Waterways World Jan 2002

Alvechurch Boat Centres is one of the largest hire companies on the system, operating from strategically placed bases at Alvechurch, Anderton, Gayton and Wrenbury. Its fleet of close on a hundred boats ranges from the diminutive Wyen, which has two-plus-two berths and two English Tourist Council amenity stars, to the full-length Warbler, sleeping seven and earning the maximum possible five stars. In between are boats with lengths and layouts to suit every type of group up to twelve people.

As well as operating the boats, ABC designs and builds them at its base on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. The team of steel fabricators, engineers and wood workers is led by Bob Southerland – Bob the Builder – who worked for several boatyards and hire companies before arriving at Alvechurch. Bob’s practical and administrative skills have enabled him to organise the production schedules so that each of the twelve boats that the company produces each year comes out on time and on budget.

ABC has undergone a complete change of management in recent years and the new managing director, Edward Helps, has been looking at new avenues for the company to explore. Shared ownership was one possibility considered but ABC already services the boats of a company well established in that field and did not want to compete with it. Instead, he has agreed to build and operate boats for a new timeshare company called Deckshare. Four boats, very similar in design to ABC’s hire fleet, will be built over this winter, followed by sixteen more in the next fire years. The boats will be based at Gayton and Anderton.

Other activities that ABC is involved in are private moorings at Alvechurch, Anderton and Gayton, brokerage – the Skeets sold their previous boat at Alvechurch – and RYA Helmsman’s courses which have become very popular in recent years.

Why, oh why?

I was keen to find out why a buyer would commission a private boat from a company that spends most of its time building hire boats – and why that same company would want to get involved in producing private boats. The first part of the answer was provided by Richard and Pat who said that they were impressed by the quality and the comprehensive specification of Kiwi Explorer, the previous private boat that ABC had built. They wanted a boat that was practical rather than innovative and reckoned that ABC’s experience of building and operating its own hire boats must have taught it what works and what does not. Also, if anything did go wrong, they would never be very far from one of the ABC’s bases where there was a team that knew exactly how the boat was built and should be able to put it right in the shortest possible time.

Bob Southerland provided the second part by pointing out that producing boats to standard layouts and specification may be an efficient way of working but it did become rather monotonous after a time. By introducing one or two private boats into the schedule every year, he and his workforce had the interest of a personal relationship with the owners and were able to share in their enthusiasm as the project proceeded. It also gave him the opportunity to discover at first hand the latest trends in private boats and assess whether these might be incorporated into the hire fleet.

Kalikamara

Richard and Pat’s new boat was completed in August 2001, exactly one year after their previous boat had been sold. I caught up with it on a mellow day in late September and found the Skeets settling in well.

In spite of its different livery, traditional stern and modified counter shape, the shell is easily recognisable as an Alvechurch. ABC finds that its hire customers prefer cruiser or semi-traditional sterns but the Skeet’s previous boat was traditional and they liked the extra internal space it provided. The larger semi-circular counter was requested in preference to the normal elliptical shape to make it easier for Pat’s mother to get on and off the boat. It also has the effect of making the fuel tank larger – a fact which pleased Richard and Pat when they remembered that the price for the boat included full deck gear and a tank full of diesel.

Some years ago ABC developed the ecohull with a bulbous stern post and double curved swim. The design was intended to eliminate bank eroding wash and also reduces fuel consumption by up to 25%. Several boats in ABC’s hire fleet have econhulls and it can still produce them if required but, with an additional cost of £1,500 to £2,000 and diesel being so relatively cheap, it is not surprising that most private customers join the Skeet’s in foregoing them.

Under the front deck I found one example of ABC’s hire boat practice prevailing over the accepted norm for a private boat. Most private buyers these days specify a separate – usually stainless steel – water tank with a large removable hatch in the front deck. Both argues that stainless steel does not weld as easily as mild steel and, if a split does develop, a great deal of upheaval is needed to deal with it. Regular cleaning and painting is part of the winter maintenance schedule for the fleet and two filters are fitted in the pipe supplying the galley cold tap to ensure purity. If the Skeets find the maintenance routine becomes tiresome in the coming years, a flexible tank liner could be added.

Experience from the hire fleet is also evident in way the water reaches the taps. Under the front steps into the cabin are two water pumps, one for the hot supply and one for the cold. This arrangement gives power shower performance in the bathroom and, should either pump fail, the remaining pump can be used to deliver hot and cold by simply opening an inter-connecting valve.

The planning of Kalikamara follows fairly conventional lines except for the addition of a convertible dinette between the front saloon and the galley. This means that in a length of 54ft, individual spaces are not generous but all are adequate. American white oak is used for the cabin sides and wood work while the ceiling is in maple. This is sprayed with seven coats of matt water-based lacquer which has provided remarkably durable on the hire fleet, as has the Flotex carpeting which covers the floor.

The saloon has a solid fuel stove, TV cupboard, shelves over the radiator, a magazine rack and two dark green recliners for seating. Moving one of these chairs reveals a door and a set of drawers in the back of the dinette to give easier access to the storage space under the seats.

The galley takes the circulation route from the port to the starboard side, avoiding the ‘railway carriage’ effect. Pat wanted to carry the dark green theme through to the galley equipment but none of the usual makes of cooker seemed quite the right colour. She was very pleased when Bob found a Belling model that fitted the space and matched the sink and drainer.

The bathroom has an electric cassette toilet with a hatch in the corridor partition for changing the cassette. A spare cassette is stored in a separate cupboard under the curved vanity unit. The dimensions of the wall cupboard over the vanity unit were tailored to avoid any banging of heads while washing. Space has been saved in the bedroom by building in the bed on three sides with an airing cupboard over the hot water cylinder, accessible over foot of the bed.

ABC has recently been appointed as an Isuzu dealer and fits these engines in all new hire boats. The 1.7 litre 4LC38 fitted in Kalikamara has a starboard mounted alternator which projects into the corridor slightly so the removable engine covers have a small extension to accommodate it. Since the engine is also fitted with an Aquadrive unit, Richard noted that, with hind-sight, it might have been possible to eliminate this by mounting the engine parallel to the port swim plate. Noise from the engine is further reduced by another TW Marine accessory – a hospital generator silencer. Of Kalikamara’s six batteries, four are for domestic needs and two are dedicated to the engine and the Eberspacher diesel boiler which provides hot water for the heating system. Poorly installed, forced draught diesel boilers can create noise nuisance for the owner and for boats moored nearby but this one is quite quiet both inside and out.

Access to the weed hatch on traditional-sterned boats – especially those with no boatman’s cabin – is never easy, so a hinged panel with an internal lock is provided in the rear deck. Another useful detail is the braker step just inside the rear door to allow the steerer to get up and perch n the room beside the hatch while steering.

This is the first boat I have reviewed with an Isuzu engine so I was keen to see how it performed. Starting was very easy and, as expected, there was little noise from the installation except for a light knocking from the combustion system which soon disappeared as the engine warned up. Under way, the boat and engine were responsive to the tiller and controls, and a quick burst of reverse pulled us up very smartly when another boat appeared at a junction. I was particularly impressed with the way Kalikamara steered in reverse even on a fairly shallow stretch of canal. Bob tells me that their boats often have to reverse into position on turn round days so this ability has been built in.

Having had such a chequered boating career, the Skeets count themselves very fortunate to have been able to commission a brand new boat and are delighted with the result. They were very pleased by the attention to detail, quality of fittings and comprehensiveness of the original price – only out and out additions were charged as extras. Although kalikamara’s specification is quite similar to the more recent hire boats, Bob says that he calculated the price from first principles, estimating the cost of all the materials and labour needed. For all that, the price came out very close to the popular rule of thumb of £1,000 a foot. ABC has a healthy order book and has just taken an order for a boat to be completed in 2004 although, if you are tempted, there are just a few vacant building slots in between.

Waterways World Mag - Jan 2002

Kalikamara the boat that Bob built