Samuel Charles is certainly a head-turner. Externally it is most elegant. Internally it features many novel design concepts and finishes. We liked the aft cabin and its versatile use of space. We liked the finish of the bathroom, though the walk-through layout would not suit everybody. The galley we thought was superb, both in finish and layout. The saloon was beautifully finished though did not seem to be this long, and the long cockpit was a personal preference of the owner. Reduce this by 6ft, and the saloon by the same and you have a 58 footer which is where the project started. And so it goes round!

Fernwood intended this boat to be a showcase for their design ideas and construction techniques, and as such it does not directly reflect what their more typical craft would be like. Even so it does give a good indication of the standards they work to. Similarly the price of £100,000 is clearly not typical, but for their standard 57ft craft they would quote £50,000 inc VAT.

And finally, if you want to see for yourself, the boat will be on show at the IWA Festival at Waltham Abbey, 25-28th August.