The NAB 23 Dory Wheelchair Accessible Boat

Being confined to a wheelchair has its drawbacks when you absolutely adore sea fishing but haven't really got many places to go because the shoreline around Torbay is not really suitable for anglers who use wheelchairs. So I've been thinking over the last few months that the way around this is to get myself my very own wheelchair accessible fishing boat. Second-hand wheelchair accessible boats are like rocking horse manure, they don't come up for sale very often and when they do, they are pretty much snapped up straightaway. So if I want my own boat, the only option I have is to have one built from scratch. Luckily I got to know Geoff Holt a few years ago, Geoff is confined to a wheelchair with the same spinal injury break as myself. I believe that he broke his neck whilst in the Caribbean, again not long after I had my accident. Geoff has been a sailor for many years and hasn't let his disability get in the way of his passion. So when I decided that I wanted a boat, Geoff was the obvious person to seek advice from about what boats were available and how I go about getting one. Geoff has owned many boats over the years and one particular type of dory that he owned up until fairly recently seemed to fit the bill of what I was looking for in a small fishing boat. The NAB 23 dory is a 7 m vessel that is capable of 23 kn, believe me that is an extremely fast boat. It has a ramp located at the bow that folds into the structure when not in use. Even though the boat hasn't got any cover, it really does suit my needs down to the ground. It's capable of travelling 20 miles offshore in good weather, not that I would be very comfortable with going that far.

I will keep you informed on the progress so please come back here for updates.

 

 

Unfortunately I have now decided to bin this project. There is nothing more I would like to do than own my own boat, however taking into account the cost of running the boat, berthing, and general maintenance which would have to be carried out several times a year, I can see this turning into a chore rather than an enjoyable hobby so reluctantly I decided that having a boat built is just not a sensible thing to do at the moment. Like I often say, never say never, you just don't know what's going to happen in the future, but the moment I don't want something that is just going to sit there for all but a few weeks of the year costing me loads of money.