Laurence, n/b Elizabeth Anne

The decision to live aboard a narrowboat came gradually. My brother had lived such a lifestyle in the 1980’s and there were aspects of his vagrant gypsy life that had stayed with me through those years. But not all of them, I knew that for me to live a life afloat would require a level of comfort and luxury that my brother could never have dreamt of.

I had known Iain and Luisa, Braidbar’s original owners, ever since those early boating days, and knew that the desire to produce boats of the very highest standard was what drove both them and their successors, Peter and Susan. So once that big decision to move aboard was made I never had any doubts that Braidbar was the company to choose. I paid the deposit and a build slot of April 2017 was secured.

An article in the boating press caused me some concern, Peter and Susan were selling, James and Donna were arriving. But my concerns were fleeting, any builder who could win for three consecutive years at Crick as James Atwood had done, would not be lowering standards. Braidbar was to be James and Donna’s future, there would only ever be one direction that they would accept.

I have settled happily on my boat, everywhere I look there are things that give me pleasure, the level of craftsmanship is simply quite astonishing. I was lucky enough to be able to see the build at least once a week and saw how solidly this vessel was constructed, everything is built to last, there is nothing that is only skin deep.

Two things in particular are forefront in my mind. The interior is lined with ash planking, a beautiful light wood that will not darken. These planks are laid at a 45 degree angle and the varnish emphasises the grain. Three of the planks had little grain and I accepted that this was how real wood would sometimes come. James however, did not accept such things, and unknown to me replaced all three one weekend. I still do not know how he did it, there are no visible gaps to give a clue and it is impossible now to determine which planks are new and which original.

The second thing cannot be seen unless looked for. This boat has a hybrid drive, there are 24 lead acid batteries to conceal, each battery is 850mm tall, they weigh over 1 ton in total, and the original metalwork to enclose these batteries envisaged them in a single group that would inevitably have meant a compromised entry through the rear hatch. Once again, and without any request on my part, James decided that such a compromise was unacceptable. And once again, during a weekend, the welder was brought in, all the original steelwork was removed and an alternative arrangement crafted.

The batteries were installed, Reg produced a marvellous mosaic of decking to enclose them, and I would defy anyone to gaze upon this grand entrance and realise just what is hidden underneath.

There is so much more that could be said, so much that is seen and unseen. This truly is a bespoke boat, it is the one that Braidbar built for me, and it is my home.

Winter is a hard time to move aboard a boat, the wind howls and the ice creaks and groans against the hull but everything inside is warm and cosy. My brother would think I had gone soft, he might be right, I don’t care, here’s looking at you kid.