Welcome to our Big Orange Boat!
SALE NOW AGREED ON OUR BIG ORANGE BOAT!!
We have finally bitten the bullet, and are letting go of our much loved Big Orange Boat. We have moored her on a private long-term residential mooring in the brilliant little creative Pennine town of Hebden Bridge, on the trainline between Leeds and Manchester and within perfect commuting distance from both. She sits on the Rochdale Canal, moored about a 5 minute walk from the train station.
The Rochdale Canal, and our neighbours at Mayroyd Moorings
We have lived happily on our 62ft narrowboat for two years, and don't actually want to sell her. But we now have a large and very bouncy Airedale, and want a proper garden for him to romp in, and we would like to start a family, and don't feel there would be enough room for everyone.
We have done a good deal of work to her since moving in, including fitting a complete bathroom (there wasn't one) including the floor, fitting plumbing and hot water, fitting a diesel stove, repositioning the back bulkhead to extend the bedroom (a really good size for a narrowboat bedroom), building a full size double bed with a memory foam mattress, redecorating the lounge, kitchen and bedroom and fitting a full size washing machine, new cooker and new 12v fridge. We also bought the best new Thetford cassette toilet money can buy, with two cassettes and a spare seat and lid... luxury boat living!
The Big Orange Boat has got a Diesel Lister engine, which works well for cruising, and we sail her up the canal into Hebden fairly often to stop for the night to empty toilets, refill diesel etc. We have taken her a little further towards Todmorden, but have mainly just lived on her. She has been comfortable and warm, and a good home for us. We weren't ready to commit to a mortgage, so bought her outright after some hard saving, and she has definitely been a better deal financially than repaying a mortgage or renting.
She is situated on a long-term private residential mooring with Mayroyd Moorings, and a new owner may well be able to take over the long-term mooring, once we agree it with the landlord. Please note, this is subject to agreement.
The mooring is around 80ft long, with wooden decking which was replaced a year ago, and a big 5ft x 7ft shed. There is enough room for a table and bench or two, and loads of space to make a proper rockery garden on the steep bank next to us. We get the same nesting blue-tits in the bird box above the boat every year.
You can feed the ducks out of the hatch, but beware they will be your best friends forever if you do.
There is a good community feel to Mayroyd, and we get on very well with all our neighbours. We will genuinely miss them as much as the boat.
The Big Orange Narrowboat was blacked in 2011, when she was taken into the dry dock so that she could be surveyed and have the hull density measured.
We have done a good deal of work to her since moving in, including fitting a complete bathroom (there wasn't one) including the floor, fitting plumbing and hot water, fitting a diesel stove, repositioning the back bulkhead to extend the bedroom (a really good size for a narrowboat bedroom), building a full size double bed with a memory foam mattress, redecorating the lounge, kitchen and bedroom and fitting a full size washing machine, new cooker and new 12v fridge. We also bought the best new Thetford cassette toilet money can buy, with two cassettes and a spare seat and lid... luxury boat living!
The Big Orange Boat has got a Diesel Lister engine, which works well for cruising, and we sail her up the canal into Hebden fairly often to stop for the night to empty toilets, refill diesel etc. We have taken her a little further towards Todmorden, but have mainly just lived on her. She has been comfortable and warm, and a good home for us. We weren't ready to commit to a mortgage, so bought her outright after some hard saving, and she has definitely been a better deal financially than repaying a mortgage or renting.
She is situated on a long-term private residential mooring with Mayroyd Moorings, and a new owner may well be able to take over the long-term mooring, once we agree it with the landlord. Please note, this is subject to agreement.
The mooring is around 80ft long, with wooden decking which was replaced a year ago, and a big 5ft x 7ft shed. There is enough room for a table and bench or two, and loads of space to make a proper rockery garden on the steep bank next to us. We get the same nesting blue-tits in the bird box above the boat every year.
You can feed the ducks out of the hatch, but beware they will be your best friends forever if you do.
There is a good community feel to Mayroyd, and we get on very well with all our neighbours. We will genuinely miss them as much as the boat.
The Big Orange Narrowboat was blacked in 2011, when she was taken into the dry dock so that she could be surveyed and have the hull density measured.
The Big Orange Boat features:
- 2 fixed berth
- 1 giant 1 yr old double sofa-bed in lounge for extra 2 berth
- Space for 1 further berth (but would need bed putting in) currently housing washing machine and clothes storage
- Diesel Lister engine, starts and ticks over without any problem, and remarkably fuel-efficient
- 62ft length with maximised inside space: vital for liveaboards!
- 6ft 10" beam height
- Extra 40cm width inside as no external gunnels
- Dark stained hardwood floorboards in kitchen and lounge area
- New 4-hob gas oven with grill- gas all sorted with external gas bottles, safety checked.
- One hatch with integrated steps, one hatch used as an occasional window
- Morco water heater
- Square Belfast sink with gold taps
- Tons of storage in drawers and behind doors under bed
- Full size new washing machine and tumble drier in one, 7kg (lifesaver!)
- Good size white hip bath
- 1yr old Thetford cassette toilet with spare cassette and spare seat (see pics)
- New mosaic blue tiling in bathroom
- New stove surround and sink tiling in Spanish imported tiles (!)
- New light varnished wood flooring in bathroom with matching bath surround
- New under tabletop 12v fridge with inverter to 240v when hooked up
- 12v spot LED lighting throughout on separate switches, fitted a year ago: very bright for a narrowboat, especially in the bedroom
- 12v retro-style lamps for spot-lighting and less battery use
- Newly built full size double bed with thick memory foam mattress and tons of storage underneath
- Newly built bright and cheerful bedroom: before there was just room for a bunk lengthways, now it is quite spacious! Enough bookshelving to keep everything ship-shape.
- Newly painted lounge, kitchen, hallway and ceilings
- Brand new Whale Gulper waterpump
- Automatic fitted bilge pump with easily accessible over-ride switch
- Easily accessible water pump switch (water pump installed under bed)
- Bath waste-water pump-out switch in bathroom cabinet
- New Kabola diesel stove and backburner: no smoke, faster heat, and you can keep it on for days at a time without worrying
- Newish chimney top
- Bedroom radiator and bathroom towel rail plumbed into backburner
- Diesel tank for stove fitted inside front steps
- Newly built front steps leading down to wooden double stable doors with windows
- 3rd berth space currently with 2 x clothing rails of 6ft each
- 2 newish leisure batteries in engine room
- 2 large water containers plumbed in for water storage, and water point available on next mooring. water included in mooring rates.
More details...
She is slightly wider than a narrowboat inside as she does not feature the standard gunnels, so giving an extra 40cm or so width across. It all makes a difference, and she does feel wider than most narrowboats, especially in the bathroom and lounge.
The Big Orange Boat is a highly liveable residential narrowboat, and we believe that the original builder had intended her for residential use, maximising inside space.
The Big Orange Boat is a highly liveable residential narrowboat, and we believe that the original builder had intended her for residential use, maximising inside space.
The Not-Perfect Still To Do bits
Not to say that our Big Orange Boat is perfect. There are still niggles, and things we want to fix. So in the interest of fairness and honesty, I have added this 'bad bits' section. They are generally easily DIY-able items, but we have not had a whole lot of time or money to complete everything with since we arrived.
Engine room: This is very basic and needs updating, painting and a good old clean. We believe the engine control board has not been updated since original build. It works ok, but the engine (which is solid, and a Lister diesel engine) is controlled via a thread rather than a lever: it just needs some TLC. It would be pretty cheap to fix up though. The whole engine room could do with some jiggling around. We left it until last because it was not high on our agenda, with it being mainly a liveaboard.
Water tank: One day we would like a giant water tank as well. At the moment we have plumbed in two giant water butts (located in the engine room), but it would be better to be able to hold more water, and this was only ever a temporary measure. This one is probably the biggest item on our To Do list, and will cost around £700 to complete.
Paint: Well, yes, she is very orange. We have got used to it, but could see that she would be a lot nicer, and look more cared for, if she were repainted in green or something less... bright. The previous owner painted her in JCB paint, so it is really tough and hard-wearing. But unfortunately also orange. We wanted to paint her green, but time and money haven't allowed for it (usual story).
Bunk room space: We installed a new washing machine/drier and clothes hanging rails in the 'bunk berth area', but had plans to to fit it back out as a 'second bedroom' as well, with a fitted bunk above the washing machine (definitely enough room) and storage cupboards underneath for clothes. We wanted to fit sliding doors to section it off from the hallway as a wardrobe cum bunk room for guests, which would be very possible.
Kitchen Flooring: There are plans to replace some of the floorboards in the kitchen under the hatch area as they are soft underfoot.
Hatch doors: We would like to insulate the hatch doors, at the moment they are just steel.
Shower: We have been planning to fit a shower for some time. We enjoy a cosy hot bath on a night ourselves, but it would be convenient to fit a shower over it as well.
Window: One of the windows has a crack down the pane. It has not bothered us at any point, but might be nice to change for aesthetic reasons. The window sill surrounds are (mostly) not finished, this will be a v quick job with a few bits of planking and some sandpaper. I have started, but there are so many windows...
Mooring: We wanted to create a rockery, a sectioned off private seating area (tons of room to do that) and have a mooring full of pot plants, but we haven't quite got to the outside yet.
That is a general list of things to do that we wanted to complete, but others may have different desires.
If you are wanting a brand new sail-away with zero character, the Big Orange Boat is not for you, but if you are after a well-priced, characterful floating home in a great location, and are handy with a screwdriver, she may well be perfect.
Engine room: This is very basic and needs updating, painting and a good old clean. We believe the engine control board has not been updated since original build. It works ok, but the engine (which is solid, and a Lister diesel engine) is controlled via a thread rather than a lever: it just needs some TLC. It would be pretty cheap to fix up though. The whole engine room could do with some jiggling around. We left it until last because it was not high on our agenda, with it being mainly a liveaboard.
Water tank: One day we would like a giant water tank as well. At the moment we have plumbed in two giant water butts (located in the engine room), but it would be better to be able to hold more water, and this was only ever a temporary measure. This one is probably the biggest item on our To Do list, and will cost around £700 to complete.
Paint: Well, yes, she is very orange. We have got used to it, but could see that she would be a lot nicer, and look more cared for, if she were repainted in green or something less... bright. The previous owner painted her in JCB paint, so it is really tough and hard-wearing. But unfortunately also orange. We wanted to paint her green, but time and money haven't allowed for it (usual story).
Bunk room space: We installed a new washing machine/drier and clothes hanging rails in the 'bunk berth area', but had plans to to fit it back out as a 'second bedroom' as well, with a fitted bunk above the washing machine (definitely enough room) and storage cupboards underneath for clothes. We wanted to fit sliding doors to section it off from the hallway as a wardrobe cum bunk room for guests, which would be very possible.
Kitchen Flooring: There are plans to replace some of the floorboards in the kitchen under the hatch area as they are soft underfoot.
Hatch doors: We would like to insulate the hatch doors, at the moment they are just steel.
Shower: We have been planning to fit a shower for some time. We enjoy a cosy hot bath on a night ourselves, but it would be convenient to fit a shower over it as well.
Window: One of the windows has a crack down the pane. It has not bothered us at any point, but might be nice to change for aesthetic reasons. The window sill surrounds are (mostly) not finished, this will be a v quick job with a few bits of planking and some sandpaper. I have started, but there are so many windows...
Mooring: We wanted to create a rockery, a sectioned off private seating area (tons of room to do that) and have a mooring full of pot plants, but we haven't quite got to the outside yet.
That is a general list of things to do that we wanted to complete, but others may have different desires.
If you are wanting a brand new sail-away with zero character, the Big Orange Boat is not for you, but if you are after a well-priced, characterful floating home in a great location, and are handy with a screwdriver, she may well be perfect.
More about the (current) mooring facilities
Electric: There is an electric meter on the next mooring along, and the residents on our section of Mayroyd Mooring own their own electric meters, so we get favourable rates. We run our own external 240v hook-up along from the neighbours mooring, and don't find it to be a problem. We haven't yet managed to overload it either, which is a big plus.
Water: There is a water point on the next mooring along as well, and water rates are included in the mooring costs.
Waste Pump-out: The nearest toilet pump-out is in Hebden centre, about a 7 minute walk, or a three hour round cruise, thanks to the locks on the Rochdale Canal.
Location: Our mooring is the last in the row before the footbridge, and access is pedestrian only, through a gate, via a small footpath and some steps.
Water: There is a water point on the next mooring along as well, and water rates are included in the mooring costs.
Waste Pump-out: The nearest toilet pump-out is in Hebden centre, about a 7 minute walk, or a three hour round cruise, thanks to the locks on the Rochdale Canal.
Location: Our mooring is the last in the row before the footbridge, and access is pedestrian only, through a gate, via a small footpath and some steps.