
  triangular hanging cupboard for coats. In
  the other corner there’s a similarly shaped

It’s been a busy year for

Bourne Boats, since winning

the title of Favourite Boat at

last year’s Crick Show. Since

then, the firm has bought the

canalside boat yard formerly

occupied by the Teddesley

Boat Company, on the Staffs

and Worcester Canal near

Penkridge. Being on the water

was one of the main

attractions of the site, as

transporting finished boats for

launch was becoming

increasingly expensive. At this

yard, there’s a crane, a joinery

workshop, and a heated paint

shed. Bourne’s shell building

arm is still based up in

Cheshire, but the firm is

looking to move it to the same

site.

The new yard has a basin and

moorings, and there’s a service

point for the passing trade of

diesel and pump outs. It’s

good to see this family firm

turning what had become a

rather quiet yard into a thriving

canalside centre once again.

BOURNE BOATS

Oak and teak create a pleasing combination Under-gunwhale cupbaords house hidden TV