REFITTING DEL BOY'S BOAT

摘要

Most of us have probably come across photos of the Only Fools & Horses-themed boat online, but none of the WW team had ever seen it in the flesh; indeed, we wondered if it was still in existence. On a recent visit to Furness Vale Marina on the Peak Forest Canal, however, the rather conspicuous narrowboat was spotted in a quiet corner of the site.The 53ft boat was converted to an imitation of Del Boy's iconic three-wheeled van by former owner and retired engineer Tony Vaughan, who admitted that alcohol - four pints of Guinness, to be precise - played a part in its conception. "I was in my local pub one winter's night with a few friends. It seemed a good idea at the time."The boat, acquired by Tony second-hand, already had the name Trotters Independent, and he soon snapped up a shell of a Reliant Regal Supervan for £200. With help from a boat-building friend, and by putting in six-hour days, Tony was able to finish the project in just a month, and the canary-yellow craft was launched in 2018.Not long after completing the project, however, Tony sold the boat to Oldham-based septuagenarian Bob Meyrick, who was part way through refitting its interior during our visit.