A Trip To Ortomarine Boats

After our visit a few days ago to ABNB Brokerage at Crick, we took another look at our finances, had a long chat about all the used boats we'd seen and finally decided that we were looking for a new narrowboat, or to have a new one built for us.

A few weeks ago at the Crick Boat Show we saw Ortomarine's new narrowboat 'Sloop John T' (Strangest name at the show) and we loved it, so we arranged a trip to see a couple of their other new-build boats at Droitwich Spa Marina.

On the stern of Ortomarine's new boat 'Mokoro'.

We'd already met Caroline and Rob at the Crick Boat Show, and it was really nice to see them again on this hot summer's day in Droitwich. The marina is just up the road from where we bought our very first narrowboat fourteen years ago, and it felt a bit strange revisiting the area after so long.

Ortomarine's two boats here at Droitwich had only recently been launched. Neither were built purposely as liveaboards for continuous cruising, but they were a great indicator of the quality and design that we'd seen on the Crick boat.

Caroline has a real flair when it comes to tasteful design.

It was a really hot day, 33c, so it was very warm on the boats. The first boat we looked at, 'Mokoro' had really large windows. Great if you could take them out and enjoy what bit of breeze there was across the marina. But we were filming our vlog, so the windows had to stay in, and we were BOILING!

The stress levels began to rise when I was trying to record a piece to camera explaining the fantastic engine, battery and solar management system that was built into the boat. The heat was stifling! The sun was shining on me, there was no breeze, and I was drenched in sweat! (Not attractive!). After about a dozen attempts at getting the words out I was getting more and more agitated. My ASD causes me to become really stressed and anxious very quickly, and I just couldn't do it any more.

You can see what happened in the vlog (Link below).

Apart from that minor meltdown it was a really nice day. Caroline and Rob brought cakes, and we had a great time exploring their boats.

Ultimately, the cost of what was included, along with build-slots and timescales meant that it wasn't an option for us, but the decision wasn't a reflection on their boats. The very cool way that Caroline designed the movable dinette was amazing! We can't wait to see them next time at Crick to see what they've come with.

You can watch the vlog by Clicking Here

See you next time!