WHAT WE LIKED
- The flexibility of caravanning or boating from the same vehicle is appealing
- Excellent quality fibreglass finishes throughout
NOT SO MUCH
- Side entrances through fence to front and rear deck would assist transfer of people when dockside
- The floor plan on the rear deck could be revamped to cope with extra refrigeration or ice boxes as cold food storage space is minimal for an extended trip
OVERVIEW
- Many problems overcome
Unless you are licensed and registered as a road train operator you really can only tow one unit at a time. So what’s it to be? A boat or a caravan these holidays?
There have been a few oddball inventions built over axles in the past decade or so that attempted to do both but they seem to have faded into oblivion and most likely for a number of reasons; one of which would be the woes that beset the owners when the harsh marine environment takes its toll on the running gear.
The Ventura model from Boat A Home has gone a long way to addressing many of those issues with a trailer-able houseboat that seconds as a caravan. Rather than having the road suspension permanently attached, the houseboat rides on a purpose-built trailer.
THE INSIDE
- The comforts of a home away from home
Entrance to the inside of the Boat A Home is from either end. The centrally-located front door features a double-glazed, toughened-glass window with a solid pull-down shade while an insect screen may be lifted from the bottom. They lock together and are adjustable to have a variation of length of either. Heavy curtains may be deployed here and on the rest of the windows about the cabin for privacy and to keep light out.
Either side of the entrance a half-wall height toughened-glass window offers a panoramic view ahead for the skipper as he sits at the console situated on the starboard side.
The console hosting the helm looks busy with full instrumentation for each of the two outboard motors and the hydraulic steering wheel features a hub with a four position adjustment. This will suit operators of various heights and makes life comfortable whether standing or sitting when underway.
Directly opposite is the dining suite which features a bench seat fore and aft of a good-sized table and it is ideally positioned for the occupants to keep the skipper company when travelling distances on the water.
Situated immediately behind the dining suite is the galley. It has a three-burner cooktop with a sink included in the same stainless steel module and each sit under separate hinged glass tops to increase available bench space when required. Bench space is available each end of the galley module and a raised end wall will prevent gear from sliding off.
Two large cupboard doors give access to the storage below the sink and above this area overhead cupboards will be handy for plates, pots and other cooking gear.
Sitting under this overhead module, a Dometic range hood is installed and vents fumes from the cooker to the outside of the boat.
Behind you whilst standing at the galley you will find a 118-litre single door refrigerator/freezer installed at a good height for easy access and below that a hatch which is storage space but which also houses a gas hot-water service with a 15-litre capacity. It has a fast recycling time so continuous hot water is available provided your supply holds out.
The shower and toilet cubicle sits aft of that in the same module. It is as roomy inside as you will find in many boats much larger and the shower consists of an adjustable and removable hand rose.
The toilet is a Dometic with a porcelain bowl and removable cartridge which is serviced via a hatch in the passageway between it and the galley. Initial thoughts were that it would be better having it serviced from outside of the superstructure but during extended trips on water, access to it would be restricted should you want to pull into a pump-out facility as it might be against or below the level of the wharf. There are no side decks on this boat; rather sheer walls to the water.
In the aft port corner (rear near side) the L-shaped lounge features a base in which the house batteries are stored. This lounge easily disassembles to make up a standard sized double bed. With it laid out for sleeping there is still access around the foot of the bed to move about from the rear deck through the cabin.
A television is mounted on a swing arm fixed to the back of the clothes cupboard which forms part of the ablution module and it is viewable from here as well as the galley and the dining suite.
Most of the internal panelling including the doors is moulded from fibreglass. They are light weight but feel very strong with carpet lining adhered on the inside. They close with a neat fit and feature quality catches and hinges.
The main superstructure consists of Divinycell foam sandwich panels which offer good strength and built-in insulation against the elements and the cabin roof lining is soft vinyl upholstered.
With no timber used in the manufacture of this boat other than 17-mm fibre-glassed transom boards the manufacturer has made it rot proof against the elements that normally would readily attack wood in a marine environment. The finish all round is such that it will be a breeze to keep clean as well.
THE OUTSIDE
- Plenty of fuel and water
The front deck is shorter than that at the rear and in the starboard corner an electric anchor winch is located. This deck is surrounded on both sides and corners by an ample stainless steel rail with the opening for boarding centrally located. This is similar in design to that on the rear deck and when alongside the wharf or dock, boarding and alighting is over or under the rail. Side entrances would be the preferred option here and this and a host of other new features are in the pipeline for new models which are on the designing table as we go online with this.
The aft deck has the entrance door to the cabin on the starboard or offside. This makes room against the back wall for a storage box which held spare fuel containers and seconded as a seat and next to that a pair of gas bottles were fixed and plumbed in place, hidden behind a shroud.
Considering this boat hosts a 100-litre fuel capacity as standard and the Honda outboard motors fitted are fuel misers, the box containing the fuel cans would be more practical if converted to extra refrigeration or icebox space.
Central in the deck, a large hatch opens to a lazarette. In many boats the lazarette is the food storage area but in most it is used to house all sorts of gear such as fenders, ropes, fuel, spare water and the like. In the Boat A Home it allows access to the two fuel tanks which sit in each pontoon. They are constructed of aluminium and are removable for servicing if need be. There is enough space inside the pontoons to option the fuel supply up to a 100-litre tank each side with enough room left to store deck chairs and other gear, out of sight.
The two 100-litre water tanks are permanent fixtures in the hull and the remaining voids are foam filled for positive buoyancy.
Above the gas-bottle shroud, a set of steps allow access to the roof via a hatch in the raised overhead awning.
This area is fenced each side with stainless steel rails with the front and rear brow providing the end stops should something slide around. It is capably of having 250kg of weight stowed upon it and while it may flex underfoot the manufacturer advises that it won’t break under the weight.
THE TRAILER
- Custom made for the job
The Boat A Home sits on a purpose built trailer constructed of aluminium framework on top of a galvanised chassis which has a tandem axle set up with electric brakes.
The top side is fitted with plastic skids and a self aligning frame engages the gap between the pontoons to guide the boat on. Launching and retrieving this boat is probably as easy as it gets. It slides on and off with ease.
The front of the trailer has an aluminium checker plate stair case with steps down each side of the drawbar below. The top rung on the stair case corresponds with the entrance on the front deck.
This trailer is rated to three tonne GVM and with the dry weight of the boat being 1700kg, there is plenty of scope for loading of extra fuel and supplies for a long trip.
The manufacturer advises that a vehicle such as a Nissan Navara 3.0-litre turbo diesel is sufficient as a tow vehicle for this set up.
THE BOTTOM LINE
- A surprise package on the water
While initially sceptical as to what the end weight would be of a fibreglass construction of this size we were pleasantly surprised to say the least.
The structure has been manufactured for strength and lightness and it has worked a treat. It is by no accident though. The manufacturer makes walls, roofs and panels for quite a few caravan and camper trailer builders in Australia so knows well how to get the best out of his materials.
They have not skimped on hull thickness though with the pontoons being between 10 to 15-mm thickness of solid fibreglass and the floor spanning the two around 25-mm thick.
The next surprise was its performance on the water considering the low horsepower of the outboards; just 30-hp each. Typical of a pontoon boat it climbed slowly onto the plane with three adults on board and run to full throttle it achieved 21 knots or just under 40-kmh.
Steering was effortless due to the hydraulic assistance at the helm and cornering was typically flat for a boat with this sized beam.
If you are looking for the best of both worlds in caravanning boating and live-aboard on-water accommodation, here would be a good place to start.
Specifications:
Boat A Home Ventura
Price: $139,700
Overall length: 9.4m on trailer
Boat only length: 7.9m
External width: 2.4m
Internal height: 2.0m
External height on trailer: 3.5m
Nameplate ATM: 3000kg
Ball weight: 120kg
Cooktop: Dometic 3 burner gas
Fridge: Vitrifrigo 118 litre
Gas: 2 x 4.5kg
Freshwater: 200 litres
Suspension: Tandem axle leaf spring
SUPPLIED BY
BOAT A HOME (POPPY’S FIBREGLASS)
Shed 4, 2 Premier Circuit, Warana Qld. 4575
Telephone/fax: (07) 5493 8599
Email: poppysfibreglass@bigpond.com
Website: www.boatahome.com.au