Motor Boat & Yachting — August 2017

The couple handled
almost every single
aspect of the build

Thea has 57

lockers in total

Bottoms up!

you can see what’s going on and be comfortable, and that’s why we

came to the conclusion of a motor boat.” And thus the concept of

Thea was born.

The parameters were a smaller boat to economise on moorings

and other LOA-based costs, so the length was pegged at 30ft.

There had to be enough space to live and entertain as the couple

spend three months cruising in the summer. A second cabin was

deemed unnecessary but a large galley was a must as Lorraine likes

cooking, as was a decent-sized heads. A great deal of the experience

both of building and using Selene has found its way into the design

of Thea. The dinette in the main saloon is a replica of that in

Selene (and converts to offer an occasional double berth), as

is the forward cabin with its offset double berth and masses of

storage (there are a total of 57 lockers throughout the whole boat).

With Selene sold to provide funds, Tom set to work on the

design, begging the inevitable question – where do you start?

“I’m an artist,” explains Tom, “therefore I get an idea and I’m

fortunate that I can ‘see’ the end product. A lot of things don’t,

but drawing and building comes naturally to me. I understand

curves and shapes, I know what they’re doing. It’s just a pleasure.”

The big day – the

launch of Thea

HOME-BUILD PROJECT