TAKE THE LONG WAY

Agonising over the length of your next spec boat is a popular pastime for many but this Tyler Wilson shell has a simple message...go large

- ADAM PORTER

Boat length is one of those issues that people agonise over. They want to make sure they get a boat of the right length – or at least that they don’t get one of the wrong length. But really it’s quite simple: you want a boat that’s long enough to holiday or live on comfortably, and short enough to go through the locks in the area where you intend to cruise.

Over the years, the received wisdom is that around 58ft is the ideal go-anywhere length. At that size, you’ll be able to get through all the locks on the northern waterways, even if you have to go in diagonally. But fixating on that length could be a mistake if you’re going to be one of the many boaters who spends their whole time in the Midlands and the south. You’ll still have many hundreds of miles of waterways to cover, and could enjoy a bit of extra space.

As far as spec boats go (these are boats that builders build and then put up for sale, rather than being custom-built for an owner), it’s rare to find one that not 57 or 58ft. But here is one: a 65ft semi-trad built by Knights Narrowboats. The reason for the length is a story in itself. The shell was bought on finance by a hire company in Cheshire which wanted to start renewing its fleet. But before it could be fitted out, the firm folded. The finance company didn’t even know where the shell was, and probably thought they’d be writing off the whole sum they’d lent.

As it happened, the shell was in storage at Aqueduct Marina on the Middlewich Arm, which is where Knights is also based.

Glenn Knight put in what he calls a cheeky offer, which was accepted. He slotted the boat into his build schedule as a spec boat.