Our love of boats and boating started before we were even married, Tracy and I decided wanted to live on a boat. Over 20 years ago we seized that opportunity, for a bargain, buying a 60 ketch (partly built) and for 6 blissful weeks on the Pittwater, Sydney, Australia, we awoke to the water lapping on the hull and the warm salt winds. Unfortunately, when we took her out of the water, we discovered that she was essentially being held together with the great barrier reef. Sadly we returned her to the vendor.
Following on from that, we had a few different boats and dreams, from renovating a double decker bus to travel Australia, to owning a 40 foot Mustang cruiser; one thing was always the same, we wanted to live on a boat full time. Our biggest hurdle presented was that, in Australia, you can’t legally live on your boat in Sydney – you can “stay” on your boat, but not live full time on your boat. We began looking at options and opportunities. We explored the possibilities of a yacht, catamarans, power cruisers, narrow boats and wide-beams … then we saw a Dutch barge and realised this was exactly what we had been looking for, not only could we live on the water but with some careful planning we could work on the water.
We came to realise that our dream now was to cruise through Europe on a Dutch barge. To be able to do this, it would not be feasible to travel back and forth from Australia to Europe a few times a year and ultimately, we wanted to be on the water full time. It was then that we discovered that Tracy’s linage allowed her a Visa that would let us stay in the UK for 5 years, with further options after that. Ok, so it was UK not Europe, but it was a starting point.
Once decided that we definitely wanted a Dutch barge and that we could be in Europe/UK for 5 years, we concluded that we wanted a builder that we could see in person and not a broker. It was important to us that we were a part of the design process and we would be able to witness the construction of the boat too. After many discussions and looking around we settled on Piper Boats. Their reputation was glowing, very well regarded and highly respected in the industry.
After attending the Henley event in 2015, we decided on the 57N model with no changes. Between selling our business and a few other hurdles, we finished with a 60 x 13 foot with custom EVERYTHING! The Piper family were extremely patient with us as our modifications were plenty, and at times challenging. We appreciate that we were probably not the easiest to deal with, especially since the build was started whilst we were still in Australia. We always felt very welcomed every time we came to the factory to see the build in progress and loved being part of the design and technological development of the boat. It was very important to us that the boat had all the “bells and whistles” that allowed us to live a modern lifestyle and facilitate our work at the same time.
The bathroom was perhaps the most challenging part of the build. Above all, we wanted a bath. Without compromising on space (as it is so limited on a boat), we decided on a Japanese soaker tub. This meant that the footprint was far smaller that a typical bath, but what it lacked in length, it more than made up for in depth! Often when you go on holidays, it is the little things that make the accommodation special – the sort of things that you normally would not have in a home bathroom. This bathroom on the barge is a complete wet room with rain fall shower, it has the soaker tub, waterproof TV, fully tiled, and under gunnel lighting. Water usage is not a problem with the massive water tank, large enough to swim in, as as she has a residential mooring, so the water is of course is easy to replenish.
Second on our list was an office space that was comfortable to work in but could be closed up and walk away from it all, and on the off chance we had a visitor they could have another bed. Piper delivered, with enough work space for 2 comfortably.
Piper Boats delivered above and beyond what we asked for and we have everything we need and room for more. As technology is forever changing, improving, and automating, our barge has the capacity for these upgrades as they happen, ensuring that we have the latest and greatest.
We’ve thought about what we would do differently if we ever built a boat again and the only thing I’ve come up with is, NOTHING. We loved how Piper accommodated our wishes, we argued/discussed things we wanted and Simon had some salty responses. The build was a massive learning curve and we cannot be happier, not only did we get our barge, we got our lives back.
Shaun & Tracy
DB Ascension
