Slipstream is a 58 foot semi-traditional style narrowboat of which we own a one twelfth share under the Ownerships scheme.

After paying for our share, a one-off payment for life, we pay a one-twelth (actually slightly less) share of the annual running and management costs. As part of the agreement we are guaranteed two weeks booking between April and September and a further week outside this period. Once all owners have booked their weeks, this leaves 15 weeks free (allowing one week for maintenance) for any owner to select an additional week or weeks. The annual share of the running costs is about the cost of one week's off-peak hire of a similar (lesser?) boat so for the cost of one week's hire we get four weeks holiday! Theoretically we could get five or six weeks or even more but holidays from work are not that generous! Even so we hope to get the odd weekend later in the year.

I won't go further into the Ownerships scheme here but suggest that you contact Ownerships and ask for their information pack. Don't be worried that you'll get the hard sell, they are so laid back that you'll have to pester them if you want to buy!

If you select Outside or Inside above, you'll get a pretty good impression of Slipstream but I'll fill in some details here. The boat was built in 1997 and launched in that year. Initially moored at Blue Lias near Southam in Warwickshire, it was subsequently based at Acton Bridge in Cheshire and is now based at Fradley Junction (junction of the Trent & Mersey and Coventry canals) in Staffordshire. Since we only bought our share after the boat had been moved to Fradley, I can't comment on the previous moorings but Fradley offers such an enormous variety of one or two week routes that we won't run out of places to go!

Inside the boat is spacious and comfortable. Starting from the back of the boat we have the semi-traditional stern which has a seat along one side above the gas locker with an optional 'slot-on' seat stored inside the boat which can be fitted on the cabin sides to give a high seat for the steerer. A very strange perspective from up here!

The rear door leads down steps into the master bedroom which has a full size permanent double bed which can be extended by a further 6 inches width. There is a wardrobe and lockers above the bed together with a shelf to which the TV can be moved if watching TV in bed is your thing. Off this bedroom at the back of the boat is a second toilet with washbasin, but we don't use this as such. It makes an ideal storage space for outdoor clothing especially when wet.

The bedroom can be fully shut off by opening the door to the central heating controls across the corridor. We haven't used the central heating yet so I'll pass that by! Next door on the left is the bathroom which is fully enclosed and private, housing the toilet, a washbasin and an almost full size corner bath with shower. Sheer luxury after hire boats!

The galley is next up and this houses a full size fridge, oven with four burner hob and a microwave, together with plenty of cupboard space and, of course, the kitchen sink. The design is U-shaped so that other members of the crew can easily pass along the boat while the galley is in use. Just here on the opposite side of the boat to the sink is a side hatch which opens out and makes for glorious vista when the sun is shining. It also offers a unique viewpoint when cruising along waiting for the kettle to boil.

The galley is separated from the dining area by an overhead glass-sided cupboard which can be accessed from either side so that plates, cups and glasses etc, can be taken straight out onto the table. The table itself is set along the length of the boat so that three people are seated on the permanent seating and others can sit on the opposite side on fold-up chairs or stools. The beauty of having the area laid out in this way is that the table can be taken down and the whole area becomes an extension to the saloon making the area appear huge. You can easily watch TV from the dining area.

At night the table can be removed and the seating slid across very easily to make a second double bed. This area can be separated from the saloon, if that is also being used for sleeping, by a curtain drawn across at the foot of the bed.

In the saloon there is no fixed seating, as is normally found on hire boats, but two armchairs which can be converted into single beds if desired. Being free-standing these can be arranged at will, perhaps to face out of the full length 'french window' style doors at the front. TV and HiFi are on a shelf in one corner at the front and there is shelving above the radiators. The solid fuel stove is central to the dining area and saloon thus providing heat to both (and a good deal of heat it pumps out too!). Opposite the stove is a full height cupboard/wardrobe.

This just leaves us with the well-deck at the front which houses lockers for odds and ends with the fresh water tank in the bows. The beauty of this area is that the floor is at the same level as the saloon so that with the doors fully open it becomes an extension of the saloon itself with extra seating around three sides.

Many of the Ownerships boats from this period are similar and for a more detailed account of the facilities on offer check out the details on the Stolen Time website.

As for Slipstream herself, there is no better way to get an impression than visually, so check out the Outside and Inside links above for lots of photographs.