Our Boat – MV Sunshine Coast

People have often asked, “how did you choose this boat”?

We wanted a boat that was going to be flexible.  This was because Geoff would like to cruise around the coastlines of the Mediterranean once Leanne gains confidence enough to do so.  In the meantime, the original plan was going to be cruising around the canals of France.

It’s easy to find a dedicated canal boat or narrow boat but these are not suitable for open oceans or coastlines.  Most coastal cruises have an “air draft” (the height from the waterline to the highest fixed point on the boat) too high for getting under many of the bridges crossing the rivers and canals within Europe.

After a lot of research, we came across Broom Boats and were immediately impressed.  Broom have been manufacturing boats in the UK for over a 100 years, have a wonderful reputation for safety, stability, reliability and workmanship.  We also loved the large aft cabin layout and the fact that while there was room for one or two other couples onboard.  We also believed that after gaining some experience Lea and I could handle one of these boats on our own.

The boat at the top of a large list of “contenders” was a Broom 39 designed as a coastal cruiser but with the versatility of being able to lower the radar arch to reduce the air draft and allow her to pass under virtually any bridge in Europe.  Even the windows on the top deck are hinged to lower her profile even further.

Unfortunately, it was well outside of our price range though.  That was until Brexit, which saw the value of the Pound plummet against the Australian Dollar.  Suddenly she was within our price range, and we grasped the opportunity.

Geoff took his first ever trip to the UK in November 2016 to conduct sea trials and organise a marine survey to check everything was in order, and the purchase was finalised soon afterwards.