Background

We have built 7 boats over the past 45 years, 2 while working in Maryland and 5 in Europe since we retired in 1980. Our system has been to have a shell built, the motor installed and we do the building of everything else. This allowed us to maintain a high standard of quality. Also, we got to live in four interesting communities in England and again in central France for extended periods of time, where we have made many friends.

Our five European boats have always been commented about for their excellence of appearance. In 1996 we won a trophy for the best private boat at the 350 boat Inland Waterways Association Rally in Birmingham, England. All of our previous boats been sold to the first or second inquirer. Our 2nd boat, a Bruce Roberts 31ft Spray motorsailer was bought by Bruce for his and Gwenda’s own use.

We were cruising down the Intracoastal Waterway in the winter of 1983 on our 34 ft Seafarer sailboat from the Chesapeake Bay to the Florida Keys. Along the way we became enthralled with the variety of tugboats in use. As a part of her Log, Dorothy even wrote down the names of all we passed.

Dorothy’s photo of our tugboat Oasis on the left has surpassed all previous boats in the number of people in France or Belgium that have come forward to discuss the boat. Oasis was featured twice in the French waterways magazine FLUVIAL and many of the conversations were engendered by this exposure. It is truly a delight to live-aboard, for its acceptance everywhere and it even gets a thumbs-up from working boat crews.

Searches led us to a steel tugboat kit from Euroship Services in Netherlands. We bought a kit in 2003, had the shell welded up in France, installed a 43hp Beta diesel motor, did all of the remainder of construction and launched a completed boat in July 2005.

Oasis is a 10-meter (32.8ft) by 3.5-metre (11.5ft) steel Dutch Replica Tugboat. It is 8ft above the water and is 3ft into the water. Anyone who wants to contact us about this boat can find us at: hdstufft@aol.com.

Two can sleep on the lounge in the Snug (front cabin). In addition to the lounge the Snug has fully equipped galley with plenty of cupboards, a coal stove, and an entertainment center that houses the TV and satellite receiver gear, an HP laptop computer with printer and a CD/Cassette player/radio. All cabinets have French oak doors and frames.

When we have another couple with us, they sleep in the back cabin and we remove the cushions for plenty of reclining room for our 6’2” and 5’8” bodies. A porta-potty is stored behind the steps and is brought out in the normal process of going to bed. We have used this method of entertaining friends and family for seven 2-week periods and all want another visit.

The galley area has sufficient storage area for everything Dorothy, our gourmet chef, thinks is necessary for ease of cooking. The small cupboard on the above left is the spice cupboard. The propane stove to the left is stainless steel and is set in a fireproof surround. It is equipped with four burners, an oven and a grille inside the oven. The round stainless steel sink is 8” deep. There is a microwave oven over the counter just out of sight to the right. The 12-volt refrigerator/freezer has two compartments and is quiet and low demanding on electricity. The hydraulic steering gear is in the back of the upper dish cupboards and the whole galley, except the stove, is under the pilothouse instrument panel.

We can sleep 2 people in the back cabin on a double bed and is equipped with a shower, toilet, Pullman sink, 2 hanging lockers, 4 cupboard and four cupboards in the back wall.

The book shelves seen here are but a small sample of the nearly 30ft of book shelving in all three cabins. The head of the bed shown here is under the long seat in the pilothouse.

There are four 115 volt outlets throughout the boat and an additional nine in the entertainment cabinet. An electric meter is beside the 7-circuit main power panel to measure current usage when moored somewhere that charges for electricity usage by the kilowatt hour, rather than an overpriced daily rate in addition to the mooring fee. Power input for 115 volts is by an external socket.

Behind Dorothy is a folding pilot’s seat that is just visible in the bottom left-hand corner. Also behind Dorothy is a 3-person bench that is built on top of a comprehensive tool chest. There is a foot rest shelf that houses a variety of fastenings beneath it.

An ICOM Vhf marine transceiver is mounted above Dorothy’s head and is very useful to talk to lockkeepers.

There are 12 circuit breakers on a 12volt panel in front of Dorothy’s hand that control everything you could think of for your 12 lighting and other needs. Her hand is on the speed/gear shift lever.

All of the above circuits are laid with double insulated copper multi-strand wire in an oversize gauge for the expected ampere demands.

In August, 2010 we had Oasis shipped from Rotterdam, Netherlands to Newport, Rhode island and it is stored for the winter at Wickford, RI--one of the loveliest towns in New England.  In July 2011 we took Oasis to New York and up the Hudson River to the Erie Canal and other waterways up in that area.