KIRSTIE’S DREAM COMES TRUE

(NEWS EXTRACT from recent Local Publication)

KIRSTIE LODDER has a reputation for being a busy woman and when her friends discovered she was going to build a 58-foot narrowboat in a barn at her home, even trying her hand at welding, they wondered whether she had found a way of extending the day beyond 24 hours.

KIRSTIE works as company secretary for Henley Metal Products Ltd, at the same time she has been the driving force, from 1998 until this season, behind the operation and management of Arden Polocrosse Club. It is based at the Lodder family home, Whitley, Henley-in-Arden, where she has lived for more than 30 years with her husband David, a well-known solicitor.

Kirstie has five children and eight grandchildren and also runs the rambling farmhouse and large garden which demand her exclusive attention. It doesn't leave many hours in the day, but for two years the project to build the boat with her colleague Malcolm Wright in a large barn at Whitley Farm became a dominating feature of her life. Now she just needs to find the time to enjoy it. The Euphemia, a cruiser, is licensed to carry eight but Kirstie's specific design to maximise interior space means she can sleep up to four people comfortably. The narrowboat has a lounge, a bedroom, a bathroom, a galley and is powered by a new Beta-Marine 43 horse power diesel engine which means she can navigate rivers comfortably. The engine also provides hot water and electrical power. Heating comes from a multifuel stove. The Euphemia is now moored permanently at Earlswood on the Stratford-upon-Avon canal. "My godmother was called Helen Euphemia Syme and she owned the Treasure House in Stratford. I cared for her when she went blind and she left me some money when she died. "Malcolm's company builds metal fabrications—including pet pens—and as well as being company secretary I became involved in the construction side of the business and found I enjoyed it. "He showed me these narrowboat plans and drawings he'd owned for 40 years and said it was his dream to build her. I thought it would be an ideal project to invest in; so I put my pennies into building the boat. "Our family had lived by the canal at Wootton Wawen when I was growing up and that was a sentimental reason for me to do something like this. My father had been in the navy and I decided he would have been chuffed at his daughter building a boat! "We were going to call her Urchin and then settled on Syme—but my son Matt intervened and told us she should be E The Euphemia, which we all agreed sounded right." Malcolm said: "Our total joint knowledge of boat-building was zilch but I am a Black Country structural plater/welder by trade — a craftsman in metal fabrication work and I have the skills, the tools and experience to build and make things work. "We thought boat-building was all rocket science to start with, but it turned out not to be. When the flat metal plates arrived it required vision to see how they could become a boat. Kirstie is a practical person with an eye for design—and so with the help of considerable pre-build research, going to manufacturers, we knew which direction to take. "The standard fabrication and construction is based on-a 10 millimetre thick steel base with six millimetre thick sides. The cabin sides are five millimetre plate and the top plate is four millimetres ... all welded together around a steel frame. You must then ballast it to get the boat to the correct designed draft. "The interior is lined in wood and we used a very hard and expensive tongue and groove which looks excellent. "The drawings were so old they did not conform to modern methods of fabrication so we had to innovate. At first we were just going to build the shell and get someone to fit her out. "As the build progressed, however, we became more confident and decided to carry out the design and fitting of the interior ourselves. "We used local craftsman Peter Hussey for the clever carpentry and Dean King for the electrics. Neither of them had worked on boats before. "Gradually, it all came together. Kirstie did most of the painting and a considerable amount of tack welding. She was very precise in the way things had to be done. The inside of the boat is Kirstie's and she gets the credit for its practicality yet sophistication and the minimalist colour schemes with the emphasis on natural hard wood and stainless steel—creating the illusion of space and height." Kirstie explained: "I was designing in such a small area—every single little nook and cranny or drawer had to have a purpose. My family lives in a ramshackle old farmhouse where you can open a door, throw stuff in, and forget about it for 20 years. You can't do that in a boat; so for me it was a quite difficult exercise." What next for Kirstie? It's apparent her aspirations don't end with sailing off into the sunset for fun weekends with the Lodder grandchildren—enjoying the relaxation of jointly owning a boat. "We think The Euphemia is a good business opportunity and we want to build a second narrowboat - the start of our Cruiser Plus range. First we need to find someone who will commission us to build the shell and then complete the interior design and fitting out. "We have been through a dramatic learning curve but with the assistance of Marine Engineer Bill Mcmurray AMG Ltd attained our Full Compliance with the RCD Standard and British Waterways Licence. "From the research that we carried out before and during build, we know that we can compete on favourable terms with other manufacturers If there's someone out there who wants a boat with a superior customised fit out - and is prepared to work with us on the project, we offer a personalised friendly service and are not afraid to challenge the normal boundaries of boat building." Kirstie and Malcolm raised a glass: "So here's to the next one!"  

                                                                                                    The reward after the hard work.