Englands largest canal boat to be floating hotel
At 70ft long, 12ft 6 inches wide and weighing over 40 tonnes, the Wessex Rose was custom-made from 22 tonnes of steel by the Stoke-on-Trent hull builder, Tyler Wilson, and fitted out by Daventry-based specialist boat builders, Milburn Boat.
The Wessex Rose, which recently took to the water for its maiden voyage from Northamptonshire, has been specifically designed to fit through the locks of the Kennet and Avon Canal where it will operate three, four and seven day scheduled cruises throughout the summer - a floating hotel which can accommodate up to six guests.
Husband and wife team from Yorkshire, David and Karen Binney, approached Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking for the Government-backed Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) loan, to begin work on the boat in the autumn of 2012.
David Binney said it had been exciting to see the transformation from raw materials to a finished boat, and continued: “We’ve already been taking bookings for this summer from as far away as the USA and Australia.”
