Piper 57N – “Nola” The Story So Far
For nearly 10 years Angela and I dreamed of life on the lakes and what it might be like to live on our very own barge. Having enjoyed cruising for a long time, we knew our ultimate ‘forever after’ home should be afloat, and so our search for the perfect barge began.
We had done the usual things, look at every boat for sale on Apollo Duck, visit lots of boat builders and indeed we even looked after a friend’s barge for a winter season.
All our research, endless sketches, late night conversations and pipe dreams (yes the clue was there all along) eventually led us to a phone call with Piper Boats. It wasn’t long before we arranged a trip to Biddulph and a meeting with Simon and Andrea Piper. When we got there we were hooked! We were delighted to meet a friendly, dedicated team, to see an amazing production facility and to experience what was, without question an exceptional barge build quality.
From CAD drawings on the computer we were able to work with the Piper team and see our dream become a reality. Nothing was too much trouble for their designers and with great advice, emails back and forth and the occasional visit to see other Piper Boats, we quickly chose our model, specification and colour. We had great fun choosing finishes, handles, carpets etc and it wasn’t long before our build was underway.
The first steel was cut in early December of last year and we were assured build would be completed by the end of May. I was amazed that such a quality boat could be turned around so quickly, but when you see the size of the team and realise that the craftsmanship comes from within, you soon realise that Piper do not make false promises nor cut any corners.
It felt like a long spell through winter and into spring, but we were excited to receive the call to invite us back to the factory at the end of April for a weekend on board, ahead of schedule! This consisted of staying on our barge in the Piper yard. When we arrived and saw it for the first time we were blown away! It truly was a majestic sight.
The idea of staying on board at the Piper factory is a great one. We were able to familiarise ourselves with the barge, ask lots of questions and snag any problems with the team. Again, nothing was too much trouble and our snag list was nothing in comparison to Simon Piper’s, he is a total perfectionist!
10 days later we took delivery of our 57N in Ireland and were joined by Simon and Andrea who came to make sure our barge was commissioned safely (and sample a good pint of Guinness). We had a problem with some internal damage during transportation, but again Piper Boats stepped up and got the issues resolved quickly and professionally thanks to two members of their amazing team.
Our next big issue of course was how we would find the transition from a 7 tonne fibreglass cruiser to a 32 tonne, 57 foot steel barge. The answer came very quickly, not a problem! The barge handles like a dream and is incredibly manoeuvrable. Getting into tight spaces isn’t a major issue as the barge does what you tell it to and wind and current don’t affect you like a cruiser. It is so stable, comfortable and cosy that you often forget you are on the water, until you look out the window.
On 09 June we had our boat officially launched and named ‘Nola’, by a very dear friend of ours, Nola Flynn. Mrs Flynn was joined by the local parish priest and we have now been blessed, launched and christened with champagne, so we’ve all angles covered and are good to go.
Our first big trip will take us around Lough Erne, then onto the Shannon, one of Europe’s largest inland waterways and we are planning to take a year to stop at every jetty and enjoy what we affectionately call the ‘craic’ (again this can involve large quantities of Guinness, and with Angela being a great singer we always get a warm welcome in the local hostelries)!
We really do turn heads everywhere we sail and there is nothing quite like Nola on the Irish waterways. We are somewhere between proud and smug!
Our thanks to all the team at Piper Boats for their incredible workmanship, dedication and commitment to building Nola. We are two very happy sailors and have no hesitation in recommending Piper to anyone considering a Dutch barge.
Mark & Angela Mulholland
57N Nola
