Gongoozler

The Gongoozler is a 60ft bespoke electric propulsion narrowboat, individually designed and built for owners Paul and Jill.
Having visited the Crick Boat Show in 2024, Paul and Jill were particularly inspired by True Blue and chose a similar starting point for their own boat, while adapting the layout, steelwork and specification to create a narrowboat completely tailored to them.
Living in France certainly didn’t prevent them from being closely involved in the build. Much of the design process and decision-making was carried out remotely by email, with Paul and Jill visiting Bluewater Boats during construction and returning to be there for the all-important delivery of their finished boat.

Electric propulsion was a natural choice for The Gongoozler, providing the quiet and relaxed cruising experience Paul and Jill wanted while offering excellent off-grid capability.
At the heart of the boat is the Vetus E-Line 11kW electric propulsion system, supported by a substantial Victron lithium battery bank, 1,950W of solar and a 6.5kVA slow-speed diesel generator.
The result is a carefully balanced system designed to make maximum use of stored and solar energy while retaining the reassurance of generator backup when required.

Vetus E-Line 11kW electric propulsion motor
6.5kVA slow-speed diesel generator
8 × 200Ah Victron lithium batteries
Victron Energy 48V 10kVA Quattro inverter/charger
3,600W Victron isolation transformer
Cerbo GX system management
GX Touch 50 display
3 × Victron 48V-to-12V DC-DC converters
1,950W solar array – 13 × 150W panels
2 × Victron 250/60 MPPT solar controllers

The Gongoozler’s electrical installation is built around the Victron Energy 48V 10kVA Quattro inverter/charger, providing powerful and intelligent management of the boat’s electrical system.
The Quattro converts stored DC battery power into AC power for the onboard equipment while also managing battery charging whenever an external AC supply is available.
A 3,600W Victron isolation transformer provides an important additional layer of electrical protection, helping prevent electrolytic corrosion while improving the safety of the shore-power installation. Integrated soft-start circuitry also helps prevent shore-side circuit breakers from tripping when the boat is connected.
Three dedicated Victron DC-DC converters reduce the main 48V battery voltage to 12V for the boat’s lower-voltage systems. One is dedicated to lighting, while the remaining converters supply equipment including the shower pump, Webasto heating and water pump.
Monitoring Wherever You Are
The Victron Cerbo GX and GX Touch 50 give Paul and Jill an immediate overview of the boat’s complete energy system.
Battery state of charge, power consumption, solar generation and other important information can all be viewed from the touchscreen onboard.
Through the Victron Remote Monitoring (VRM) portal, the system can also be monitored remotely – particularly useful for Paul and Jill when they are back home in France.

With 1,950W of solar generated by 13 × 150W panels, The Gongoozler has been designed to make excellent use of renewable energy.
The array is managed through two Victron 250/60 MPPT solar controllers, efficiently harvesting available solar energy and feeding it back into the lithium battery bank.
During the sunnier months, the substantial solar capacity can significantly reduce the need to run the generator, helping make The Gongoozler a quieter and more self-sufficient boat.

As with every Bluewater Boats build, The Gongoozler was never about simply choosing a standard specification.
The steelwork, layout, electrical installation and interior were all brought together around the way Paul and Jill wanted to use their boat.
Even with much of the design process taking place while they were living in France, regular communication throughout the build allowed decisions to be made as work progressed – demonstrating that distance doesn’t have to be a barrier to creating a genuinely bespoke narrowboat.

Once the steelwork was completed, The Gongoozler’s hull was shot blasted, removing mill scale and contaminants and providing the correctly prepared surface required for the protective coating systems.
Below the waterline, a two-pack epoxy blacking system was applied for long-term hull protection.
The superstructure was prepared with high-build epoxy primer, finishing primers and undercoats before being finished in Alexseal, with non-slip coatings incorporated into the gunnels.
An acrylic urethane clear coat was then applied over the topcoat, producing exceptional gloss and depth while providing additional resistance to UV exposure, abrasion, fuel and the demanding conditions experienced on the waterways.
Importantly for a working narrowboat, the Alexseal finish is also buffable, meaning minor scratches and marks caused by branches and everyday cruising can often be polished back to restore the finish.

To complete the build, The Gongoozler was inspected by an independent marine surveyor and certified to confirm that the applicable Recreational Craft requirements had been met throughout its construction.
From its bespoke steelwork and interior through to its electric propulsion, lithium energy storage and substantial solar capacity, The Gongoozler is another example of how traditional narrowboat craftsmanship can be combined with modern technology to create a highly individual boat.
Built around Paul and Jill. Built for quiet cruising. Built to be unmistakably theirs.