About the boats
Spacious, well equipped, family and disability friendly
Our three well equipped boats are family and disability friendly and supported by our enthusiastic and experienced volunteer crew. You’ll enjoy a great day out exploring the Grand Union Canal.
The boats were all designed to provide great access for the less mobile. They all have ramps and lifts and plenty of turning space for wheelchairs and feature:
- Well equipped kitchens for self-catering use, with fridge, microwave, cooker, kettles, crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils
- Lounges with plenty of seats and tables
- Disabled bathroom including shower, toilet and wash basin
- Additional toilet and hand basin
- Efficient central heating
- Panoramic windows
- A collection of music CDs, games and colouring activities to suit a range of age groups. There is cabling for connecting smartphones to the sound system.
Group organisers are advised to read our passenger safety information, and to take advantage of our offer to show you over the boats and answer any queries in advance of booking – talk to the Bookings Team on 01923 723819 to arrange this.
Close Shave and Sheldrake II
These are family-friendly boats, easy to steer and there’s space to sit outside. There are plenty of windows that look onto the canal so you can see what’s happening outside whatever the weather.
Each boat can each take up to 12 passengers plus crew on day trips.
These are the boats that we also use for our summer residential trips. The daytime seating converts to nighttime beds.
Sheldrake III
This is our biggest and most modern boat with a sliding roof and enormous windows on three sides so you can enjoy the open air and feel very close to the water!
She carries up to 40 passengers on day trips; fewer if wheelchairs are included. Depending on the characteristics of your group, we may recommend a limit of 35 people. It’s best to discuss your plans at an early stage with our bookings team so they can help you decide what would be a comfortable maximum for your particular group.
