RIGHT FROM THE START…

In 2003 my husband David suddenly announced that he thought we should buy a cheap second hand narrowboat that could be 'done up' for our own use. He would re-fit and modernise the boat himself. Infact, he had already looked at one at our local marina in need of complete refurbishment & restoration.

!n the year dot, well 1970 to be precise, he had spent a week afloat, with his mates, on a hired narrow boat, cruising from Leighton Buzzard to Loughborough and back, (did I say cruise; they must have gone like a steam train to cover the distance).
It had obviously made a huge impression on him, as it was rated one of his best holiday experiences. I on the other hand had never been on a narrow boat, infact, I don't do boats, as anything that moves gives me chronic motion sickness.

Not to be deterred, David persuaded me that I didn't know what I was missing, so we started visiting marinas, "just to see what's about", you understand!
We looked at a lot of second user boats up and down the country from Bedford to Daventry and beyond. Eventually we decided that second user was not for us, (did I say we!). I decided that if we were really going to sail off into the sunset, the boat had to be right, this meant fitted out to our, especially my, requirements.

This is when the problems started, Sooooo many choices. What Hull? What fitter? What engine? What style? What length?... the list goes on, and of course when you ask "what do you think" every man and his dog has his own ideas

DECISION MADE…
…LOOKING FOR A BUILDER

The next step was to find a hull builder and fitter. We looked at many different hulls and even more fit outs At the same time still looking at second user boats for inspiration on how to make the best use of the limited space available when we finally made the order for our own boat.

On yet another visit to Braunston Marina, Dave was in the office gathering information on the latest brokerage, while I waited outside. Right in front of me was a narrow boat, with the side doors open and fitting noises floating from inside. I popped my head through the hatch and sure enough the boat was in the throws of being fitted out, and very nicely at that. I spoke to the young man working, beginning with 'is this yours'. It was, and he invited me aboard for a better look. We chatted away for a good twenty minutes. He answered all the questions that previously I could not get a straight answer too.

In the meantime Dave thought I had been abducted by aliens, as I had just vanished while he was in the sales office. He finally heard my rather distinctive laugh, his head suddenly popped through the hatch, found at last, to his relief (or that's what he told me!).
He came aboard and admired the workmanship of the fit out and chatted away. We left full of enthusiasm and with answers to questions that had once seemed so complicated, clutching a piece of scrap paper with the scribbled phone number of a young fitter, doing his first self employed solo fit, after serving an apprenticeship and 9 years with Colecraft.

THE NEXT STEP…
…A LIFE CHANGING PHONE CALL

We still spent weeks after this meeting looking at hulls and fit outs all over the country.
We were definitely going to place an order, so plans were drawn up for the fit out of the boat. (Luckily for us, Dave's brother Andrew is an architect, so he was put to work).
We had a few quotations for the supply and fit of a cruiser stern narrow boat, but decided in late December 2003 to have a meeting with the young boat fitter we had met by chance at Braunston Marina at the beginning of the year.
Clutching the scrap of paper with his number on, Dave made the call that would change our lives.

We sent the drawings off and by return a written quotation was received from Daren Aldridge Boats. The price was right, so were a few remarks on alterations that would make the fit out even better. (This being our first boat there are things you just don't think of).

I decided that Darren should have the job, (I don't think I was influenced by his looks, 6ft 4inches tall, blonde and drop dead gorgeous) as Dave agreed with me, (and Darren was definitely not his type!)

Dave decided that as we wanted a cruiser stern, Colecraft was his choice as he liked the look of their workmanship and finish.
At last the deal was done.
Colecraft would build the hull and Darren Aldridge Boats would do the fit out.