Escargot Pedal Powered / Electric Canal Boat

FOR SALE £8,995 Loon Escargot Hybrid Pedal Powered / Electric Canal Boat Believed to be the ONLY one in the UK. This is a chance to own and enjoy an incredible pedal powered / electric canal boat. The Escargot was originally designed by US naval architect, Philip Thiel, he designed and built a number of environmentally friendly vessels. This one was built in 1997 especially for the Environment Agency. It was professionally built to the highest standard with no expense spared.

I understand it cost around £12,000 to build. Two of Philip Thiel's students who had assisted him in building the original prototype in Seattle came to the UK to help build this Escargot. We are a family of five and are experienced at building and converting vehicles into amazing spaces. We modified and renovated the original Escargot into a really comfortable and quirky boat that we have enjoyed and really love. We spent the summers/autumn of 2014, 2015 and 2017 on the waterways.

We began our journey on the River Lee and are currently on the Ashby Canal. Mooring up in London was really easy as she is small enough to get in spaces other boats were too big for. We spent approximately six weeks exploring London in 2015. Loon is 18ft 6" in length and 6ft 4”wide. The original boat had an internal headroom of 4ft 6" but we added a central large twin wall polycarbonate opaque domed roof that slides off.

I can stand comfortably under it and I am just over 5ft 7". It is positioned over the kitchen and bathroom area where standing is more necessary. The boat is made from Gaboon ply, all the joints are sealed and it is coated with epoxy resin. It is fully insulated. The ceiling is also tongue and grooved.

There are three full size single beds, 2ft x 6ft, in the bow of the boat. They have foam mattresses and fully waterproof covers. Under the beds there is a HUGE amount of storage. The middle bed is made up using a small table that rises and lowers. There is also a front hatch out onto the deck.

There is a sliding window both sides and a small vent in the rear for the middle bed. Saloon doors close off the front cabin at night. On the right hand side of the middle section is the kitchen. There is a small sink, whale-pump tap and two 10ltr water storage containers. Designed especially to be removable to they can be carried to a water point if necessary or easily filled up when moored at a water point.

Loon carries approximately 60 litres of water altogether. We use a single ring gas stove to cook on. The floor is a hand-made varnished shower tray. On the left hand side is the toilet unit. It is a very clever design built by an experienced compost toilet builder.

It is housed/hidden under a lid so that you wouldn't know it was the toilet and to keep everything clean. It is a dry compost toilet with a urine separator. The urine is pumped to two tanks at the rear of the boat which I discreetly empty when necessary. The solids go into a compostable bag which is easily emptied. A fan immediately goes on when lifting the lid so that there are no smells emitted from the toilet.

In the main cabin area there are two shelving units which provide plenty of storage. There are two sofas either side of the boat which easily pull together at night to form a double bed. They are made up of futon mattresses and have hand-made covers. There is plenty of storage under the sofas for bedding etc. On either side of the sofas are full length shelving units.

On the right side there are a four shelves and the one on the left side houses the batteries, electrics and a hanging rail where we keep coats, life jackets etc. There are sliding windows throughout the boat with curtains. The front room has hand-made curtains with black-out lining, the roof dome has a hand-made curtain also with black-out lining but the main living area still has the original curtains. There is Flotex carpet throughout, fully removable and easily cleaned. The front outside deck has two lockable storage compartments, also accessible from the inside.

The two pedal units are housed at the rear of the boat. They were professionally and purpose built specifically for this vessel. They slot into the floor of the boat and can be securely locked in place. Loon can be easily pedaled by one person especially with the assistance of the electric motor. Pedaling is easy at 35rpm.

It won't make any difference the faster you pedal, you still go at the same speed, approximately 3mph, (walking speed). We put two new saddles on for extra comfort. Across the back deck is also a bench. There is a 6ft square canopy covering the rear. There are also outside fenders, ropes and a lock key.

There are two solar panels on the roof. The large one feeds two large leisure batteries which are used for the electric motor. The smaller solar panel feeds one large battery which services all the electrics, lighting, 12v sockets and usb chargers. All the internal lighting is LED. When we first applied for our license we were told Loon was BSS exempt.

Our insurance is less than £300 per year and I can give you details of the company that I use. Loon is on a towable boat trailer, to my knowledge it was purpose built specifically for her. I have just put two new commercial tyres on the trailer and a new winch. It also has a wheel clamp. As part of my renovating Loon I re-painted the hull with the original paint and painted the rest of the woodwork white.

This is a twenty year old boat and she is in great condition but as with any boat, whether wooden or steel, there is always a bit of touching up to do here and there. Loon is really well built and is definitely not a money pit like many traditional wooden boats. I will be as honest as possible with anyone interested in buying her. We are currently travelling on the Ashby Canal, heading towards Braunston on the Grand Union. If you have any questions or are interested in viewing Loon please give me a call.

If Loon has not sold by the time we reach Braunston we will most likely travel on towards Stratford upon Avon. (Approx. Mid August). There are a number of options available to you upon agreement of sale. You can take possession whilst she is still in the water, continue to use her and arrange storage of the trailer. Or, we can find the nearest slipway and take her out of the water or we could discuss our delivering to an agreed London canal location.

This is a really unique opportunity to own and enjoy a well built and well equipped vessel. Payment to be arranged upon agreement of purchase. Call Dave: phone or phone