We shall start as always at the bow. This looks conventional, with an ornate deck hatch, but when you lift this, instead of finding gas bottles, you reveal a large empty locker, with room for stowing hoses, fenders and lines. Being all-electric, the auxiliary powers comes from a 10KW generator located in the engineroom.

The forward locker does in fact serve a secondary purpose as a drainage well for the long cockpit. The floor of this is below the waterline, giving extra headroom but meaning that any rainwater cannot self-drain over the side, so instead it runs forward, from where it is pumped overboard by an automatic bilge pump.

The cockpit is 9ft long, with small slated locker lids at the front, but otherwise no fixed seating. A large hatch in the cockpit sole gives good access to the 9hp Nobels bow-thruster, and its batteries. Beneath the sole is a 200 gallon stainless steel freshwater tank. Over the cockpit is a full-length cratch, with steel hinged wings forward, with glass panels in them.

Steel doors with glass panels lead into the saloon. Here you are greeted by the first design surprise, a balustraded 'staircase' like a miniature version of the balcony overlooking a grand ballroom. This causes you to pause as you enter, and allows you time to appreciate the saloon beyond.

The saloon itself is huge, over 20ft long, plus a further 6ft for the galley. To avoid a railway carriage effect, a full-height unit on the starboard side, halfway down breaks up the length, and takes your eye from one side to the other.

Immediately on your left as you enter is a 9ft L-shaped settee. This converts to a double bed using a very neat and quick pull-out arrangement, with the backrest cushions dropping down to make up the base. In the daytime position these backrests slope, giving very comfortable seating. Lockers underneath give storage space for bedding. A clever feature here is the hinged magazine rack set into the end of the settee.

Opposite is a solid fuel stove, set in its own tiled surround.

Further along the starboard side is a second settee, 6ft 6in long, which faces a removable table. When not in use, this table stores neatly in the wardrobe opposite.

This wardrobe forms part of the feature unit we have already described. This combines TV cabinet, hi-fi system, bookshelves and cupboards. In addition the full-height wardrobe will take two outside coats, and clothing belonging to people sleeping in the saloon.

Joinery in the saloon is in maple panelling for the walls, with light oak trim. The ceiling is maple, while the hull sides are light oak. The floor is in beech block panels.

One of the problems that Fernwood have addressed in this boat is the uneven expansion of the steel hull and the wooden joinery. In hot weather the steel hull can increase by up to 10mm in length, but the wood does not expand this much. The result is that long lengths of panelling, if fixed hard to battens on the cabin side, can break apart at the joins. Their solution is to locate the panels in wood grooves top and bottom, which hold them securely but not rigidly.

Light comes from 12in portlights along the length of the boat, which open for some ventilation. Further light and ventilation come from pigeon boxes overhead, one over the saloon, one over the engineroom, together with a set of side doors over the aft settee.

At the end of the saloon, the galley is on both sides of the boat, with an angled path through, to further break up the corridor effect of the interior. The finish here is in the most modern style, with Corian worktops, and light oak bulkheads. Even though it is a complete contrast to the rest of the saloon, by the time you have reached here you do not find this jars, and you can happily absorb the ambience.

Equipment is all-electric, with a Zanussi hob and oven. Opposite is a large sink, cleverly angled in the dogleg of the galley, further breaking up the through line and helping contribute to the feeling of a separate area of the boat. The lockers under the worktop are huge, giving ample space for stowage of utensils and food. Feature cupboards on the aft bulkheads have chequered glass-panelled doors, with lights inside to illuminate the contents, but more importantly, to further create a feeling of extra length.

Beyond the galley you enter another world, in the form of a space-age bathroom. Brushed aluminium bulkheads, stainless steel fittings and equipment, and a moulded red Corian top for the sink might appear to be out of place in a narrowboat, but by the time you have reached here, your senses are prepared for the shock.

On your right, dominating the picture is a white, kidney-shaped full-size bath, while to your left is the hand basin, set in a large worktop. The Mansfield toilet is set to starboard, slightly separated from the rest of the room, while opposite is a full-height wardrobe which will soon house a washing machine.
	Practical touches include a heated towel rail - stainless steel of course - and huge amounts of locker space, making this as much a utility room as a bathroom. Of course all this space is only achieved by having the through passage down the bathroom, which means both doors have to be closed off when it is in use, but this is a price you have to pay with this layout.