Wedgwood Narrowboats' new Owl class is a brave return to the ...

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NEW BOAT TEST Just inside the door, under the gunwale, is the electric cupboard which houses the (optional) 1800W inverter, 230V switches, and 12V circuit breakers. Gaps have been left at the top and bottom of the doors to ensure good ventilation: electronic components can fail if they get too hot. Bathroom The toilet compartment poses a dilemma on a small boat. Too big, and it takes up far too much room; too small and it becomes difficult to shower. Being wrapped in a clinging shower curtain, or suddenly making contact with cold bits of boat is not a pleasant experience. Water damage from shower trays can also affect surrounding bulkheads. With this in mind, Steve Wedgwood decided to make the entire floor the shower tray. This moulded tray, which means a slight lip at the door, can be easily sealed into its surroundings. The corner sump has a Whale Gulper pump mounted to suck water up vertically, avoiding any potential leaks from below – although the pipe could do with covering up! To avoid wet feet after showering, a removable duck board could be fitted A good-sized rectangular sink sits under the porthole, with the Thetford cassette toilet against the forward bulkhead, which tapers to around 2ft wide at this point. Fortunately, the toilet bowl can swivel for comfort! The room benefits from 6ft 4in headroom throughout the boat. THE BUILD Computer controlled plasma cutter in action. One side of the galley butts up to the loo bulkhead. In the original plans, an open space was left here for the boater to remove the toilet cassette. Sensing the waste of space, the fridge was placed here with a cupboard door below for the cassette. A space has been left opposite in the galley for a decent sized bin – not a common sight on any boat, especially a small craft. Galley and saloon The cooker is an almost domestic-sized Smev unit, with grill and oven. The test boat had, as an option, three gas burners… and one electric ring. The idea is that if you want to heat a kettle, or slow cook, then the inverter can use the power from the alternator or from the landline, giving some freedom about energy choice. It will be interesting to see if customers choose it over the standard four gas burners. Cupboards and drawers lead to a TV unit, with sockets underneath – and a hole in the top to take the leads through. There are small bookshelves to port, with the solid fuel stove to starboard. The stove is welded to the hearth: this is 5mm steel, so no chance of loosening if you ram a lock gate! It also acts as a heat sink and heat shield for the surrounding materials, with some space underneath for dustpans and the paraphernalia of real fires. 52 October 2010 Waterways World On the Thames, the boat ran smoothly in the relatively deep waters, and produced little wash. Shell during build. The oak flooring throughout is standard and very hard-wearing. This is only slightly more expensive, and easier to fit, than carpeting would be for the odd floor shape. The floor could have been carpeted before adding the fixed furniture, but this would create difficulties for the owner in the future. Oak veneered ply is used throughout, with no MDF aboard at all. Forward are two long benches either side, each over 6ft in length. On the first boat, a two-seater dinette is to the left, with the bench left as a settee opposite: this practical layout will be an option on future boats. At the end of the berths are a wardrobe on each side, not quite full height, thereby giving some shelf space on the top. (The wardrobes will be lower in future.) Combined with the under-berth lockers, this gives fairly generous storage generous for a short boat. Lighting has been chosen as halogen dome lights, with the test boat upgraded to LED bulbs. Deck space The forward steps lift out to give easy access (via a pair of small sliding doors) to the under deck space. As this is effectively the baseplate, it would be ideal for storing chilled wine and beer. It also lets you get hold of the battery and wiring for the bowthruster! (A 55KgF thruster can be fitted as an option.)
Find out more Wedgwood Narrowboats 01606 737564 www.wedgwoodnarrowboats.co.uk Toilet and galley during construction. Authentic The finished boatman’s high quality cabin. shell. The stern deck has a removable tiller, and enough space for two or three people to sit or stand. The gas locker against the bulkhead makes a good seat, as well as a handy step up to the roof. The test boat had a gloss-only finish to the roof, which could make walking on it treacherous in wet weather. The engine control panel is on a pillar on the centreline of the boat, up against the bulkhead. The single lever control is here: this is rather unusual, though I suppose it suits both left and right handed people, and simplifies the route for the cables to reach the engine. A large vent to the engine bay is in the pedestal, rather than in the hull side – much preferable for a boat to be used on rivers. Underway The Vetus engine started easily, with very little rattling considering that this was a new boat with only a few hours on the clock and no post-installation tightening up as yet. The engine is quiet at tick-over: the optional soundproofing probably helps, but also the very flexibly mounted engine. The boat easily moves away from the bank, the bow-thruster not being needed. We tested the boat soon after it was dropped into the Thames for the IWA Festival, so cannot comment on its canal abilities. WW Verdict TESTED | WedgWOOd NarrOWbOats this is a spacious boat for two people, with the ability to take more on day trips. there are several neat touches in the design, and though it is the first in the line, we could find few areas that need addressing before the second boat is built. It handles well with good river performance; it should be fully at home on canals, and, of course, is of a length that can share narrow locks. a larger boat is planned at just under 40ft, to add a permanent double berth aft of the bathroom, and starting at around £46,000. the standard price for the 34ft boat is £41,500. With extra equipment, the show boat we tested came in at £46,980: the extra £5,480 pays for a larger engine, bow-thruster, river pack (anchor and navigation lights), Led lighting, dinette conversion of a settee, inverter, sound insulation and that electric hob hotplate. there is little else you would want to add: perhaps central heating, for which diesel blown-air system would be most appropriate. the design and specification should also meet the high expectations of the river cruiser market, while competitively priced against comparable inboard-powered grP boats. this is a sound little boat that deserves to do well, and should prove to be even more popular than the original Owl boats. On the river, the boat ran smoothly in the relatively deep waters, and produced little wash. Despite the short length, the boat rocks very little at rest and the gunwales can be walked with confidence. Moving to 1400rpm with the 27hp engine gave a good canal cruising speed. 1700rpm gave a respectable river speed with plenty in reserve for the little boat. The smaller 16hp engine would be quite busy on canals and work hard on rivers, though it should prove economical to run. Jasper Owl stopped very quickly, and would steer well astern. The deep water always helps that on a narrowboat, of course, but it bodes well for more confined waters. Waterways World October 2010 53
Page 1 and 2: NEW BOAT TEST Saloon looking forwar
Page 3: The larger threecylinder 27hp engin

Wedgwood Narrowboats' new Owl class is a brave return to the ...

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