Our Boat Is Born
From dream to concept. From design to plan.
This adventure into building a narrowboat has been over 12 months in the making. But finally in March 2022 in Liverpool UK,, the base plate was put down and "Spirit of Discovery" was born.
"Spirit of Discovery" is a 57ft reverse layout (galley/Kitchen at the rear) design. Our design is based on the "Shearwater 2" from Collingwood Boat Builders. This has a slightly modified design to the bow to allow for a bigger water tank that fits under the well (front) deck that will give us a slightly larger well deck, as well as a new galley (kitchen) layout.
We opted for a "Wrap Cruiser" stern. This means the back (stern) of the boat is built with steel instead of the traditional rails (taff rails) seen on traditional boats. Cruiser stern means we have a large outside area on the rear of the boat to enjoy our trips. socialise with friends/family, eat meals, etc..
We chose portholes for the bedroom and bathroom, with rectangular windows in the saloon and galley.