Before spending a lot of money on a brand new boat, buy a used one first and see what works and what doesn’t, then you will have the knowledge to commission your perfect boat.
Words by Adam Porters | Pictures by Andy Annable
It’s often said that you don’t really know what you like and need in a boat until you have one – particularly if you don’t have a huge amount of boating experience. And that’s a problem if you’ve just spent a six-figure sum on a new one. That’s why the advice often given is to buy a used boat first, figure out what works and what doesn’t, and only then commission a new build.
That’s what Jan and Dave Bourne did – and it’s just as well, because the boat they bought first and the one they subsequently commissioned were completely different. While they loved their first boat, they realised it didn’t really work for them and their family. So when they came to commission a new boat, they swapped a trad stern for a semi-cruiser to better accommodate their family, and went from a standard layout to a reverse, so they weren’t coming in through the bedroom the whole time.
They’d been looking for another used boat, but a friend suggested they look at Aintree Boats, who are known for their good value builds. So they visited the company in Liverpool and put in their order.
EXTERIOR
Aintree build their own shells, and this is a 58ft example. We’ve always rather liked the curvy bow, and the steelwork looks good. The gas locker is in the nose, and the water tank is under the well deck. The deck itself has lockers both sides, with one containing a diesel tank dedicated to the stove. The well deck is covered by a cratch, and we were pleased to see it was held up by a traditional cratch board rather than the metal frames which seem to have taken over; the shape is much more traditional.
The boat has a large square semi-cruiser stern. This arrangement maximises the space available – but over time the corners will inevitably get bashed. There are lockers both sides of the deck, which have been built wide enough to take folding bikes. They also offer plenty of storage space for mooring stakes, windlasses and suchlike. There are cushions for the lockers, and for the bench seat across the back of the boat.
The deck has little doors each side, as the couple sometimes have a dog on board, and they wanted to be able to keep it on board. The whole area is covered by a huge pram cover. These never do the lines of a boat any favours, but they do mean that when moored there’s a sort of inside-outside space that’s good for taking off boots and wet coats, and generally just increases usable space. In spite of its size, it takes just a few minutes to fold the cover down before setting off.
The colour scheme uses two different greys with a white coachline in between, and handrails in bright red. Jan designed the heart motif on the bow flashes, and the style of the signwriting for the name. It was painted by Rob Wagg, who’s included some bottle kilns which say Stoke-on-Trent (the couple’s home town) to anyone in the know.
LAYOUT AND FITOUT
This is a reverse layout boat, with the galley at the stern. Next comes a Pullman dinette which leads into the saloon. A walk-through shower room comes next, with the cabin at the bow. The fitout uses painted panels above the gunwales, with oak below. All the trim is solid oak, along with the built in furniture. It’s smart and contemporary – and all the joinery looks top notch. The floor through most of the boat is also oak.
GALLEY
Steps lead down from the back deck into the galley, and they have lifting treads for storage. On one side is the electrical cupboard, while on the opposite side is a cupboard with hanging space for coats; the bottom half contains the calorifier, so this will provide some warmth. Next is a full height unit containing a Thetford gas oven at mid-level, with drawers below and a cupboard above. The microwave was supposed to go in here, but it’s a little too high for Jan to reach! Completely within reach are drawers in the kickboards, making sure no space is wasted.
All the unit doors are in a deep blue; one hides a 12-volt Shoreline fridge. There’s also a very futuristic-looking Beko washer dryer. The worktops are Corian in a white speckled finish, and include a moulded sink with a smart tap with a pull-out hose.
Other equipment includes a Thetford three-burner gas hob, and there’s a pull-out freezer in the end of the dinette. Jan has added lots of personal touches, including a magnetic knife holder high up on the cabin side, and a little egg holder.
DINETTE AND SALOON
The Pullman dinette has side doors with glazed inners on both sides of the boat, making it a pleasant place to sit. The table drops down to convert the area into a guest double bed. While the freezer takes up some of the space under one of the bench seats, there’s a drawer in the end of the other, and longer term storage beyond. There’s another drawer under the raised floor.
In the saloon, there’s a book case on the back of the dinette, providing storage and display space. The sofa is a Richmond sofa bed from Sofa Bed Barn; it has narrow arms which don’t take up too much space, and means there’s another double berth on board. Opposite is a flat screen tv in a unit.
The stove is a diesel fired Refleks on an attractive hearth backed with grey brick-pattern tiles. Jan and Dave’s last boat had a solid fuel stove, and while they preferred the look of that, they say the Refleks is much less messy, and there’s no need to find storage space for coal or logs. On the opposite side of the boat is a drinks cabinet, with a cupboard below and a glazed unit above with a light inside, a piece of furniture that was a special requirement for Jan.
The portholes are double glazed units from Caldwell’s; above each is a wall light with a glass shades. There’s also under gunwale lighting, which attractively washes the hull sides with light.
SHOWER ROOM
The generous quadrant shower is lined with a sparkly laminate, which Jan says is much easier to keep clean that the tiles on their previous boat. There’s a corner unit with a Corian worktop and a top mounted large white oval basin, with a smart tap behind. The loo is from Compoost, and is a separating unit. They had a similar toilet on their last boat, and liked the way it worked.
CABIN
This boat has a cross bed, which means it can be wider than you might otherwise get. This one makes up very easily: there’s a unit under the gunwale with a flap that drops down to fill the space – and has its own section of mattress contained within it. It means you don’t have to manhandle unwieldy mattress extensions.
There’s masses of storage, with a double wardrobe each side of the bed. A little bit of space from each of them has been stolen, to give a cubby hole for each occupant, complete with charging sockets. There are more cupboards above the head of the bed, with an attractive arch over the porthole.
There’s more storage in the bed base, with three large drawers in the end, and longer term storage beyond. There’s also a corner unit, which has a 12-volt Cello tv on a bracket above it. Glazed doors lead out onto the well deck.
TECHNICAL
This boat is fairly straightforward technically. It’s powered by the ubiquitous Beta 43 engine – which the couple were familiar with as their previous boat had one. For extra manoeuvrability, there’s a Vetus 75kgf bow thruster. Electrical power comes from a 660Ah bank of Victron lithium iron batteries. It’s worth noting that these are LiFePo4 batteries, which use much more stable chemistry that the lithium ion ones found in phones and cars that have developed a reputation for catching fire. There are further batteries for the engine and the bow thruster.
A Victron 3kw Multiplus inverter charger looks after the charging of the batteries and provides a 230-volt supply. There are two 575 watt solar panels on the roof – which demonstrate how solar technology has improved. Being able to get an array of more than a kilowatt from just two panels is remarkable. A Victron MPPT controller manages the charging from them. The boat has the Victron Cerbo monitoring system, which shows what’s going into the batteries and what’s being drawn from them, and has an app so everything can be remotely monitored from a smartphone.
The diesel heating comes from a 5kw boiler by Jova, which is similar to the more familiar models by Webasto and Eberspacher. Aintree started fitting Jova boilers after the pandemic, when there were supply problems with other brands, and say they have performed well.
ON THE WATER
Once the pram cover was down and we could set off, the boat performed well out on the water. The Beta engine is quiet, and the boat responds well to the tiller, going exactly where it’s pointed. The tiller itself is a little lower than Dave was used to, but he will adapt in time. As on many cruiser stern boats, the Morse control is perhaps a little low down. The column it’s on has the instrument panel set in the top, with a metal cover which flips out of the way. Switches for the lights and horn are on the front, while the bow thruster control is on the back – which isn’t the most convenient, and gets in the way of the cushions for the bench. The back deck gives plenty of room for crew, which is exactly what Jan and Dave wanted. All in all, it’s a very pleasant place to be.
CONCLUSION
This is a boat which has a very warm homely feel, no doubt helped by all the personal touches the owners have added. But the bones of the boat are also very sound: everything is nicely made and well fitted.
The couple paid around £156,000 for the boat – which these days is exceptional value for money. And while the diesel propulsion system is pretty standard, it has lithium batteries, plenty of solar, and a top of the range monitoring system – so it’s not lacking in tech. Aintree say a similar boat ordered this year would be around £162,000 which is still a very competitive price.
But more importantly, the boat works for the owners in a way that their previous one didn’t. They’ve done their research in the most practical way possible, and it’s paid off.
THE OWNERS
Jan and Dave Bourne have been enthusiastic campers and motor homers for years, and someone told them a few years back that they’d probably like canal boating. So they gave it a try, hiring a boat for a holiday, and immediately falling for the waterways. They bought their first boat a little while later, and loved it – while also realising it wasn’t right for them. They sold it 18 months later, when their new boat was on the way.
The couple have had varied careers. Jan worked as a painter at Royal Doulton for a while, which explains why she was able to design graphic elements of the exterior of this boat. Dave was a car sprayer and a school caretaker. But for the past decade or so they’ve been foster carers. Now though, their foster girls are old enough to live on their own, and Jan and Dave have made a dramatic life change. Their son is renting their house from them while they’ve moved on board. Their plan is to cover the whole network, and when that’s done they’ll probably go round again. .
Specification
Length: 58ft
Beam: 6ft 10in
Shell: Aintree Boats
Style: Semi-cruiser
Layout: Reverse
Berths: 2+2+2
Fit-out: oak and painted panels
Engine: Beta 43, www.betamarine.co.uk
Boiler: Jova H50, www.jovaheater.co.uk
Bow and stern thrusters: Vetus 75kgf www.vetus.com
Inverter: Victron 3kw www.victronenergy.com
Stove: Refleks www.lockgate.com
CONTACT
Aintree Boats
Unit 14-16 Brookfield Drive
Liverpool, L9 7AS
0151 523 9000
www.aintreeboats.co.uk
£156,000
As featured in the March 2025 issue of Canal Boat. Buy the issue here
