“Electric Dragon” is a 60ft serial hybrid narrowboat built on an Alexander Boats semi-cruiser stern hull. The all-electric propulsion is provided by a powerful brushless motor (with 18kW peak) and there is a Fischer Panda PVMV-N 8000i generator to efficiently charge the 600 Ahr Lithium Battery bank, on days where the large solar array (2.4kW) doesn’t provide enough power for living and cruising. Most of our liveaboard owners with this configuration find they can use their boat without needing the generator for weeks at a time – even with the terrible summer weather we have had this year so far!
Bill & Karen (the owners) are experienced boaters so there were several aspects of the build which they knew they specifically wanted for their boat. They wanted large stern lockers, with stable doors at the stern, and at the bow they just wanted doors without side windows to maximise wardrobe space in the bedroom. They plan to liveaboard for large parts of the year, so wanted the galley to really be a home from home, complete with a Quooker tap, a full-size under-counter freezer, larder fridge, eye-level oven with integrated microwave above, washing machine, induction hob and large storage drawers providing plenty of easy-access storage.
The living area has a pullman dinette which provides storage for the LiFePo4 batteries in one of the bases, leaving the other one for storage. There is a large 43” smart TV mounted on the bulkhead, which Bill and Karen will watch from the comfort of an Ikea Kivik sofa with footstool. They chose to have a corridor bathroom to allow full access through the boat at all times. The bedroom has a full size 4’6” double bed with gas strut side lift, padded headboard with reading lights, overbed cupboard, double width wardrobe and additional 4 drawer dressing table.
