3 years ago, when illustrator
Tabby Booth let me share pictures of her awesome house boat 'The Long haired eel' on the Thames I was so pleased and so very envious of the stunning cozy space she and her partner had created. The little cubby bed on the floor, the yellow walls and that awesome kitchen..... and now this beautiful boat is for sale!
To see the listing (and to buy it for me) please visit the link here on
ebay
A bit about the Long Haired Eel.....
The Long-Haired Eel is a beautiful, completely unique 35ft
narrowboat. She has been our home for the last four and half years. But
now, reluctantly, it is time to sell her as we have just bought a
bigger boat.
She is the perfect size for one person or a couple and
would make an ideal first boat. Her main benefit is that she has all the
necessities for living aboard already, and therefore all the new owners
would need to do is make her their own! We have cleared everything out
and given it a white undercoat,
The outside of the boat has recently been repainted, and
there are windows all the way around. Entry is through a side door, and
opposite there is another set of side doors which can also be opened.
As you go in, and down a set of steps, you enter the
kitchen area. There is an LPG oven with two hobs; sink with hot and cold
running water; kitchen surface area, and plenty of storage.
Behind you is the electrical setup which consists of two
high quality leisure batteries, hooked up to a 240v 300w inverter. There
is lighting throughout the boat. The batteries are charged via 3 x 100w
solar panels. The glass on one of the panels is broken but still works
fine. There is also a battery charger which means the batteries can be
charged by generator if need be. However, we have found that the solar
panels will pretty much provide us with all the electricity we need.
To the left of the kitchen is the bathroom where there is a
small bath with shower; sink with hot and cold water, and portaloo.
Included with the boat is a marine pump out toilet, which could be
hooked up by the new owners easily. There is also a special water
filtration system which can filter river water into drinking water. We
have never got around to hooking this up, but again this is included if
you want it!
There are two water tanks on board which can be filled via skin fittings on the side of the boat.
Opposite the kitchen there is more storage and a fold out
desk. Moving through into the living area, there is a good sized open
space with a wood/coal burner which heats the space really well. There
are shelves running along both sides of the walls and a newly varnished
wooden floor. All of the walls are fully insulated.
The absolute best part about this boat is the amazing
v-shaped bed in the front. It's two metres across and really
comfortable. There is also a hatch above it, which means that you can
lie in bed in Summer and look at the stars.
When we bought the boat, we were told that she was
handmade in Chelsea in roughly 1989 and that the hull had been
overplated with 3mm steel in 2011. Since then, she was blacked by us in
2014.
The engine is a 40hp Johnson Outboard with electric start,
which you can drive from a bench on the back with a steering wheel. As
we have always had the boat on a mooring, we haven't moved her a lot.
However, we were assured by a mechanic recently that it's a very good
engine and in very good condition.
She is fully licensed on EA waterways till
the end of 2016, but will need a new Boat Safety Certificate before
being re-licensed in 2017. She would also need a new Boat Safety
Certificate if you wanted to take her onto Canal and River Trust
waterways before 2017.
She is currently moored by Canbury Gardens in Kingston
upon Thames, but unfortunately we cannot offer this mooring with the
sale as we need the space for our new boat. She could easily be moved to
a new mooring, or alternatively you could use her to continuously
cruise. Around Kingston is a very good area for this, as there are
plenty of amazing places you can stay, as long as you move a couple of
times a week.
