Maximising internal space seems to be the way forward in today’s narrowboat design
If you think back to the Crick Boat Show at the end of May, or you saw our coverage of the boats on show, one of the noticeable things was the number of narrowboats with extended cabins and no well deck. Probably as many as a third of the boats being shown used that design – demonstrating that maximising internal space is a big priority for many owners.
The simplest way to extend a cabin is just to carry on the cabin sides to where the forward edge of the well deck would be, and then have a bulkhead with maybe a window or a set of small doors at the bow. The resulting shape isn’t to everyone’s taste, though, so over the past few years we’ve seen a different approach, which takes inspiration from the shape of old working boats, with a forecabin and a tipped in section, resembling the cloths over an open hold.
This boat, Tusitala, is by Finesse, and it’s a design they say is catching on. It’s a way of getting a few feet of extra space inside, while still looking traditional. It counterbalances the fact that boats like this one with their electric drive system need a full 9ft to fit everything in under the back deck; that also means you’ve got plenty of outside space at the stern.
As we’ve come to expect from Finesse, while this boat looks pretty traditional on the outside, there’s a modern interior and plenty of technology.
ON THE WATER
It’s the quietness of the motor which attracts most people to electric drive. The Finesse motor is a particularly quiet one, meaning you can hear birdsong or people talking on the towpath, and the sound of water round the prop. The generator is in the engine hole, but is in a sound reduction box, so even that doesn’t intrude too much if you want to run it as you cruise.
At cruising speed, you’re using only a small proportion of the available power which means you feel confident that this boat could cope with rivers. And there’s something special about being able to control the motor with a tiny yet perfectly formed metal control lever.
We’ve always liked the handling of Tim Tyler shells, and this one is no exception. We turned around easily during our test without using the bow and stern thrusters – just pushing the tiller over and applying some power means the bow moves over anyway.
EXTERIOR
Tusitala is a 62ft boat, built on a shell by Tim Tyler. It’s a sheerline Josher, which means the gunwale line has a pleasing sweep (which is emphasised by rivets), and the bow has the double Josher curves and a substantial stem post. It’s quite an achievement to have got the curves on a bow which is really quite short. At the stern, there are recessed panels. Whenever we’ve seen a boat like this, there’s been a debate about whether or not there should be a gunwale alongside the forecabin. It probably looks better without, but is more practical to have somewhere to stand on. This boat has compromised, by having a narrow gunwale. The forecabin itself offers a huge amount of storage space, accessed through a large hatch in the top.
The tipped in sections are often covered with cloths, to emphasise the historic inspiration, but the owners of this boat haven’t yet decided whether to go down this route. They might leave it with just paint.
The stern is a semi-trad, which might seem an odd choice for a boat with such a traditional exterior – but even less traditional is the huge pram cover which covers it. Regular readers will know my view that these covers do nothing for the lines of a boat, although they do give a lot of extra semi-indoor space. There are lockers both sides of the deck for storage, and the decks themselves will soon be covered in a teak-effect decking.
The colour scheme is quite muted, primarily using two shades of grey. The signwriting, by Andy Russell, is very non-traditional, but looks lively and interesting.
LAYOUT AND FITOUT
This is a reverse layout boat, with the galley at the stern. Next comes a Pullman dinette, followed by the saloon. A walk-through shower room is next, with the cabin at the bow; the bed occupies the tipped in section. The fitout uses painted panels on the cabin sides, and painted tongue and groove below the gunwales. All the trim is oak, but it’s stained to be a slightly darker shade, and gives a really warm, rich feel to the interior. The owner took inspiration for much of the interior from multi-million pound superyachts, so perhaps it’s not surprising that there’s a feeling of quality. In addition, quality is something we’ve come to expect from Finesse, with everything built to the highest standards and some excellent joinery on show. The floor is hardwearing Karndean, in a dark oak finish, and there are nice little design touches throughout, such as the flat dark grey metal switches and sockets.
GALLEY
A set of space-saving steps leads down from the stern deck, so you need to make sure you start with the correct foot. They can be lifted out of the way, so you can get to the bottom half of the cupboards which are alongside.
All the cupboard doors are painted pale green, which works really well with the stained oak. They’re spray-painted in Finesse’s workshop, and have a lovely finish. All the doors have a handle-less design, with the recess showing a stained oak detail. It means each of the doors has had to have a sliver of oak inserted; the effect is really good, but it’s been a lot of work.
The units are topped with a Corian worktop – again made in house; Finesse sent its staff on a Corian training course, to avoid having to bring in an outside company whose schedule may not fit in with the build progress. Set into the worktop is a moulded sink, with a stainless steel base. There are low-level lights in the kick boards.
This galley is very well equipped. There’s a Bosch induction hob, and a Neff electric oven, with the slide and hide door. There’s a Bosch full size integrated fridge, a full-size freezer by the same maker, and a Hoover washing machine behind a door.
The tap is a top of the range model by Quooker, which provides not only boiling water but chilled and sparkling water too. The boiling water comes from a tank under the sink, which acts like a vacuum flask and keeps water at just over 100 Celsius. It’s actually a very efficient way of providing boiling water, because it takes very little energy to keep the water hot in the insulated tank. You also don’t use more than you need. If you need hot water, for washing up for example, then the tap mixes some of the boiling with cold. The chilled and sparkling water comes from a separate tank known as the Cube.
The end of the longer run of units finishes with a triangular cupboard as the corridor moves from the centre of the boat to one side. This can be unlocked and pulled out, to reveal a set of drawers behind, making use of the otherwise dead corner. On the opposite side of the boat there’s a useful under-gunwale can cupboard.
DINETTE AND SALOON
The Pullman dinette is a very pleasant place to sit, with glazed side doors on each side of the boat. They’re covered by wooden shutters which are held back by magnets when they’re open. They look really sleek when closed, and mean there’s no need for curtains or removable bungs. There’s more light from a glazed pigeon box in the ceiling.
The table rises and falls electrically at the press of a button, meaning you can get exactly the height you want, and easing the conversion of the seating into a guest bed. There’s also storage in the bench seating.
In the saloon, a low unit carries a black hearth and a stainless steel Lockgate Refleks diesel stove. The hearth has a lip to catch any diesel spill. The main piece of furniture is a substantial sofa, built in-house by Finesse, and based on one seen in a photo of a yacht. It has chunky arms and storage in the base. Opposite is another low unit carrying a Sonos sound bar and a flat tv, which fits perfectly under the gunwale.
The forward bulkhead has some bookshelves, and a hidden drinks cabinet. Lift the lid and a light comes on inside, so you can see to mix your favourite cocktail. It doesn’t get much more super-yachtish than this (if that’s a word!). Another pigeon box provides more light, and high level ventilation.
SHOWER ROOM
This is another very stylish space, epitomised by the floating corner unit which carries the basin. It has lighting underneath to emphasise the fact that it floats off the floor, and provides plenty of storage. The worktop is Corian, and the basin is moulded into it. Above is a cabinet with a mirror door. The shower is also made in-house from Corian, and is an unusual pentagonal shape, which makes a nice change from the usual quadrant. It’s generously sized, and has smart fittings. The boat has no mushroom vents on the roof, because high level ventilation is provided by the pigeon boxes, so there’s a powerful extractor fan fitted high up in the cubicle, and vented to the outside. The grill (and many others in the boat) are made with a Finesse ‘F’ design. There’s a small amount of storage between the shower cubicle and the hull side, and the towel rail is a funky curvy design.
The toilet is a macerating unit by Vetus. The holding tank is across the stern, meaning there’s a significant run of pipe between the two which could be bad news if there’s a hard-to-find blockage.
CABIN
This is a lovely, calm, relaxing space, with a really welcoming feel. On the bulkhead is a large wardrobe with hanging space at the top, and drawers of different sizes below. It looks very nautical in style, and each cupboard and drawer has the same handle-less design seen in the galley.
The bed is in the tipped in section at the bow, and the stained oak woodwork gives the space a really cosy feeling. The bed is quite low, maximising headroom under the sloping walls, but it still has drawers in the end of the base. The water tank takes up much of the rest of the bed base. There are some neat cubby holes in the forward bulkhead, which steal a bit of space from the storage locker in the forecabin. That locker also houses the workings of an air-conditioning unit, which can be turned on with a remote control, and provides cool air through vents either side of the bed base.
There’s a set of side doors on one side of the boat, with wooden inner shutters. And there’s more light from a glazed pigeon box in the roof.
TECHNICAL
This is a serial hybrid boat – meaning the propulsion is entirely by the electric motor, but there’s a diesel generator to charge the batteries. Finesse has become something of a leader in this field, with its own combination of a motor which they put together themselves, a generator, and a battery bank, all linked by their own control system – and they deal directly with the manufacturers. This avoids the problem that there is an almost infinite number of combinations of electric motors, batteries, and generators – and it can be difficult to ensure they all work together in exactly the best way.
The electric motor is a 48-volt Permanent Magnet AC type, rated at 25kw at its peak, and able to deliver 15kw for a continuous two hours and 96 per cent peak efficiency at cruising speeds. It has no belts, no gears, and needs no maintenance, and comes with a ten-year warranty. There are bow and stern thrusters by Vetus, which are brushless and can run in a graduated way, and for a long period of time if necessary. They are operated together from a single joysick: move it to one side and both operate together to move the boat over (although the bow thruster is more powerful than the stern); twist the joystick and they operate on opposite sides, so you should be able to spin the boat around.
There is a 40kwh LiFePo4 lithium ion battery bank, which has a custom CAN bus battery management system. This is a huge amount of available power. The rough equivalent in 12-volt lead acid batteries would be over 3000Ah – although as lead acids should only be discharged to fifty per cent, you’d really need 5600Ah. When you consider that a typical set up is four 110Ah batteries, you get the comparison.
The generator is a Kohler 9KVA unit. There are also ten solar panels on the roof, amounting to 1.7kw, to help keep the batteries charged. They have two solar controllers. Remarkably, the flue of the Refleks stove comes up through one of the panels. Finesse has found a way of adjusting the panel, so it still works while having a hole through it.
A 10KVA Victron Quattro inverter charger provides a 240-volt supply. There’s also a step down system to 24 volts for the lighting and the loo. Everything else operates on mains voltage.
The whole system can be monitored remotely, and Finesse can even send updates to all the boats fitted with it. It’s remarkably clever, and means that Finesse can also analyse how efficiently the boats are operating. Ricky Lee, from the firm, says that on average, three hours of cruising needs just an hour of running the generator, even if there’s no input from solar. With solar, that time can be reduced further. That means that an electric boat like this uses significantly less diesel and is therefore significantly greener, than a diesel powered boat. Central heating comes from a pressure jet boiler, which can be remotely operated through a Nest thermostat. There’s also a solar dump system, so if the batteries are fully charged, any solar input is used to heat the water tank.
The boat is fitted with an advanced mobile internet system, and there’s an ICOM vhf radio system, of the sort more usually seen on sea-going vessels.
CONCLUSION
This is a boat which has impact both inside and out. It’s a striking looking boat when you see it on the water, and the inside feels both classy and welcoming. The technology is advanced yet tried and tested, and the fitout is extraordinarily well done. Finesse says its electric boats start at £230,000. But this is not a standard electric boat, so will have cost quite a bit more. There’s a lot of kit on board, such as the aircon and vhf radio, and the batteries alone will have cost a lot.
It’s not an easy trick to pull off a boat which takes the best of traditional shapes and combines that with a sleek modern feel. And it shows that if you want to maximise interior space, there’s more than one way of crafting an extended cabin. The bed, in the tipped in section, is particularly appealing, and it’s no surprise this design is proving popular.
Length: 62ft
Beam: 6ft 10in
Shell: Tim Tyler Boats www.timtylerboats.com
Style: Semi-trad
Layout: Reverse
Berths: 2+2
Electric motor: 15kw continuous PMAC www.finesseboats.co.uk
Generator: Kohler 9kva www.kohlerpower.com
Fit–out: Oak and painted panels
Bow and stern thrusters: Vetus brushless www.vetus.com
Inverter: Victron 48 10kw www.victronenergy.com
Quooker tap: www.quooker.co.uk tap from £1,250; Cube from £1,150
CONTACT: Finesse Boats, Victoria Boatyard
Sussex Street, Sheffield, S4 7YY
07852 201375
sales@finesseboats.co.uk
www.finesseboats.co.uk
£300,000+
