“Amastra” is our 13th serial electric narrowboat, built on a 60’ long Tim Tyler shell with a semi-cruiser stern style. The all-electric propulsion is provided by a powerful brushless motor (with 18kW peak) and there is a Fischer Panda PVMV-N 8000x (keel cooled) generator to charge the 800Ahr LiFePO4 battery bank when the solar is not generating sufficient power. The solar array matches that of our previous 61ft boat “Bears Afloat” with 14 x 200W panels giving a total of 2.8kW
Steve & Eileen are both experienced boaters, with Steve having a background as a Marine Engineer and Eileen earning her officer stripes as Shell Tanker’s first female Deck Officer, so you could say boating is in their blood! Not only have their careers been marine related, but they have also enjoyed being part owners of a shared narrowboat for the last several years. All this experience meant that they had a very clear idea of the design features they wanted for their dream boat.
Two of the highest priority requirements for Eileen were a bath and somewhere to dry washing. The whole of the aft cabin stern area was designed with these requirements in mind. There is a large Vetus dual coil 100l calorifier mounted horizontally on the floor (port side) with a large drying cupboard above. The galley follows the aft area, the standout features here are the epoxy resin worktops (made by Adam at Epoxy Tables) and the neon AMASTRA sign! The worktop pattern was inspired by the Indian Ocean, taken from a photo that Steve and Eileen took on a much-loved holiday in the Maldives.
The galley features a multizone induction hob, a full size washing machine, an undercounter larder fridge and separate undercounter freezer. We rarely now fit a conventional oven on our boats as there are so many alternatives available for small spaces. Eileen found a great compact combi oven unit (microwave/air fryer/oven) which makes great use of the space.
The main living area includes a pullman dinette which provides storage for the LiFePo4 batteries. There is a 32” smart TV which Steve and Eileen can watch from the comfort of their Sofabed Barn Lichfield corner sofa, which also has the benefit of turning into a bed ready to accommodate any visitors to the boat. There is also a Corner Bubble 4kW Diesel Stove ready for those cold, winter evenings.
In the bathroom you will see the photo that inspired the galley worktops, as Steve & Eileen loved the image so much that they opted to use it as the shower panel behind their Omnitub extra deep bathtub. There is also a Compoost Deluxe composting toilet.
Steve and Eileen loved the design of the bedroom on “Felicity” so opted to incorporate a similar design for their own build. There is a 2’6” fixed single bed on the port side, that doubles as a sofa during the daytime. The starboard side has a folding 2’6” bed, which folds neatly into an oak effect unit during the day, but by night can be folded down to meet the fixed bed to form a large double bed.
Externally the bow and stern areas are covered with Tek-Dek in Marabou Teak with black caulk.
As with all of our new boats, the fuel tank was filled with HVO at launch, which contributes to our boats starting out as environmentally friendly as possible – we are hoping that HVO will become more widely available on the canal network in time.
